Steam train ride through the heart of Alberta

The train boards at 11 o’clock sharp. From there, forget about wifi, video games or tap-to-pay. Put some cash in your pocket — it will come in handy.

Each car on the vintage steam train is furnished differently, harking back to the early era of rail travel. Conductors in black caps and burgundy vests come by to punch tickets as the engine chugs into motion. With a candy store, bar car and live entertainment, our journey to Big Valley passes quickly — but not uneventfully.

In the middle of the open prairie, the bandits strike and an epic gunfight ensues between train marshal and outlaws. The marshal later remarks to an adoring crowd of kids, “I musta shot at least 20, 30 of ’em.”

We disembark in a town of about 300 that looks much like it did in prairie boom times. One- and two-storey buildings from the late Victorian and early prairie eras mingle on Big Valley’s main street.

Up on the hillside, the baby blue siding and stainless steel spire of St. Edmund’s Anglican Church draw eyes heavenward. At the Big Valley Community Hall, roast beef dinner – with carrots, peas, mash potatoes, salad, buns, gravy and all the fixings – is served community style.

Once your belly is well and full, you can stroll lazily back through town or take a guided ride through more local history. You have time to shop for unique finds before boarding the train back to the present.

A day later and 100 years ahead, the timeless beach of Rochon Sands provides space to reflect on the excitement of the day before. In modern civilization, the pace of change is fast but here, rooted in the past, transformation through natural processes can slow to years and decades. Time nearly stops. Take a breath, feel the sun on your skin and the water lapping your feet.

Finding these pockets of history is a good way to remind ourselves how we arrived in the present. We are not just passengers on this train but also engineers and conductors. History is alive in Alberta, and we are living it.