March 2005 Agm Feb
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MARCH 2005 AGM FEB. 22 IN BURNABY AUCTION MARCH 3 BCER PHOTOS DONATED WCRA News, Page 2 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE The Annual General Meeting of the WCRA will be held on Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at the Rainbow Creek station, Willingdon at Penzance in Burnaby, starting at 1930 hours. The membership will be asked to approve the integration of the 374 Station Society into WCRA, the 2004 Financial Statements, the 2005 Budget, an increase in board size to 16, and to approve the slate of Directors for 2005. The AGM will be followed by the regular February General Meeting. Entertainment will be a short video of the Royal Hudson by Mitchell Kezin, entitled “Steam”. ON THE COVER BC Electric Railway PCC car #415 stops en route Stanley Park, operating the #10 Victoria line in Vancouver in the 1940’s, The photographer is Tom DesNoyers of Illinois. This is just one of a collection of BC Electric photos donated to our archives by the Minnesota Transportation Museum recently. See page 8 for more details. MARCH CALENDAR • West Coast Railway Heritage Park Open daily 1000 through 1600k • Saturday, February 26—Celebrate Heritage Week with tea at the Brightbill Heritage House, call 604-898-9336 for reservations (recommended) - cost $5.50 per person. • Thursday, March 3—Rotary / WCRA Auction, 1800 hours, Italian Cultural Centre • Saturday, March 12—Newsletter deadline for the April issue of WCRA News • Sunday, March 13—Western Rails 2005, Cameron Rec. Centre in Burnaby, 0900—1600 • Thursday, March 17—Tours Committee meeting—contact Bernie at 604-325-0923 for location. • Sunday, March 27—5th annual Easter Scavenger Hunt at the Heritage Park—1200 to 1500 hours, admission by donation, Easter treats. • Tuesday, March 29—WCRA General Meeting, 1930 hours, Rainbow Creek Station in Burnaby. 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. Other membership categories are: - Junior Member (age 16 and under ) $ 25 - Sustaining Member $100 (tax receipt) plus membership type regular fee - Life Member (one time 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. WCRA News, Page 3 EDITORIAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING—AN IMPORTANT ONE TO ATTEND The Annual General Meeting of the West Coast Railway Association is slated for Tuesday, February 22 at Rainbow Creek Station. I hope that as many members as possible will be able to attend. After all, it is your association! The Annual General Meeting of any society is always an important date, as it is the time when the membership, the true roots of the organization, give their approval (or disapproval) to the leadership in their goals and direction for the coming year. As every year, the membership's approval is required for the financial statements from the previous year, and various people will comment on what was and wasn’t achieved. Then there is the presentation and approval of the budget for the coming year—a chance for all to hear what our plans are and how they will be carried out. Members will also be asked to approve the slate of directors for the 2005 board. There is a little extra this year, as we will seek membership approval to integrate the 374 Station Society into WCRA, which will allow us to begin operating the 374 Pavilion in Vancouver later this year. We believe this to be a great opportunity for more Vancouver presence for WCRA, as well as for us to contribute more directly to the preservation of the most historic locomotive in these parts—CPR #374, the little 4-4-0 that pulled the first train into Vancouver in May of 1887. As part of that package, we will seek approval to increase the board of directors by one seat to a total of 16. 2005 is shaping up to be our most exciting year ever. The Royal Hudson repairs will get underway with our project team, the business car Alberta #8 restoration is also underway, we plan to restore RDC-1 BC-33 to service, and there are a host of other major events and projects planned. So, come to the Annual General Meeting and learn what is coming up, and be a part of helping us move forward with the next year. OFF AGAIN FOR A WHILE Travel has taken a bit of a respite through December and January, but it is not staying that way. Another busy year is coming up—with a trip to Boston and back to Northern Ireland in February that will see me away for 2 1/2 weeks. We’ll see what rails we can discover on this one, and if they are good, there may be another travel story in the making. Don WCRA News, Page 4 ASSOCIATION NEWS FROM THE JANUARY GENERAL MEETING Chair Colin Dathan called meeting to order with 45 members and guests present: • Don Evans gave the Executive Director’s report and answered questions • Jim Brown gave the Operations report, noting the weather challenges at the Heritage Park in January and the guest visit total of 45,503. He also advised that the finances were in good shape and financial statements / budget were being prepared for the Annual General Meeting • Colin Dathan appealed for members to submit their volunteer hours • Paul Roy noted that the mini rail gang was finished with Christmas and now starting to get ready for Thomas in June • Jeremy Davy noted a slight membership increase in recent months • Bernie Tully advised members of the upcoming Mount Pleasant model RR show February 13, and Western Rails in March • Gordon Hall noted the Great Northwest Railroad Show, to be held in Monroe, WA • Ron Anstey gave the collection report, noting the donation of the Peter Cox Archive and updating members on the progress on the Car #8 Alberta, Royal Hudson, and other projects underway • Bill Johnston gave the tours report, noting good pickup on the Spirit of Washington tour and strong booking start on the Fraser-Skeena tour to Prince Rupert in May. • Don Evans encouraged everyone to attend the Annual General Meeting February 22 • Eric Anderson donated $19.55 in Canadian Tire money for the Heritage Park • Ryan Cruickshank and Bill Marchant gave their Trackside Reports • Tom Pruden updated us on the recovery progress of his dad Walter following his heart bypass surgery • Visitors were welcomed • A 50/50 raffle was won by Harold Holtby (who donated the proceeds to the Royal Hudson Fund) • Don Evans presented a slide show of travels to Istanbul Turkey, Cologne Germany, and the 2004 ARM Conference in Utah and Nevada. WCRA TRIVIA # 193 - by Ryan D. Cruickshank Who were the original singers of the following sings?…… a) Take the “A” Train b) Last Train to Clarksville c) This Train is Bound for Glory d) Midnight Special e) Choo Choo Ch’boogie f) The Locomotion (for answer, see Credit Lines) YOU KNOW YOU’RE A RAILFAN WHEN……. ……….your interpretation of a red light over green turn arrow is “diverging route clear” WCRA News, Page 5 NEW MEMBERS The WCRA welcomes new members: C. Afelskie-Borley & family of Whistler, Patrick Hosford of Victoria, Nimejit Thandi & family of Squamish, Barrie Wright & family of Garibaldi Highlands, and new Life Members William Davies of Bideford, Devon, UK and Dave Lane & Family of Garibaldi Highlands. (J.D.) Remember to watch the renewal date on the mailing label of your newsletter—if it says 1/31/05 your membership has now expired, and those saying 11/30/04 or earlier are receiving their last issue of WCRA News. Please renew today and continue your support. Thanks. MEMBER NEWS Our sympathies are extended to Jeremy Davy and Donna Simon on the passing on of their stepson way down in Ecuador. Our thoughts and best wishes are with you in this difficult time. On the brighter side, congratulations to member Henry Ewert on being selected the winner of the CRHA Lifetime Achievement Award for 2004. The award is in recognition of Henry’s contribution in recording and sharing Canadian railway history, specifically the heritage of the BC Electric Railway. Our best wishes also go out to Walter Pruden as he recovers from a double—triple bypass. Walter is still in Royal Columbian Hospital as we note this in late January, but he has a room overlooking the tracks and reports seeing lots of interesting action going by—at least he has something to watch!. Former WCRA member and long time railroader Gordon Ritchie passed away in Vancouver on January 27, 2005. Gordon joined the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in 1954 and retired as a senior vice president of successor BC Rail in 1987. A celebration of Gordon’s life was held February 3 at Ryerson United Church . VOLUNTEER HOURS This is the last call to submit your volunteer hours for 2004. This year has to be a record year, we would expect, as we have had incredible support as well as major events such as Day Out With Thomas and Christmas events in both Vancouver and Squamish.