March 2007 News.Pub

WCRA NEWS

MARCH 2007
AGM FEB. 27, 2007
WESTERN RAILS SHOW
MARCH 18, 2007

WCRA News, Page 2

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE

Notice is given that the Annual General Meeting of the West Coast Railway Association

will be held on Tuesday, February 27 at 1930 hours at Rainbow Creek Station. The February General Meeting of the WCRA will be held at Rainbow Creek Station in

Confederation Park in Burnaby following the AGM.

ON THE COVER

Drake Street Roundhouse, Vancouver—taken November 1981 by Micah Gampe, and donated to the 374 Pavilion by Roundhouse Dental. Visible from left to right are British Columbia power car Prince George, Steam locomotive #1077 Herb Hawkins, Royal Hudson #2860’s tender, and CP Rail S-2 #7042 coming onto the turntable.

In 1981, the roundhouse will soon be vacated by the railway, and the Provincial collection will move to BC Rail at North Vancouver. The Roundhouse will become a feature pavilion at Expo 86, and then be developed into today’s Roundhouse Community Centre and 374 Pavilion. Thanks to Len Brown for facilitating the donation of the picture to the Pavilion.

MARCH CALENDAR • West Coast Railway Heritage Park Open daily 1000 through 1700k

• Wednesday, March 7—deadline for items for the April 2007 WCRA News • Saturday, March 17 through Sunday, March 25—Spring Break Week celebrations at the
Heritage Park, 1000—1700 daily
• Tuesday, March 20—Tours Committee Meeting • Tuesday, March 27, 2007—WCRA General Meeting, Rainbow Creek Station in
Confederation Park, Burnaby, 1930 hours.

The West Coast Railway Association is an historical group dedicated to the preservation of British Columbia railway history. Membership is open to all people with an interest in railways past and present. We are a non-profit British Columbia society, registered as a Canadian charity. Individual membership in the WCRA is $50.00 per year, family membership is $60.00. E Members (electronic newsletter, $15

savings) are $35 individual and $45 family. Other membership categories are:

- Junior Member (age 16 and under )

$ 25

- Sustaining Member - Life Member (one time fee)
$100 (tax receipt) plus membership type regular fee $700 individual life / $1,200 family life
All memberships include the monthly newsletter, Heritage Park admission, mini rail rides and discounts on food and merchandise. The Association holds a monthly meeting on the last Tuesday of the month at 1930 hours in Burnaby at Rainbow Creek Station in Confederation Park. Apply through www.wcra.org or mail to WCRA, PO Box 2790 Stn. Term., Vancouver, B.C., V6B 3X2.

EDITORIAL

AWAY AGAIN

After a relatively quiet time through January, your editor is on the road again. This issue of WCRA News is being written and edited in Northern Ireland. Speaking of traveling, I hope you enjoy the Feature Article this month covering some of my travels in the second half of 2006. It is always marvelous to try out rail services, whether heritage or current passenger rail, in different parts of the world. A second installment will follow next month.

Please remember to come to the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, February 27th. This past year and the one just starting are ushering another era of change for us, and we need all of our members to understand where we are heading. See you Feb. 27th.

Don

ASSOCIATION NEWS

FROM WCRA’S JANUARY MEETING

47 members and guests were present, the meeting was chaired by Colin Dathan; • Colin Dathan announced that it is no longer necessary to hold an election for WCRA
Directors. Craig McDowall has accepted a paid position – DOWT Event Manager therefore he has resigned from the Board. This leaves 2 positions vacant to be filled by the

2 members nominated Keith Anderson and Howie Biehl.
• Executive Director—There was no ED report as Don Evans is traveling.

• Jim Brown reported that things are tight but we are holding our own and keeping up with the payables. This years Direct Mail campaign is the most successful ever raising between $26 and $27 Thousand. Jim gave a snapshot of the 2006 financials. Revenue $1,350,000 Expenses $1,256,000. The Collection Assets have increased by $1.4 million.
• Jim assured members that they are covered by Volunteer Insurance and explained the types of insurance the Association carries.
• Jim Brown reported on the collection:
Royal Hudson – Update. Work is being done to meet Transport Canada requirements e.g. install cab controls for trailing diesel; install event recorder; change out all brake valves. A meeting will be held with Transport Canada to review progress on Feb. 2, Steam-up for testing in mid-March. We have a new feedwater pump from 2850 on 5 yr. lease from Exporail, it is now in Calgary being overhauled as it has not been used in years. It should be in Squamish shortly. We are on schedule for what we have to do.

• The ex Waterloo & St. Jacobs trainset is still in Toronto awaiting arrival/attaching of

AEI tags to be done next week. We are negotiating the move with CN. Questions from floor – is work needed on equipment?– No it was inspected before agreement signed.

• Day Out With Thomas 2007 – Jim reported for Craig McDowall and confirmed that

Craig has been named the Event Manager. Tickets will go on sale mid February. Members will get a 3-day advance access. Of interest, Calgary (first year) put tickets on sale last weekend and has already sold out 8 trains. Jim Brown is Event Volunteer Coordinator
• Mini-Rail – Jeremy Davy gave an update on 374 mini-rail operations at 374. Things went well considering no advertising. Community Centre staff sees value of including Mini Rail at some events. We will be exploring options. Local residents really supportive of our being there and want us back!
• Membership – Jeremy Davy reviewed our position. Numbers are staying stable. There are now about 180 individuals with access to the electronic version
• Events—Bernie Tully reported on upcoming events WCRA is attending – Mt Pleasant
Lions Club Show Feb 11^th10AM to 3PM; Western Rails March 18^th9AM to 4PM; and CRHA Show in Victoria May 19/20.

• Tours—Bill Johnston updated 2007 tours program – in place. April 15 Royal Hudson

trip to White Rock. He noted that Apr 15 is Sun Run. Will look at having shuttle between Pac Central Stun and RMV Station to permit use of public transit. Only about 100 seats left. Taking bookings at meeting.

• New Business - Colin Dathan

- Reminded all of AGM Feb 27; - Again asked for volunteer hours for 2006 in time for AGM. Has only about one half of normal so far.
- Ron Pajala explained where the Trolleys/Barn have gone from False Creek.

• Fund Raising

- Eric Anderson donated $62.50 in Canadian Tire money; - Bob Hunter noted they are selling some surplus books at the Archives - Gordon Hall selling 2816 DVD’s @ $20 proceeds to R/H Fund.

• Trackside Reports – were presented by Ryan Cruickshank and Bill Marchant. • Calendar of Events - for February was read out. • 50/50 Raffle – was won by Jeremy Davy, who donated back to Royal Hudson • Entertainment – Bob Hunter presented slides of his time on Vancouver Island including

E&N, Rail America, SVI and CN. Artfully inserted were numerous David Wilkie Collection pictures taken at the same location years earlier

WCRA TRIVIA # 218 - by Ryan D. Cruickshank What was the name of the Railway Association of Canada prior to 1919?

(for answer, see Credit Lines)

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome to new members Eric Anderson of Coquitlam, Patricia Lussier & Alex Ross & family of Brackendale, Bill Henderson of Morrison, CO, and Beryl Preston of Ladysmith.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS

Memberships dated 1/31/2007 have now expired, and if your membership expired 11/30/2006 this will be your last issue. Please check the label on your newsletter and renew today. Remember that renewals are being accepted for memberships with the E–Newsletter Option, fees are - for an E-Individual membership $35.00, and an E-Family $45.00 (J.D.)

Does your mailing label show 11/30/2006 or 12/31/2006 as the last item on the top line? This is your membership expiry date … These 2 months account for almost 25% of the

renewals in the year – As I write this in early January there are still 15 memberships that expired in November and 65 that expired in December that have not been renewed.

We would appreciate your renewing your membership without waiting for the final notice. This not only improves the Association’s cash flow during the tight winter months but also helps spread the membership processing work load.

Renewals are being accepted for memberships with the E–Newsletter Option. The current fees can be found in the box at the bottom of page 2 of every Newsletter. Thank you. (J.D.)

MEMBER NEWS

It is with sadness that we report this month on the passing on of another of our members. Alex Miller passed away January 30, 2007. Alex was an active 374 volunteer showing up every Thursday at the 374 Pavilion. He was good friend to many people and organizations and will be sorely missed. At his request a private memorial was held with family and friends.

VOLUNTEER HOURS NEEDED

It’s year end once again, time for all our volunteers to submit their hours for the year. Please get them to Colin Dathan by phone at 604-298-3734 or by e mail [email protected] Every hour volunteered counts, and a solid tally of hours for the year is of direct assistance in terms of grant applications and community contribution. (C.D.)

The 25^thANNUAL WESTERN RAILS SHOW—MARCH 18, 2007

Canada’s Largest Railroadiana Show is coming to the Cameron Rec Centre, 9523 Cameron

Street in Burnaby (behind Lougheed Mall). Show date is March 18^th0900k to 1600k.

There is something for everyone whether you’re into Collectables, Model Railroads, hardware or Timetables. It doesn’t matter if you’re Buying, Selling, or just looking. For those who can’t decide -take a ride on the Mini Rail while you think about it. Admission: Families

$6.00; Adults $3.00; Seniors & Students $2.00; Children under 6 free.

Mark Sunday March 18^thon your Calendar. The show is supported by the West Coast

Railway Association. Further information is available on the WCRA website [use link from News Wire].

WESTERN RAILS - Help Wanted. Have some spare time March 17^thor 18^th???? Three

groups of WCRA members at the show can use your help.

Sunday Mar 18^th—WCRA Booth – if you can help staff the booth during the Show, contact

Bernie Tully at 604.325.0923 or email [email protected].

Saturday Mar 17^th&/or Sunday Mar 18^th—West Coast Mini Rail needs help with:
• Setup on Saturday Afternoon;

• Running the train (if qualified) during the show Sunday

• Take down on Sunday at 1600k.
The Western Rails Show Committee needs help with:
• Setup on Saturday Afternoon;

• General Show duties like Admission Ticket Sales, Raffle Ticket Sales and Site
Security all day Sunday; and

• Take down 1600k to 1800k Sunday.

If you can help out with Western Rails Show duties or Mini Rail, contact Jeremy Davy at 250.890.3233 (from Vancouver Area 604.484.2791) or email [email protected]. (J.D.)

PACIFIC RAILS 2007

Pacific Rails 2007, the annual convention of the Canadian Railway Historical Association (CRHA) and the Canadian Association of Railway Modellers (CARM) is coming to Victoria, BC May 17 to May 21, 2007. The program will feature three days of clinics, railway history, railway preservation and modeling. The group will visit the Duncan Forestry Museum, ride the Alberni Pacific, and visit the historic E & N Roundhouse.

The main convention location will be the University of Victoria and accommodations are available there as well. For more information visit the convention website www.caorm.org or call Ed Warren at 250-752-4857. West Coast Railway Association will have a booth there, which is being organized by Bernie Tully. WCRA Executive Director Don Evans will be a speaker on Sunday, May 21.

This is a great opportunity to meet with other railway heritage groups and railway modelers, as well as an opportunity to visit several of the excellent steam and railway heritage sites on Vancouver Island. Make plans to attend now.

374 PAVILION

It is with sadness that we learned that Alex Miller passed away January 30, 2007. Alex was an active 374 volunteer showing up every Thursday at the 374 pavilion. He was good friend to many people, and a member of both West Coast Railway Association and the 374 Station Society. He will be sorely missed.

January visitor attendance is recorded at 665. The nasty weather in early January kept people away with attendance increasing as the weather turned better.

Work continues on the data entry of the 25,000 names of people who purchased bricks as a fund raiser many years ago with over 8000 names now entered. The new computer program will identify the location of the bricks within the Roundhouse for the many requests that are received when guests want to locate their brick. Many thanks go to Len Brown who is heading up this project and the 374 volunteers who are assisting.

Negotiations for a new agreement between the WCRA, Vancouver Parks & Recreation and the Roundhouse Community Centre are continuing and remains on track to be completed by the end of March 2007.

A mini train event at the 374 annual anniversary party scheduled for the long weekend in May is being considered. There will be more information on this in the March Newsletter. (J.B.)

COLLECTION

MORE ON STEAM CRANES

Further to our item a couple of months ago about our Ohio Steam

Crane, Dave Emmington

sends along this photo shot by Arlone’s Uncle Cliff Taylor in 1955 at Pacific Coast Terminals in New Westminster. The loco is now at

Heritage Park in Calgary. As for the steam crane, Grant Ferguson reports…..Trackside Guide shows the steam crane at Port Alberni as the former Pacific Coast Terminals crane. They indicate that the crane was built by Brownhoist for Pacific Coast Terminals in 1929. They then show it as going to Koppers International as #6 in 1982 and to BC Transportation Museum in 1991. I recall seeing the crane in New Westminster on the dock before it went to Port Alberni and remember that it had a "cranked" boom that was painted blue.

I think what likely happened here was that Koppers bought the PCT crane as a replacement for the #2055 which shows as out of service and conveyed to Valley Towing. I recall that Hall Mackenzie did have a connection to Koppers at the time in the early 1990s. Can't 100% verify

this but perhaps Dave Jackson knows more.

ROYAL HUDSON PRESERVATION & FUND

ROYAL HUDSON FINAL WORK UNDERWAY

Work is underway in earnest at the WCRA’s Squamish shop as we work to complete the needed items to be ready for the April 15, 2007 trip to White Rock. In the cab are new digital electronics consisting of digital speedometer, digital event recorder, MU controls for trailing diesels, and a rear end brake detector reader unit. Also underway as we go to press is the needed rebuild of the brake valve unit. Transport Canada did an inspection visit at the site on February 2, 2007 and we are working with CN as well on operational specs and details. We plan to get her out testing in March in preparation for her April outing.

ROYAL HUDSON PRESERVATION FUND We acknowledge our monthly contributors Dave Walker, Richard Tubbessing, and Ernie & Lynn Ledgerwood, as well as donors “In Memory of Harold Holtby” $500, Richard Harvey $100, C & S McFayden $2,000, Don Evans $49, Timothy Ryan $40, Graham Stokes $40, and Allan Eckersley $100.

Add in the Western Economic Diversification Canada grant of $110,000 and the Province of BC $100,000 TFA grant, Westran’s $50,000, the John Hardie Mitchell family foundation’s $20,000 and our total now leaps forward to $604,028.

A hearty thank you to all of our donors to date—without you we wouldn’t be where we are. But, we still have lots to fund—our bills to date have now passed $630,000 and we expect to need another $50,000 or so before completion is fully covered. Remember, you can make a donation on line through www.wcra.org . If any of you have been contemplating helping out, now is the time to consider it as we get down to the final months in one of WCRA’s biggest and most exciting projects. The Royal Hudson Preservation Fund still needs your support.

FUNDRAISING

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT – JANUARY 2007

January was a very busy month, but relatively lean on the fundraising side. Much work was done regarding getting the Royal Hudson out for the planned April 15, 2007 trip to White Rock, as well as lots of work in planning for future years with several groups and agencies in Victoria. Getting 2860 out is a mammoth task of detail work and constant leverage, but we are progressing along and confident that we will achieve our goal. But, never underestimate the hurdles to put mainline steam out on the tracks—even if just for a very few trips in 2007.

Funding Asks Made

· A new major ask for the Royal Hudson

Major Funding Received

· General Donations $600 · Telus donation (for Bill Marchant volunteer hours) $200 · Direct Mail $1,170 · Nita Lake Lodge coach sponsorship $15,000

Month Total $16,970

Year to Date Total

$432,168

Other Significant Activities

· Preparation for AGM and Board meeting · Work with District of Squamish on flood plain issues for Roundhouse · Work with BNSF and others for White Rock April trip · Meet with BCIT re 2007 possibilities for Squamish · Meetings in Victoria re the Royal Hudson future operations

DEBENTURES STILLAVAILABLE TO HELP US OVER THE FUNDING HUMP

The WCRA’s Board of Directors has approved a new issue of debentures available to members and friends who would like to make an investment in the WCRA. These will also help us over our current funding hump of need and assist us with some of the bills we need to pay. 2006 has been a very exciting year in terms of accomplishment, but also a very expensive one as major projects, such as the 2860, have consumed more than available funding. We really need your help now as we still work to cover the Hudson's bills we encourage you to make an investment. Debentures are available in sizes from a minimum of $500 to the thousands of dollars, and pay 5% per annum on a standard three year term. An investment by our members is a preferred source of funding the projects (outright donations are, of course, always sought and welcome). Your help is really needed right now—and we offer our thanks to those who took advantage of this opportunity since we started this note a month or two ago.

Debenture details and application forms are easily available, just call Jim Brown at the Hastings office 604-681-4403 or at home 604-985-7249, or Don Evans at 604-988-3435. Either of us would be pleased to provide details and assist in any way we can.

WEST COAST RAIL TOURS

2007 TOURS—ANNOUNCED AND PLANNED