WCRA NEWS SEPTEMBER 2014 WCRA GALA EVENT— SEPTEMBER 9 STEAM IN BRAZIL DREAM WEDDING STORY WCRA News, Page 2 GENERAL MEETING The General Meeting of the WCRA will be held on Tuesday, August 26 at Rainbow Creek Station, Willingdon at Penzance in Burnaby, at 1930 hours. Entertainment will be a video by Catenary Video Productions: 'North to the Yukon', starting with BCER 'sightseer' streetcar, CPR steamships at Pier BC, up the coast, then arrival at Skagway, double-head WP&Y steamers up the 3.9% hill to Whitehorse, then the luxurious paddlewheel steamer 'Casca' to Dawson City; route of the gold-rush. ON THE COVER Weddings at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park have become a regular occurrence, but this one was very special as Michelle Hall wed Cory Richardson on July 26, 2014. For the full story, see page 10. (photo by Gordon Hall) SEPTEMBER CALENDAR • West Coast Railway Heritage Park open daily 1000 through 1700k • Sunday, August 31—Vontage Mustangs Group visit at the Heritage Park, an estimated 100 Mustangs will be on display from 1100 to 1300k. Special low admission prices apply— just $10 adult / $5 child. Food vendors will be on site. • Friday, September 5—Deadline for items for the October 2014 WCRA News • Tuesday, September 9—WCRA Fundraising Gala, Roundhouse Community Centre in Vancouver, 1730k • Saturday, September 13 / Sunday, September 14—Mini Days at the Heritage Park, special rides, mini rail guest engines and special admission prices (see page 8) • Sunday, September 21—Rolls Royce Owners Club visits the Heritage Park—come and see the special cars • Tuesday, September 30—WCRA General Meeting, Rainbow Creek Station, 1930k 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. Membership prices are as follows, Please note that GST must be added to all fees: Senior $50 ($52.50), Individual $55 (57.75), Family $65 (68.25) E Members (electronic newsletter only) are $35 ($36.75) Senior, $40 ($42.00) individual and $50 ($52.50) family. Other categories are: - Junior Member (age 18 and under ) $ 30 ($31.50) - Sustaining Member $100 (tax receipt) plus membership type regular fee - Life Membership $700 ($735) individual life / $1,200 ($1,260) family life All memberships include the monthly newsletter, Heritage Park admission (except Special Events), 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 CELEBRATING THE SPIRIT OF OUR RAILWAY HERITAGE Railway heritage is of particular importance to Western Canada and British Columbia. Not only did the railways play a significant role in the establishment of commerce as they did all over the world, but here they are also responsible for the actual creation of our country and the communities in which we live. It is that heritage and the action that we at West Coast Railway Association have taken to preserve it that will be the theme for our upcoming celebration gala on September 9th. It is great that many are interested in this heritage and take an active part in its history as a hobby. All of these activities and efforts are very worthwhile and compile a grand amount of data and stories about our history and how it came to be. But at WCRA we have taken it a step further, with the creation of a sustainable business model that is designed to ensure that our heritage remains relevant to future generations and is funded to continue long into the future. Thanks to the great support of our sponsors, funders and many active participants, we have been able over time to create the base of a long term self funding operation that will see a valuable collection preserved in perpetuity and sustained for future generations. It has not been an easy task, and we have certainly had some bumps along the way. But here in 2014, we are on the cusp of that achievement with several lines of business now active. Our public facilities not only preserve our collection, but also expose it to the public of all ages through a series of events and opportunities at our Heritage Park, the Locomotive 374 Pavilion and our many off site activities that take place throughout the year. It is that set of achievements that we will celebrate on September 9 as we recognize our donors, celebrate our heritage, and have some great fun at the same time. We hope to see you there, and that you will play a continuing role as we move forward. We have made great strides, but the job is not yet done. Don ASSOCIATION NEWS FROM THE JULY GENERAL MEETING Chair Bill Johnston called the meeting to order at 19:33 with approx. 25 members present: • Ken Tanner provided the Heritage Park report noting that July was a very busy month, with the Harley Owners Group, then the Squamish Motorcycle club, the Model A Fords visit, the 20th anniversary event and more WCRA News, Page 4 • Ken went on to note that it was good to have Randy Lucas back after a lengthy absence, he is working on the sleeper Belle Isle roof and the operating coach roofs as his first priority. He also noted that we will not try to heat the MP 2 shop this winter in an effort to reduce the utility costs at the facility. • Ken reported on the financial results to date noting that we were in a positive net income position mid way through the year. • Don Evans provided a fundraising report and noted the event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Heritage Park. He also noted the planned fundraising gala set for September 9th. • Ken Tanner read the tours report that was prepared by Jenn, and noted the excellent White Pass & Yukon trip just completed. Keith Anderson was thanked for his work with that tour. • Keith Anderson then provided a report on the White Pass Tour • Bill Johnston noted that the 374 Pavilion continued to have a busy summer. He noted a recent visit by the Rotary Club of Deer Lake, and the upcoming Member’s Reception for the Vancouver Board of Trade set for August 27th. • Events were reviewed from the newsletter, and the draw as held • Entertainment was by Bill Johnston with an historical look at loco 374, the Dunsmuir Tummel and other local landmarks. MEMBER NEWS Congratulations to Bill & Patricia Marchant on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. A note from Sylvia Esdale notes that our long time member Bill Esdale has entered a long term care facility in Langley. She notes that he retains all his faculties and continues to enjoy reading the WCRA News every month. We send our very best wishes to Bill. Congratulations to Rob Misjak who brought home a Gold Medal in Special Olympics aquatics. He completed the 50M Butterfly in an amazing 50:33 seconds, and then also placed third in the 100m Freestyle with a time of 1:28:42. Congratulations to Rob! PLEASE RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP If your address label reads 07 31, you need to renew now. If your label reads 04 30, this is your last issue. We need you as members—please renew. (J.D.) NEW MEMBERS The WCRA welcomes to membership: • Yasamin Alai and family of Garibaldi Highlands; • Brian Biddlecombe & Leanne Laundrum and family of Bowen Islamd; • John Hanson and family of Kamloops; WCRA News, Page 5 • Cory Herbert and family of Garibaldi Highlands; • Brenda Hubbard and family of Pitt Meadows; • Doug Leishman and family of Bowen Island; • R McGregor and family of North Vancouver; • Lloyd Newman and family of Squamish; • Victoria Paull and family of Garibaldi Highlands; • Monika Redekop and family of Vancouver; • Bev Roberts and family of Pt Moody; • Matt Rosati and family of Pt Coquitlam; • Julie Willie and family of Lyon, France. We welcome back to membership: • John Cowan of Maple Ridge; • Karamjit Purba and family of Squamish. • Adree Ratushny and family of North Vancouver (J.D.) WCRA TRIVIA #308 - by Ryan Cruickshank There are two public elementary schools in Vancouver District 39 that have a railway connection. What are these schools? (find answer on page 27) COLLECTION BCER 960 UPDATE Hi all, just to let ya know 960 progresses even though at a more leisurely hot summer pace... And even with some health distractions plus vacation commitments with all of us involved, the cosmetic work on the cab progresses. Its amazing how badly the cab was beat up over its hundred plus years, and how evident it is when one sands, fills, and re-fills again, the cracks, dents, holes and bad seems on our wanna be little beauty. Perhaps early September we will have some telling progress pictures to show for all the dedicated picky work being done by Bob Gordon, Bill Marchant and myself, the cab prep crew. Besides the cab project, we now have re and re'd the 2 sets of brush holders for #3 traction motor and are ready for their reinstall. Some may have heard the high pitched shrieking whistle testing in MP2 over the past months, as we've obtained a few traction whistle versions that required attention. Since we have yet to get our hands on perfect matches to 960 original equipment used, we're talking circa late 40s into 50s, the on hand brass gems may well have to be standbys until some rail fan / collector out there does an attic hunt and discovers the BCE Freight engine 3 chime originals.