My father worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and when we moved from Ontario backwoods to the City of Trail, we rented a railway house between the tracks and the Cominco smelter. Our front yard was the parking lot and our back was the railway tracks. The trains shuttling ore passed so close that I could hand the engineer a magazine from our upstairs window. It was difficult to sleep the first few days in the city, but after a week the engines passing by our window didn't disturb us one wink. This was a time of tension with the USSR and I believe we were one of the targets of the Soviets. At the time, Cominco was the largest non-ferrous smelter in the world, providing zinc and aluminum to the free market. The smelter still stands but our old residence is gone. Good riddance. View full size.