Doc, most of the trains that pass within sight of your home pass right behind my home in north Idaho. Potash trains from Saskatchewan (grey Canpotex hoppers) head to Terminal 5 at Rivergate, right outside Portland near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Unit grain trains from the north central U.S. enter Canada at Portal, ND, and come your way before diving south into Idaho to reach export docks. I heard from a CP engineer this morning who just ran over Crowsnest Pass with a trainload of wheat bound for Kalama, WA. Plus several manifests both ways. Earlier this year, UP introduced an MRVET that moves cars from Roseville, CA, straight to Canada; it bypasses re-classification at Hinkle.
You're right about the scenery. Some of the most spectacular ranges are right there in sight of downtown Cranbrook, and certainly more of the same all the way north to Golden or east to Crowsnest. And of course you're just a few miles from the Windermere Sub with all its coal traffic.
Don't know if you're aware of the Fort Steel Heritage Town up on the bluff above CP. Fairly impressive steam train operation (check their schedule, limited operating season), wonderful collection of historic buildings and culture, and some nice views looking down on CP. And of course the railway museum right there in Cranbrook. You certainly picked one of the best places to live!
For more on the UP/CP gateway through Eastport, be sure to watch for Kalmbach's "Locomotive 2012" annual, due out later this year.
