WCRA NEWS
A PRIL/ M AY 2 2 0 2021 M A MA Y 2 02 1 M A R K S TH E 35th ANN IV ERS A RY O F 'S TEA M E X P O ' HELD DU RING EXP O '86
THE RAIL WAY HER ITA GE P ARK C O N TINUE S T O M AK E
I M P R OV EMENT S IN P RE P ARATION
F O R OPENING ON JULY 1st WCRA News , Page 2
The WCRA MONTHL Y MEETING S
The Mont hly Meet ings have bee n p ostp one d until fur ther n otice d ue to the current pande mic . ON THE COVER :
This May m arks to t he 35th An niver sary of Ste am Ex po held du ring Expo '86 in
the C N yar d o n T e rmi na l A ve . jus t ea s t of th e E xp o '8 6 s it e . A to t a l o f 18 operat i ng s te am loc om o tive s , all u n de r st eam, a t the same t i me!
MEMBE R NEW S : M e m b e r s h i p i n f o r m a t i o n i s c h a n g i n g . D e t a i l s w i l l b e p u b lis he d in our ne w R a il wa y Mus e u m of B C M a ga zine w ith first i s sue bein g d istr ibuted i n Ju ne.
Just a rr i ved ! Englewood Logging Skeleton bunk car being unloaded at the museum
Monday April 12 . Special thanks to Hugh Little .
No te: t he bi-mo nthly WCRA membe rs meet in g s will be held v ia Zoom fo r the forese e a b \le fut ure. Ou r re cent Zo om m ee eti ng h eld on March 30th was anot her success ful even t w ith 33 o nline. W e once a gain ha d membe rs from
Vanco uver Island, S qua mi sh, Fras e r Va lle y and eve n the US! The next Zoom meeting will be held o n T ue sda y, M ay 25th.
De tails from that m eet ing will b e in the n ext issu e o f the new slette r.
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. WCRA News, Page 3 FROM TH E ED ITOR
Ste am E x p o '86 h e l d in M a y 1 986 d u r ing E xp o '8 6 w a s th e cu l m i n a ti o n of m a n y m o n th s of ad v a n c e p r ep a rat ion t ha t i n v ol v e d o n e o f o u r m em b e r s , G r an t F er g u s o n a nd , as we g ot c l os er t o t h e o p en i n g d a t e , m y s e l f , as M a n ag e r o f on - s it e S o uv e n ir s.
T he am o u n t of a d va n c e pr e p ar a ti o n w as enor m ou s a rr a n g in g to t ra n s p o rt a ll of th es e lo c o m otiv e s t o Va ncou v e r, m any w ere to w e d, f ew w e re stea m ed a nd s o me
a rr ive d o n lo w bed tr a iler s . S it e p r ep ara t io n w a s r e q uired als o w it h the c o - o p e r a t i on o f C N R a i l . Th e e v en t fea t u re d 1 8 op e ra t i ng s te a m l o c om otive s f rom
a ll o v e r No r th A m e r i ca a n d w as th e l a r g e st g ath e r i ng o f s te am s in c e th e Chi c ago W or l d 's R a i l Fa i r i n 1 948 ! S tea m E x po s ta rted w ith a G r an d P a ra de of S te am d o w n
t he Va n c ou ve r w ate rfro n t a nd c om m e nc ed , to t h e mi nu te, 99 y ears a f te r t he first pas s en ge r tr ain a r ri v e d i n Va n co uve r p u l led b y C P R # 37 4 , n o w o n d is p l ay i n the
Ro un d h o use at F a lse C r e e k . T h e G ran d P a ra d e w a s l e d b y ex C PR Roy a l H u d s on #286 0 w h i c h, a s mo s t o f yo u k n o w, is no w o n d is p l a y i n ou r C N R ou n d ho use
Con f e ren c e C e n tr e in S qu am is h . Du rin g th e e vent , t h e re we r e d a ily lo gging
show s w ith a s team p o w ere d c ra n e s h ow i n g h ow log g ing w a s do ne a t t h e t urn o f t he 20 th ce ntu ry . C N #60 60 , co m i ng do w n f ro m h e r hom e i n J asp e r , mi sse d the Gr a n d Pa ra d e b u t a rr iv e d a t th e s i te a fe w d a ys lat er a s late m i nute adj u s t men t s de l a y ed h er a r riv a l . H o w e ver, s h e t rav e le d to V a nc ou v e r un d e r stea m w ith n o die se l a s s ist an ce . Be l ow is a l is t of a l l th e loc o m o ti ve s th at a tt e nde d Steam E x po. Wi th t he ex c e ption o f # 606 0, a ll pa rtic ip a te d u n d er th eir o wn st ea m at the Gran d Parad e o f Ste am. Photo s of t he even t a re in thi s i s sue.
4 -6-4 C PR R oy a l Hudso n #2 8 60 4-8 -2 C NR #6 060 0-2-2 ' R o c ke t' (re pli ca ) 0- 4-0 ' B es t Fr i en ds of Ch arl e sto n ' (replic a) 0- 4-0 'T o m Thum b ' (rep l ica ) 2-4 -0 'J o h n Bu ll' ( re plica )
2 - 2 -2 ' John Molson (re pli c a) 4 -4-0 'I ny o' - V &T R R 4-4 -0 'City of W inn ipe g' #3 - ex CP R 0 -4 -0 'Fa lk' #1 - Elk R iv e r R R
0 -4-0 T ' Du n r o bb in' - Fort S t ee le 2-8- 0 # 51 - G rea t W estern S u g a r RR
2 tr u c k S hay #2 - P or t A l be rni RR 4- 6 -0 C NR # 13 92
0-6 -0 #44 6 6 - UP R R 2 -6 - 2 C P R # 107 7 - B C R ai l
H eisl er # 9 1 - M ou nt R a n ie r RR 4 - 6- 2 C P R # 120 1
M I N U T E S FR OM T HE M AR C H MEM BERS ZOOM MEE T ING
Chair Craig McDowall called the meeting to order at 1935 hrs with 30 Voting
Members , 2 Spouses , 1 Staff and no Guests THIS WAS A QUORUM .
This Meeting was conducted by ZOOM – Attendees were recorded from Screen Names . Kyle Miller was the moderator
Recording Secretary – Jeremy Davy N ote: The minutes of the January 26 th meeting were not presented . They were
made available on request to Jeremy [ jeremy @ wcra .org ]
A moment of Silence was observed for Members who passed away
: • Carl Vanderspek ; • Patricia Treadwell. WCRA News, Page 4
MINUTES
The minutes of the January 26 th meeting were not presented . They were made available on request to Jeremy and will be included in the Jun e 2021 n ew ma g a z i n e.
REPORTS
Bob combined his President `s Report with Finance and Business Operations :
•To start on an upbeat note – Approval has been received for the name Railway
Museum of British Columbia . Rebranding can now move ahead and hopefully
completed in time for the Summer opening ;
• Restricting operating days worked last year with an average attendance of 200
guests per day ;
• Plans for the 2021 Operating Season will be similar to last year and call for :
• Saturday Opening Ju ly to mid-September or possibly Thanksgiving ;
• Additional Stat holiday openings on the actual day . No Sundays ;
• In the next 2 months the Park will need a good cleanup ; • Materials continue to arrive from the Carl Vanderspek donation
• On the Financial front:
• We are still able to keep going & paying the bills. Staff is keeping on top of
COVID Grants ;
• There is apparently a new Grant available from Heritage Canada . This is being
exp lored • Tourism will probably be stifled for one more year due to COVID ;
• DOWT has again moved – now into October . Holding a full blown Xmas event still looks possible
• Hopefully by 2022 we will be working on our original 2020 objective of paying
down the Bank debt;
• The cost and charges for equipment storage at the Museum is being studied; • BC Rail Properties and MP 2:
• Discussing transition of Hydro & Fortis Services for the site ;
• Hydro is a problem due the Rail infrastructure . BCRP will probably keep single
connection for now, and we will prepay 1 – 2 years charges ;
• There is a possibility of a New/ Upgraded transformer being installed for the
whole site ;
• Robert potentially has a possibility of getting 2 Renters [1 year lease ]; • Work continues to update the outbuildings . Much of the infrastructure is outdated
• Work being negotiated could result in a $200k saving for us.
Other Reports :
Railway Operations /Restoration :
• Robert reported on Railway Operations :
• Focus has been on updates mandated by TC and TSBC;
• Work priority will be [in order] 561 – BC 21 - 6520; WCRA News 5
• Work continues on MP2 updates . Wood Shop electrical complete & now
has li ghts. Vollie Locker Room & Wash room being done as resources are
availabl e ;
• There is a possibility of getting 2 long term Renters . This will re q uir e
som e e le c tri c a l upd a t e s to b e d o n e
• Christian reported on Restoration :
• Work continues on 561 [Christian /Jason / Kirby ] – Hopefully will be complete in
2 wks . Turbo has been replaced – cracked housing [salvaged from
CN 8019 – Scrapped 2008 ];
• BC 21 will be next.
Collection:
• Greg reported :
• The Collection Committee had a ZOOM meeting yesterday [Mar 29]. It
was the first one since last November [2020 ];
• The Committee ’s Direction was reviewed :
• Where is it going - What is its mandate ;
• The Collection includes all material in the Association ’s care . Focus recently has been on the Rolling Stock - What about the Archives … It is an
integral part of the Collection;
• 1st Priority - The inventory will be updated ;
• With Trevor leaving town in the next year a transition plan is needed .
Possibly there is a gov ’t program that will assist with the hiring of an Archivist
. • Starting action to move 2 items being stored :
• Coach Trucks – Going to NorthWest Railway Museum ;
• Tender 415818 – Sold to Al Broadfoot - Going to Aspen Crossing Railway
[Mated with CN 5080 ];
• Physical constraints of the Museum to hold Rolling Stock need to be
considered before accept making acquisitions /accepting donations . Decisions
need to be sensible ;
• There has been a Collection Plan in place for many years but it has
not always been followed . The plan also needs to be updated
WCRA News , Page 6
Craig added that of late we have been victims of “D rop - O ff ” donations from well - meaning folks . These donations are often things that do not fit the
Collection Plan or , of which we have a surplus , and we are stuck with
disposing of things we cannot sell or give away .
• Gord H mentioned he had been contacted by the F raser V alley Rail wa
Society advising that they have items they were holding for us :
• Brake Cylinder for the Alberta ;
• A wheelset for #960.
• Colin enquired if , in light of recent thefts [especially of metal ] , whether there was security on the MP 2 properties . Robert advised that there are cameras installed and BCRP also employs roving Security Patrols for their whole
Property during “ Dark Hours ”.
Business arising from previous meetings : • [ Bob P ] updated members on details of Museum rebranding :
• Railway Museum of British Columbia name is n ow confirmed ;
• New logo will be seen both inside and outside the Museum on exhibits,
wayfinding and promotional signage;
• The Museum will join the BC Museums Association as a separate entity.
• [Kyle] gave update on work being done to the Website and Gift Store :
• The Gift Store has been up & running since Christmas . As all items are donated net revenue from Sales [ many thousands of dollars ] goes directly
to the Bottom Line
• The website continues to be updated … The new visual identity is
being incorporated . The 2021 Museum Admission prices and
Association Membership fees are posted [ Under the About Us tab ].
• [Bob ] Newsletter - the evolution continues :
• An editorial Board is being put in place ; • Emphasis will be on high quality pictures and planned articles ; • Resources will be directed towards quality rather than quantity ; • [ Hugh ] gave an update on Englewood Logging Railway activities :
• Skeleton Log Cars ready to move . Comox Pacific Express and
Seaspan are doing t his at no charge ; • Decision not to acquire the extra Caboose . Many challenges
presented by moving something of that size , and the BN Transfer
- n Caboose already in the collection is very similar Collection Ra tional izatio
• Thanks to Robert for picking up the Forge and the small parts ;
WCRA News, Page 7
• Hugh added that in addition to those individuals /companies named during the
last 2 meetings we will also be acknowledging assistance from Wescan Rail and
the R oyal British Columbia Museum and expressing ourgratitude;
• Acquisition of all items is now complete
• [Craig ] thanked Hugh and Colin for their ongoing assistance and continued
perseverance in guiding the project through to a successful conclusion .
New Business :
• [Gord H ] enquired if there was any space in the Roundhouse to temporarily
house the CN Bunk Car and the Troop Sleepers . Gord B advised that there is -
Filled the to max .
Show & Tell
Christian showed pictures of an unusual site in Squamish on the March 27 weekend - a 4 Pack of CP Locomotives leading CN Train 546 . The units stuck around the area for a couple of days , also going up to retrieve stored cars from the siding at Mons before heading south at the beginning of the week .
Russ G ry c an st at e d: “Glad to be able to attend meetings now ” and reported that there was a lot of activity in downtown Kamloops in preparation for the interchange of
3 to 5 coal trains [ each way ] daily between CN and CP.
There being no further Business , all present were thanked for attending and closure was moved by Kyle at 2035 .
Next Meeting - scheduled May 25 [ZOOM]
PARK NEWS/OPERATION S REPORT - by Gord Bell
Extensive work continues on the establishment of new exhibits and a cleaner and more organized property for our guests to enjoy in our 2021 summer museum season . The Railway Museum of British Columbia opening date has been pushed back again due to continued spread of Covid 19 . The new opening date is now on Canada Day July 1 st , 2021 .
Park hours this summer have been extended to accommodate the increased number of guests we experienced in 2020 . Museum hours on Saturdays are 10
AM - 5 PM with the last entry tickets being sold at 4PM . Guests in 2021 can look forward to improved speeder operations , trips in the Budd Car directly to the inside of the Mp2 shops and several new exhibits around the museum property .
Volunteerism at the museum was the number 1 key to our success in the summer of 2020 and we are currently recruiting for the 2021 summer season. WCRA News, Page 8
We are looking for exhibit hosts, guest service team members , blacksmiths , food services staff , mini rail drivers , speeder operators ( must have 105 ) as well as on board staff for the Budd Car and many other positions . If you are interested in behind the scenes work we are looking for gardeners and other helpers as well. If you want to join our amazing team of volunteers please phone Gord at 604-761-
8525 or email generalmanager @ wcra . org Team members receive a Railway Museum of British Columbia T-shirt and hot lunch from our food truck every
Saturday .
Impr ovements to our Park S ite th e pa st fe w mo nth s:
Th e re ha s be e n som e re al pr og res s in im pro v ing th e M P2 shop s co mple x f or the employe e s a nd the v ol unte ers.
A ne w w oo d wor k in g s hop (which use d to b e in t he C ar S hop ) h as been reloc ate d in MP2. Al l ph oto s ta ke n in th is section c ourt esy of Robert McBeth.
WCRA News, Page 9 The New Lunchroom
WCRA News , Page 10
The La un dry Room & Men's Washroom (still under construction)
Park Improve ments: Cha r acter
' Cu t outs' repain t ed by B arb S tove r
WCRA News 11
Park Updates Continued :
Staffers Steve & Courtney repainting
the 'Kid's Kaboose '
V o lunt ee r s on o u r MP 2 up gr ade s:
R o y Cro wsto n, Her b Klassen, Jo hn J e llis, Volunteer Tom Bruvall replanting our
To m Ar no tt a n d Bi l l M cE n ery garden next to the Brightbill House
WCRA Trivia # 371 ( April ) by : Ryan Cruickshank
Q. What are the official colors of Union Pacific ’s Diesel Locomotives ( the oldest basic paint scheme still in use by a major railroad )?
'A LOOK BACK ' The moving of the CPR Port Moody Passenger Station in 1945 . O u r B o ard m e m b e r Kyle Miller wrote a fascinating article for the CTTA newsletter on why and how CPR moved their station (second one built in 1908 ) further east on
their double mainline closer to the town centre at the bottom of Queen Street .
Station Agent Tom Bundy stands on on the platform of the station
in 1945 prior to it being moved
further east.
WCRA News , Page 12
To make the move manageable , the station was strategically cut through , to separate the building components into 2 pieces prior to the move. The warehouse end would
th en travel sep ar a tely a nd be reattached w hen the station
was in place on i ts new
foundation . Here we see the steam locomotive in place t o to start the haul , and t he
st a tion clearly and cleanly cut .
S pe ed was of the essence , of
course , as the planned move
would d is-rupt rail traffic
between Vancouver and
points east .
At 11 :00 on the day of t he m ove
Eastbound transcontinental
Train No . 2 became the last train to pass the station a t its . ol d lo c at i o n.
Because of heavy wartime
traffic needs engineers had
only 11 hours to get the station
off its old foundation , and onto
four heavy stringer beams laid
on the double track and to
have the steam locomotive
haul the 75- ton station down
the well - greased rails . Using heavy -duty jacks the
CPR employees local bridge
crews and engineers raised
the station about 30 inches off
its old foundatio n rolled it over
heavy poles and onto the
grease timber transfer beams
now in place on the tracks.
Once the station was properly positioned and made ready , the steam lo co mo-
tive was backed into position for the tow , and then proceeded at a steady two
miles per hour eastward to its new location .
WCRA News , Pa g e 13
After the slow but steady pull eastwards along the greased rails , the station is finally in position to be moved onto its new foundation .
After the tricky and somewhat herculean effort to keep the station in place on the rails while it was moving , and then
moving it off of the tracks and onto its new foundation , it was
time for reassembly of the 2
station sections , and reconnecting the telegraph and telephone lines .
Port Moody station no w sits i n it s th ird l oc a tio n on the scenic Burrard inlet , Part of Rocky Point P ark , and just a few steps from where it once have served many travellers , businessmen , settlers and pioneers .
WCRA News, Pa ge 14
STEA M EXP O PHOTOS
Aerial photo taken from scissor lift WCRA News 15 City of Winnipeg Hydro #3 & The 'Inyo'
Cana dian S te am Locom otives: #2 860, #1201 , # 1392, #107 7 a nd #3
WCRA News, Page 16
CNR #60 60 arrives from Jasper
CPR # 1201 and CNR # 1392
WCRA News , Page 17
Jo h n M o lso n Replica
O n e o f t wo S t eam E xpo o n sit e So uv e n i r B o o t h s
U nio n P a ci f ic
0-6 - 0 #4466
1 8 R AIL N EWS WCRA News, Page
CP
CP and K an sa s C ity S ou thern on March 21 announced they 've entered a merger
agreement in which CP would acquire KCS stock in a cash transaction worth $ 29
billion , including about $3.8 billion of outstanding KCS debt . Upon STB approval,
CP would acquire control of KCS . The new railroad would be called Canadian
Pacific Kansas City ( CPKC ).
On M a r ch 24 th , 5 Dead , Ex Union Pacific SD 9043 MAC units arrived on the
Canadian Pacific shop track in Moose Jaw, Sk . Awhile back , there was a rumour that C.P. was going to buy ex - U.P . SD 9043 mac units to have another 25 SD70 acu units built this year . S u ppo sed l y these units could be heading to Progress Rail in
Mayfield Ky . for that purpose ? Unit numbers are 3767 , 3670 , 3644 , 3685, & 3729.
The units look good on the outside but many parts missing , on the inside . (FS )
Canadian Pacific Railway is under fire after leaving a 2.5-kilometre-long grain train parked without handbrakes on Fe b. 15th high in the mountains of eastern B .
C., above the site of a deadly runaway two years ago that killed three employees .
Transport Canada calls the latest case "an immediate threat " that could have led to another deadly derailment . The regulator has ordered CP to stop leaving trains unattended on the hill without first applying handbrakes to the rail cars .
VIA
The Canadian will be extended from Vancouver to Toronto on May 17t h.
Vancouver -Toronto One weekly full trip starting May 17. Toronto -Vancouver One weekly full trip starting May 23.
Ther e h ave b een cha nge s to th e n orm a l fu ll se r v ice o n The C an a dia n. T he Pa rk ca r
and Skyline car (lounge /dome cars) will not be accessible to any passengers.
Activities and entertainment (including music) have been cancelled. Sleeper Plus class passengers will be able to access to the common showers by reserving a time
slot . Showers will be sanitized after each use.
The Ocean is showing as "Suspended until further notice " although the Train
Service Status section of VIA's site is showing resumption of service expected after May 15 th .
ROC KY MO UNT AI N E E R
Due to the ongoing pandemic Rocky Mountaineer has suspended its 2021 season in C a nad a through July 5, 2021 . Th ey are of fe ring 1 1 0% cred it on futu re tr ips if b o o k e d a lr e ady , th ro ug h to 202 3. T his do es n ot aff ect th ei r n e w U S tri ps in Co lora do .
M O NT AN A RA I L LIN K M R L h a s r ep ai n te d tw o o f t he ir un i ts . . 'T hank yo u to Vete ran s' and 'Th ank y ou to First Respo nders'. WCRA News, Page 19
CREDIT LINES ISSN 1204-072X Editor Craig McDo wa ll Vol. 61 Issue 2 Distribution Jeremy Davy & Donna Simon
Contributors :
K.M .. K yle Mil ler F .S. F r e d Stolz
G .G . Geo r g e Game R.M . R o b ert M a c B eth
Send news contributions direct to the editor at 404 Bury La ne. West Va ncou v er, B .C. V7S 1K3, on the Internet to
Contact the Rai lway Museu m of B C at 604-898-9336
wcra .org BACK COVER
Top Photo: CN' s He r i ta ge uni t 'T he J ' - W B in to Ka m loo ps . De c. 2 3, 2 020
Pho to: Rus s G ryca n
Bottom Photo: CP in Whistler? What could have been if a different decision
had been made years ago. CN train 546 was run from Squamish to Whistler
with CP power in order to retrieve stored intermodal cars from Mons siding . With the help of the patrol foremen , the crew tied the train together across the level crossing then shoved the whole consist out the north end and came back down the main . At the Mons level crossing the crew ran out of hours and tied it down under a full moon . March 28 , 2021 P ho to & in f o: K en St or ey
TRIVIA ANSWER :
• Armour Yellow and Harbor Mist Grey with a band of Signal Red . the colors were first introduced on UP ”s M-10000 streamliner in 1934, although Leaf Brown was used instead of grey.
CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR RAILWAY HERITAGE
WCRA News acknowledges the financial assistance of the Province of British Columbia
Published by West Coast Railway Association ISSN 1204-072X PO Box 2387, Stn. Main, Squamish BC V8B 0B6 Vol. 61 Issue 2 www.wcra.org Canada Post, Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40007853