Daily Archives: 22 July, 2023

Railway Museum of British Columbia: Pacific Great Eastern Car Shop (Squamish, Canada)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Pacific Great Eastern Car Shop

From the CN Roundhouse and Conference Center, I walked over to the historic Pacific Great Eastern Car Shop.

Check out “Railway Museum of British Columbia:  CN Roundhouse and Conference Center“

Interior of Car Shop

Built in 1914, it was moved to the RMBC in 1994, the largest building ever moved in one piece in Western Canada.

Speeder Ride

Pump Car

Today, it is home to a 15-ton overhead crane.  You can view restoration work in progress as well as some exhibits.

Luggage Wagon

Mail Delivery Van

Housed within is a CP 2514 Colonist Car (one of a few still around today), CPR Baggage Mail Car 3704 and Pacific Great Eastern RS3 Diesel 561 locomotive.

Railway Scaled Model

HQ Scaled Modular Model

Also on display here are a pump car, a railway scaled model, a luggage wagon, a mail delivery van, a scale HQ modular model and a speeder car (once used as motorized maintenance vehicles to transport crews to their worksites along the tracks).

CPR Baggage Mail Car 3704

The CPR Baggage Mail Car 3704, built in 1949, has a 50’ baggage compartment and a 30’ mail compartment. BC Rail bought the car from CPR for work train service but never converted it. In 1998, the WCRA acquired the car for preservation and it was restored by a team of Canada Post volunteers.

Mail sorting area

Now representing a typical working mail car, No. 3704 was part of a group of 10 cars rebuilt from standard Baggage mail cars in the 3600 series.

Exhibit area

 

The CP 2514 Colonist Car, built in 1905, is one of a very few Colonist sleeper cars still around today. Built to carry settlers, mostly European, to settle in Western Canada, passengers spent 4 to 5 days in the car travelling across Canada.

CP 2514 Colonist Car

The last mainline services these cars saw was carrying troops during World War 2. Very uncomfortable and often overcrowded, it had hard wooden slat seats for 50 passengers, but they would, at times, carry 100 passengers, with people often having to sit on the floor or stand.

Passenger seating area

At each end of the car were coal stoves for heat and to allow passengers to cook meals (passengers would have to bring their own food and cooking utensils).

Cooking stove

There were also some pull down sleeping berths (passengers had to supply their own bedding) and washing facilities at each end of the car, one for women and the other for men.

The Pacific Great Eastern RS3 Diesel 561, built in 1951 by Montreal Locomotive Works, putting out 1600 HP, is a freight workhorse frequently seen in service at the park, switching trains in and out of the round house and turntable. This locomotive, representing the first “road” diesels operated by the PGE, was in service for over 35 years before being retired and acquired by the museum.

Pacific Great Eastern RS3 Diesel 561 Locomotive

Railway Museum of British Columbia: 39645 Government Road, Squamish, British Columbia V8B 0B6.  Tel:  604-898-9336.  E-mail: Info@wcra.org. Website: www.wcra.org. Open every Saturday and long weekends, Sundays all summer, 10 AM – 5 PM, select Thursdays, 10 AM – 3 PM. Group Tour events Special Access.  Admission (plus taxes): ($25 (adults, 19–59 years), $20 (seniors, 60+ years), $18 (students ages 12+), $10 (children, 6-11 years), $75 (family, where members must reside at the same address). Toddlers, under 5 years of age, are free admission.  Admission tickets usually include all rides and activities.

How to Get There: the museum isn’t so easy to find unless you have a good map or GPS. Driving past the main intersection with Petro-Canada, 7-Eleven & McDonalds, turn left at either of the next two exits (Industrial Way or Commercial Way) then turn right on Queens Way and follow that a short distance until it merges with Government Road at the stop sign. Proceed across the BC Railway Crossing (after looking both ways). The entrance to the museum will be on your right.

Railway Museum of British Columbia: CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre (Squamish, Canada)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

CN Roundhouse and Conference Center

After our Mini-Rail ride, we next proceeded, indoors, to the spectacular CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre, the largest meeting facility in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

Opened last June 30, 2010, this fully geothermal roundhouse, with three levels, has also become a major community events space, with many banquets, weddings, public markets and other functions regularly held at the site.

The 22,000 sq. ft. building, with its over 280 ft. long curving glass feature wall and its upper level viewing deck, offers spectacular views of the Heritage Park and the surrounding mountains in all directions. A vintage railway turntable, to move the trains in and out, was refurbished and installed and is fully operational.

 

 

It is also a grand showcase for a collection of precious pieces of rolling stock in climate-controlled comfort.  Two are locomotives (Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive and Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST locomotive), one business car (British Columbia Business Car) and one is a troop carrier (Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714).

The magnificent Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive is the Crown Jewel of the collection.  One of 65 ‘Hudson’ type 4-6-4 steam locomotives built for the CPR by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW), this series of engines was numbered 2800 to 2864 and the first one was delivered in 1929.

The Canadian Pacific Railway Royal Hudson 2860 locomotive

Starting with No. 2820, the Hudsons got the streamlining treatments so popular in the 1930’s. Five CPR Hudsons were saved (Nos. 2816, 2839, 2850, 2858 and 2860).

During the visit to Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939, Locomotive No. 2850 (now at Exporail near Montreal) was assigned to haul the Royal Train, performing flawlessly and impressing the King greatly. The CPR received permission to designate the streamlined Hudsons “Royal” and eventually each locomotive was equipped with a crown fastened to their running boards.

Visitors checking out the 2860’s driver’s compartment

The engine and loaded tender weigh 293,770 kgs. (648,000 lbs.), has a tractive effort of 19,2004 kgs. (42,250 lbs.) and is capable of speeds of 144 kph (90 mph). The locomotive and tender have a total length of 27.27 m. (90’ 10”) and is 4.7 m. (15’ 10”) high. The tender has a capacity of 54,600 liters (12,000 gallons) of water and 18,614 liters (4,1000 gallons) of fuel oil.

The 2860’s driver’s compartment

Engine 2860, finished in June 1940, was restored for a proposed Railway Museum in Vancouver.  In 1974, the Province of British Columbia bought the locomotive for an excursion train and it ran on the BC Rail track from North Vancouver to Squamish. In 2000, the province leased the engine to the district of Squamish for display and restoration at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (now the Railway Museum of British Columbia). You can climb into the cab and ring the bell.

The author inside the 2860’s driver’s compartment

 

The Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST locomotive, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in February 1910, is a “Prairie” type weighing over 90 tons in working trim and delivering about 22,000 lbs. of tractive effort with a boiler pressure of 185 lbs.

Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2S locomotive

The cylinders are 16” x 24” and the engine is equipped with Stephenson valve gear. The ‘ST’ denotes the unique saddlle tank design for the water tank above the boiler.

The Pacific Great Eastern 2-6-2ST driver’s compartment

The British Columbia Business Car, built in 1890 by Barney & Smith of Dayton ( Ohio) as the sleeper Sherbrooke for the Canadian Pacific Railway, was rebuilt, in 1912, in CP Angus as a Business car No. 16 and used all across Canada until it was retired. In 1961, it was purchased from the CPR by founding members of the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA). The car was then leased to the Victoria Pacific (a tourist railway operator) until 1971.

British Columbia Business Car

In 1983, the car was returned to the WCRA and, by that time, it had suffered serious damage. That same year, restoration began and was completed on July 30, 1990, in time for its 100th birthday. It is estimated that 80,000 person hours and $360,000 have gone into bringing British Columbia to her present condition.

Interior of the British Columbia Business Car

As a business car, it would normally carry a complement of three – a Railway Executive, his assistant and a Steward. However, the car could sleep up to 10 people in a comfort rarely equaled today. The interior is Honduran mahogany, inlaid with birch, maple and walnut and finished with 12 coats of varnish, each one sanded between coats and finally French polished. All the fittings are solid brass and the car rides on 6 wheel trucks. 

The Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper

The Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714, built by the Pullman Company during World War II to alleviate the shortage of sleeping cars to transport troops in the US, was built with Allied Full Cushion high speed trucks and was designed to be converted into baggage cars thus ensuring a ready sale when the war is over.  Both troop sleepers in the collection saw service on the Alaska Railroad during the latter days of the war.

Interior of the Pacific Great Eastern Troop Sleeper 714

There are two cabooses (a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train that provide shelter for crew) – the British Columbia Railway Extended Vision Caboose 1859 and the Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817.

The BC Rail Caboose 1859

British Columbia Railway Extended Vision Caboose 1859, featuring the beautiful two-tone green and BC Trillium livery, was originally built by the PGE home shops in 1969.

Interior of the BC Rail Caboose 1859

The Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817 was one thirty cabooses were built, numbered from 1811 to 1840.  In 1955, No. 1817 was rebuilt, from PGE stock car No. 503, in the PGE car shop.

The Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817

In their conversion, they were stripped the caboose to the frame and rebuilt it using conventional methods. They sheathed it , inside and out, using marine plywood. The cupolas were constructed with sheet metal and welded for extra strength.

Interior of the Pacific Great Eastern Caboose 1817

Warm and comfortable, they were equipped with a standard caboose cook stove and 3 bunks for crew. ST denotes the unique Saddle Tank design for the water tank over the boiler.

1934 Chrysler Air Flow Model CU

A rare 1934 Chrysler Air Flow Model CU, noted for its aerodynamic body design (far before its time), was purchased from Ron Fawcett (a classic car dealer from Whitby, Ontario) in 1981 for $6,500, by William Albert Exworthy whose joy was restoring antique cars. He restored this car from 1994 to 1995 and, on May 2006, donated it to the museum.

1937 Ford Track Inspection Car

There’s also a 1937 Ford Fordor Sedan rail inspection car which was in service till 1962.  It had the perfect wheelbase to run on top of the rails, with flanges mounted behind the wheels.

Original brass bell from Canadian National 2-8-2 3449

Luggage Wagon

Also on display here is the original brass bell from Canadian National 2-8-2 3449;; a scaled model of a Shay 3 Cylinder Logging Locomotive; an original Stanley Park miniature train; a luggage wagon; a Max Jacquiard painting of Canadian National 6060; and historical Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern Railway advertisements.

Original Stanley Park Miniature Train

Model of a Shay 3 Cylinder Logging Locomotive

Their Gift Shop offers a selection of Railway Museum of British Columbia apparel; scale model trains,model kits, die-cast models, DVDs (featuring Canadian Pacific Royal Hudson No.2860); puzzles and toys; and merchandise celebrating a Day Out with Thomas and North Pole Express events.

The Gift Shop

Railway Museum of British Columbia: 39645 Government Road, Squamish, British Columbia V8B 0B6.  Tel:  604-898-9336.  E-mail: Info@wcra.org. Website: www.wcra.org. Open every Saturday and long weekends, Sundays all summer, 10 AM – 5 PM, select Thursdays, 10 AM – 3 PM. Group Tour events Special Access.  Admission (plus taxes): ($25 (adults, 19–59 years), $20 (seniors, 60+ years), $18 (students ages 12+), $10 (children, 6-11 years), $75 (family, where members must reside at the same address). Toddlers, under 5 years of age, are free admission.  Admission tickets usually include all rides and activities.

How to Get There: the museum isn’t so easy to find unless you have a good map or GPS. Driving past the main intersection with Petro-Canada, 7-Eleven & McDonalds, turn left at either of the next two exits (Industrial Way or Commercial Way) then turn right on Queens Way and follow that a short distance until it merges with Government Road at the stop sign. Proceed across the BC Railway Crossing (after looking both ways). The entrance to the museum will be on your right.

Railway Museum of British Columbia: Railyard (Squamish, Canada)

Posted on by — Leave a reply

Railway Museum of British Columbia

After lunch at White Spot at Squamish town center, we decide to explore the town and, just on the north side of the town, we chanced upon the 12-acre Railway Museum of British Columbia (RMBC), a wonderful but not that well-known attraction nestled in the beauty of the Squamish Valley.

This replica of a turn-of-the-century railway station and town centre, surrounded by spectacular mountain vistas, features vintage locomotives, artifacts and themed train rides.

Also within the museum is a blacksmith shop, a Pacific Great Eastern (PGE) fire hall, an old-time print shop (with vintage printing press) and a general store.

Print Shop

 

General Store

The railway museum, first opened in July 1994 as the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (it was just renamed as RMBC last July 1, 2021), is locted 40 kms. north of Vancouver.  It is home to the growing collection of the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA), a nonprofit charitable organization established in 1961 with a mission of preserving British Columbia ‘s railway heritage. In 1963, they purchased the first piece of its historic collection – a Canadian Pacific business car built in 1890.

Today, their heritage railway collection has grown to number 95 locomotives and cars, the the largest collection of railway rolling stock in Western Canada and second largest collection of railway rolling stock and associated artifacts collection in Canada (the largest is the Exporail – Le Musee Ferroviare Canadien in Quebec), representing all the major railways which have served British Columbia (Canadian Pacific, Canadian National, Pacific Great Eastern, BC Electric and Great Northern).

A flatbed railway car

In 2004, the Heritage Park acquired and started to operate its full size trains during special events and on special occasions, making it a licensed operating railway.  Its most unique and beautiful layout is set in the context of a typical small town built around the railway station with many buildings as well as the trains themselves.

Turntable (or wheelhouse) is a device for turning railway rolling stock, usually locomotives, so that they can be moved back in the direction from which they came.

The museum hosts several major seasonal events:

  • Thomas the Train Spring Event (May) – take 20-min. trips on the Thomas the Tank Engine and meet Sir Topham Hatt.
  • Dinosaur Train (spring break) – train ride and exploration that includes dinosaurs from Jim Henson’s TV cartoon series, digging for bones and other craft activities.
  • Mystery of the Magic Pumpkin (October)
  • Polar Express (early December) – take a 50-min. trip to the North Pole similar to what happens in the Polar Express animated movie starring Tom Hanks

Upon arrival, we took time to explore the rail yard, exploring the Canadian National FP9A Diesel 6520 locomotive, boarding its driver’s compartment and caboose.  Recently repainted in the bold and striking 1961 CN scheme that it wore for most of its career in passenger service, it was revealed to the public in Squamish in November 2019, after several years of restoration and upgrades.

Canadian National FP9A Diesel 6520

Geared for a top speed of 89 MPH, CN 6520 was used to pull the finest regional and transcontinental trains of its time, finishing its career painted in VIA colors until it served again in CN Green and Gold in Ontario at the Waterloo & St. Jacobs Railway. It runs very well, being one of our prime pieces of motive power for Events Trains and other special activities.

Kyle at the driver’s compartment

Coupled to the 6520 is the CPR No. 8 Alberta Business Car. Constructed in July of 1929, it was one of a group of 10 cars built for divisional superintendents and each named after Canadian provinces. The car body of “Alberta” was built by National Steel and CPR completed the interior finishing at Angus Shops in Montreal.  It was used as a business car for travelling railway executives and their staff, serving as an office, home and entertainment center. When built 1929, it had many smaller rooms to accommodate the various needs of the executives.

CPR No. 8 Alberta Business Car

Similar to the “British Columbia,” this car has a varnished mahogany interior and many brass fittings. After retirement in 1970, modifications were done to make the car suitable for use as a restaurant. Bedroom partition walls were removed and the galley enlarged. In this current configuration, the car has a lounge with an open observation platform, a large dining area and galley. Fortunately the general ambiance of the car’s interior has been preserved.

Cheska, Grace, Kyle, the author and Bryan inside the CPR No. 8 Alberta Business Car

Other train locomotives and cabooses that I could identify within the railyard include a GMD FP7A locomotive, a Canadian Pacific FP7A Diesel 4069 locomotive, a  BCER 941 locomotive  and a Henry Pickering Open Observation Car.

BCER 941 locomotive (70 tons, 1949)

Canadian Pacific FP7A Diesel 4069

The BCER 941 locomotive is a General Electric 70-ton switcher built in September 1949 while the GMD FP7A locomotive (unit 1404), built in June 1953 by General Motors Diesel for Canadian Pacific  Railway, was used by the Algoma Central Railway.

1953 GMD FP7A (Algoma Central Railway 1404) locomotive

 The Henry Pickering Open Observation Car, built in 1914 as part of the first order of all steel coaches for the Canadian Pacific Railway, was in continuous service until retired in 1955. In 1956, it was rebuilt, from coach No. 1422, to Open Observation car No. 598 and used on the ‘Mountaineer’ train that ran from Vancouver to St. Paul, Minnesota.

Henry Pickering Open Observation Car

In 1964,WCRA acquired the car and, in 1974, it was leased by the BC Government to be part of the Royal Hudson train and s named Mt. Garibaldi.  It operated until the mid 1980’s and, again, from 2000 to 2001. In 2003, extensive restoration was completed. Renamed Henry Pickering, since 2004, it has operated with the Rocky Mountaineer.

Brightbill House

We also explored the Brightbill Heritage House built in 1937 by Harry Brightbill, the very first conductor (he was such for 40 years) hired on the Pacific Great Eastern Railway or PGE (the first railway to run north – south in BC, and originally operated from Squamish to Quesnel ) in 1912.

Originally located at the corner of 2nd Ave. and Winnepeg St., Mr. and Mrs. Brightbill raised three daughters (Alma, Cassy and Harriett) in this house. During this time there was no highway to come up to Squamish from Vancouver so you had to take a steamboat.

There was no refrigerator in those days, so they would have to use an icebox and a big block of ice to keep the food tolerably cold. There was a possibility that they had no electricity in those either so they would have to keep warm by using the wood stove. This family was very lucky as they had indoor plumbing. Back in the 1930’s a lot of people still had to go to outdoor toilets.

In the 1970’s, after Mr. and Mrs. Brightbill had passed, the house was donated to the town of Squamish.  It was moved twice, first to the Stan Clark Park where it was used as a museum. For 12 years it was left empty. Then, the District of Squamish donated it to the West Coast Railway Heritage Park (WCRHP) and it was moved to this site in 1999.

Mac Norris Railway Station

After our exploration of the rail yard, we proceeded to the Mac Norris Railway Station which was built in 2001, together with the town park area and gardens. The station, designed for Squamish in 1915 by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, was only built until 85 years later by the Heritage Park.  The boarding point for excursions, it also houses the museum’s offices and stores.

BC Rail Budd Diesel Rail Car BC-21

Here, we were to ride the self-propelled  BC Rail Budd Diesel Rail Car BC-21 (an RDC-1 configuration model), one of three operational units that sees regular service throughout the museum (the others are the BC-33 and the Canadian Pacific Henry Pickering Observation Car No. 598).

On board the BC Rail Budd Diesel Rail Car BC-21

Leaving promptly at 4 PM, our ride took us to and fro the MP2 Restoration Center, at south end of the museum’s property.  From our large windows, we took in the full scale of the train yard where we watched trains being restored.

A BC Hydro GE Steeplecab Electric 960 Locomotive at the Restoration Center

After our big train ride, we also tried out the popular, 20-min. Mini-Train Rail ride which is a great way to see most of the park as it us from one end of the grounds to the other.

The PGE No. 561 Mini-Rail Train

Boarding our Mini-Rail Train

Covering 2.5 kms. of track, we departed from Silver Fox Station on board a PGE No. 561, a 12-inch gauge train (others are the Southern Railway 124, Canadian Pacific 401, SRY GP-7 124, BCR 4601, BCR M420 646, etc.).

Twin Cedars Station

We then made our way past Twin Cedars Station, then the Garden Railway, to Wilkie Station where the engine was to be turned.

Wilkie Station

While waiting, I checked out a WFP 123 Englewood Logging Speeder.  Built in 1947, it was used on the Englewood Logging Railway until 2017.

WFP 123 Englewood Logging Speeder

After the engine was turned, we again boarded and proceeded all the way around Mason Station before returning to Silver Fox Station.

Enjoying our first Mini-Rail Train ride

Railway Museum of British Columbia: 39645 Government Road, Squamish, British Columbia V8B 0B6.  Tel:  604-898-9336.  E-mail: Info@wcra.org. Website: www.wcra.org. Open every Saturday and long weekends, Sundays all summer, 10 AM – 5 PM, select Thursdays, 10 AM – 3 PM. Group Tour events Special Access.  Admission (plus taxes): ($25 (adults, 19–59 years), $20 (seniors, 60+ years), $18 (students ages 12+), $10 (children, 6-11 years), $75 (family, where members must reside at the same address). Toddlers, under 5 years of age, are free admission.  Admission tickets usually include all rides and activities.

How to Get There: the museum isn’t so easy to find unless you have a good map or GPS. Driving past the main intersection with Petro-Canada, 7-Eleven & McDonalds, turn left at either of the next two exits (Industrial Way or Commercial Way) then turn right on Queens Way and follow that a short distance until it merges with Government Road at the stop sign. Proceed across the BC Railway Crossing (after looking both ways). The entrance to the museum will be on your right.