Making A Watch From 133 Year Old Train Track - Step 1 of 6 (Sourcing)

Our next timepiece is made from 133 year old train track pried from the hillside of our hometown, Lethbridge, Alberta. This durable steel, manufactured by Dowlais Ironworks in 1884, became the backbone of the coal mining industry and was an integral piece of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was sourced from the Galt No. 8 Mine site, which closed in 1957, and was a catalyst of economic development in aptly named Coalbanks (since changed to Lethbridge), as well as neighbouring towns Coalhurst and Coaldale. Larry Christmas, a previous chairman of the History and Heritage Committee of the Coal Association of Canada said: “The Galt No. 8 Mine site represents one of the most important abandoned coal mines in Canada…”