Description

Across the Continental Divide

Artist Statement by Dustin Ferguson

A red and black CN train barrels forward—fully loaded, stacked high with cargo, cutting across the spine of the continent. Behind it, the hazy mountain range fades into myth. Ahead, steel and speed carve through wilderness.

Captured on a clear day at full motion, this image is more than a snapshot of industry—it’s a portrait of evolution. For over a century, the rail line has threaded through Canada’s wild heart, bridging past and present, nature and machine.

From the misty background to the sharp foreground, Across the Continental Divide traces the transformation of the rail industry. It speaks to strength, endurance, and the relentless forward motion of progress. Yet even as it roars ahead, the train leaves behind a landscape shaped by time, memory, and quiet resilience.

This photograph invites reflection on what we carry, what we leave behind, and how movement itself becomes legacy.