Elizabeth and arose at the Best Western Baker Inn and after our Internet duties, went to Finley's Bar and Grill where we both had pancakes with mine being sausage. We then drove to the Nelson station.
Canadian Pacific Railway Nelson station is a two-storey, wood-frame structure located near the lakefront, at the foot of the main thoroughfare, on the edge of the City of Nelson. The Canadian Pacific tracks arrived in Nelson in 1891, and in that year the first station was built at this location. In the late 1890's, when Nelson was designated the Kootenay Region Headquarters for the Canadian Pacific, this station was built to house increased office space, and to provide better freight and passenger handling capabilities. Ostensibly, it was opened January 1st, 1900.
In 1910 it was doubled in size to house the headquarters of the B.C. Lake and River Service, as well as railroad operations. The addition made this a large station, reflecting Nelson's status at that time as a major shipping and transportation hub for the Kootenay region. The Canadian Pacific Railway Station at Nelson reflects the city's role at the end of the 19th century as a major transportation centre for the mining industry in British Columbia's southern interior. The station served as a crucial meeting point between rail and steamboat transportation. The station also represents the CPR's commitment to compete with American railway interests in the southern interior.
The Nelson station is a good example of the picturesque aesthetic applied to a railway station. It is a substantial structure with complex massing and rich detailing. The station's wood construction reflects the local abundance of that material, and perhaps, the CPR's doubts as to the permanence of the mining community. The subsequent additions have not diminished the legibility of the original station.
The Nelson BC diesel shop was built in the 1950’s to service Canadian Pacific Railway's fleet of CLC built Fairbanks Morse diesel locomotives. Nelson was the headquarters of the CPR Kootenay Division, and the facilities there included a freight yard, large station, roundhouse, car shop and this diesel shop. The diesel shop closed in 1974 with the demise of the FM's, and other facilities such as the divisional offices and most of the yard closed over the 1980’s and 1990’s.
The station sat dormant for many years; However, it was designated a Canadian heritage Railway Station in 1992. In 2010 the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce purchased the derelict building to house its office, the visitor centre, and several other businesses. The station is now known as the Regional Visitor Gateway and is the biggest restoration project of a single 10,000 square foot heritage building in the City of Nelson, undertaken by a non- governmental agency at a total cost of $3.7 million dollars. This is a main component of a major downtown/waterfront renewal project the City of Nelson is embarking upon; namely the land redevelopment of abandoned and underutilized industrial property at the west end of historic Baker Street.
Restoration and rehabilitation CPR Stationhouse.
Canadian Pacific CPA16-4 4104, ex. storage at Canadian Pacific Ogden shops 2012, exx. display at Alberta Pioneer Railway Association 1988, nee Canadian Pacific 4104, built by Canadian Locomotive Company in 1954. This class of locomotive replaced steam locomotives for CPR passenger service between Medicine Hat, Alberta and Vancouver. Until 1965, it worked periodically on CPR's Dominion trains, when extra passenger trains were required for summer tourist season at Banff and Lake Louise.
Canadian Pacific H16-66 7009, ex. storage at Canadian Pacific Ogden shops 2012, exx. display at Alberta Pioneer Railway Association 1988, exxx. Squaw Creek Coal 721001 1983, nee Aluminium Company of America 001 built by Fairbanks Morris in 1958. Known as a "Baby Trainmaster", this was a single unit order and set the standard for design of locomotives in general freight service on Canada's two major railways. The H16-66 engine was unique with opposed piston design first used in World War II submarines and boats. Adapted to railway service, the design proved too complicated to railroad maintenance standards and production ceased by 1960.
Nelson ActivitiesAs the first tram of the day did not leave until late morning, we drove over to Nelson City Hall and the offices of the Regional District of Central Kootenay to acquire municipal pins in case they had a new emblem or logo since Elizabeth originally acquired them in 1997. We went down the parking lot of the Nelson Electric Tramway Society, parked and walked over to the station platform, but after a while walked to the carbarn.
Nelson Electric Tramway Society InformationOur Society’s name is derived from the name of the City’s first streetcar operator, "The Nelson Electric Tramway Company Limited", owned by a group of British investors. The Society was formed in 1988 with the vision to have Streetcar 23 “back on track”. A 2 kilometre route was constructed from the City Wharf area to Rotary Lakeside Park while the carbarn was being built. At the same time, work was being done on acquiring and installing all mechanical and electrical components required to transform the car body into an operating unit. Formal opening of the line occurred on July 1, 1992 with streetcar 23 making its first revenue run in 43 years! Every aspect of operation including track work and maintenance is performed by our All-Volunteer Members. Please patronize our advertisers. These good corporate citizens, along with fares, donations and sales are our only sustaining revenue sources upon which we rely to maintain our support.
The Lyle Ward Memorial Car Barn of Nelson Electric Tramway Society, with trolley 23 in the doorway.
Nelson Electric Tramway Society 2 truck tram 23, ex. chicken coop/shed 1982, exx. dog kennel (Kootenay Lake) 1957, exxx. Nelson Street Railway 23 1951, exxxx. Nelson Street Railway 3 1933, exxxxx. Cleveland Railway Company 934 1924, nee Forest City Railway of Cleveland 3334, built by Stephenson Car Company, a division of the J. G. Brill Company, in 1906.
Nelson Tram speeder of unknown origin. We walked back to the boarding area at Lakeside Park.
A mural on approach to the Nelson Bridge.
Nelson Electric Streetcar Timetable.
On the reverse side of the timetable.
Nelson Electric Tramway Society 23 came and went by us to the northern loop.
Nelson Streetcar 23 returned to our boarding location and Elizabeth and I boarded for our trip aboard this trolley.
The view ahead.
With a clang of our trolley, we were off on another railroad adventure.
We ran down to the car barn.
The junction to the car barn. Now ride with us on the Nelson Streetcar.
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We ran on our own right-of-way until we crossed the concrete.
We started across the concrete.
The concrete section of our trip.
West Arm of Kootenay Lake.
The concrete section of our trip.
West Arm of Kootenay Lake.
We approached the south loop of this railway, where it started to rain lightly.
We were now very close to completing the south loop of this railway.
The Prestige Lakeside Resort.
At the switch we have completed the south loop.
Our plan now was to visit the car barn.
Running along the West Arm of Kootenay Lake.
The substation of the railway.
On the way back to the car barn.
The Lyle Ward Memorial Car Barn.
Trolley car 23.
Nelson Electric Tramway Society tram 400, ex. display at Heritage Transportation Museum Cloverdale, BC, exx. display at Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC, exxx. Mayo Lumber Company bunkhouse at Paldi, BC, nee British Columbia Electric Railway 400:1, built by Preston Car and Coach in 1922.
In 1921, the City of Victoria, British Columbia placed an order with the Preston Car and Coach Company of Preston, Ontario for ten Birney cars. The cars were shipped in pieces to the Kitsilano Workshops of the British Columbia Electric Railway in Vancouver, British Columbia for final assembly and went into service in Victoria in March 1922 under the direction of the British Columbia Electric Railway.
For 25 years Car 400 served the public until it was retired in 1946 and all the cars had their trucks removed, the controllers stripped and anything else salvagable taken. The car bodies were then sold to the public to become summer cottages, storage sheds or just plain shacks. Car 400 was sold to the Mayo Lumber Company in Cowichan Lake to be used as a bunkhouse. There Car 400 sat for another 20 years, being used for a variety of purposes, until the roof caved in and its bare metal skeleton was exposed. At that point Car 400 was abandoned.
In 1970, Dan Gallacher of the Provincial Museum of British Columbia, in Victoria, concluded that an authentic streetcar which formerly ran in Victoria would be an ideal exhibit for display at the Museum. A quick survey of what relics remained revealed that Car 400 would be the best candidate for restoration. After more than 15 months of restoration and a cost of $15,000 dollars, in the Spring of 1973, a restored Car 400 rolled out of the shop. The restored was then put on display at the Provincial Museum. In 1990, the Nelson Electric Tramway Society brought Car 400 to Nelson for display. The car was brought here under a lease agreement with the Royal British Columbia Museum, which displayed Car 400 at its Transportation Museum in Cloverdale. In 1992, with the closure of the Transportation Museum, Nelson became Car 400's permanent home. At that time the Society began a new restoration of the Car as it had become quite ravaged by the elements.
Over the next seven years, Car 400 was slowly refurbished along with the Society's main streetcar, Nelson Street Railway Car 23. By the fall of 1999, Car 400 was in the finishing stages of restoration ready to be put back into service the following spring.
Operating control stand of Car 400.
Interior of the car.
Nelson Street Railway map 1899-1949.
A crane used to lift items.
Nelson Electric Tramway Society story board.
100 Years of Nelson Streetcar 23.
Streetcar 23 The People.
Nelson Electric Streetcar.
Two photographs of Car 23 by Greg Osadchuk.
History of Car 23.
Vintage pictures of Car 23.
A painting of Nelson Streetcar 23 by Rick Slingerland commissioned by the Royal Bank to assist the Nelson Electric Tramway Society in their marketing endeavours and to celebrate the successful completion of this community project.
Car 23 throughout its career.
Ride Streetcar 23 in their inaugural season 1993.
Part of the gift shop with a mannequin that children will attempt to engage in conversation.
S.S. Steamship Moyie.
One of the other streetcars, 21, that once ran in Nelson.
A large scale model of Car 23.
A variety of items on display.
Marker lamps in front of the window that looks into the car barn.
Marker lamps and speed gauges.
Tools of the trolley trade.
A railway era trunk donated by Peter Gallant.
Greyhound 75th anniversary 1929 to 2004 Going Places for Seventy-Five Years.
Illinois Central Railroad steam era picture.
Workers on a stock train.
The caboose at the end of the train.
Canadian National 4-8-4 6060.
Kootenay Lake sternwheelers 1891 to 1957.
Walter Charles Laurie, the late President of the Society. We purchased some souvenirs, including The Kootenay Valley Railway DVD, T-shirts and lapel pins.
Trolley Car 23 stopped to pick us up.
The trolley took us to the northern loop.
We started around the loop.
Nelson Bridge came into view.
We had come close to completing the loop.
The northern loop was now complete.
We returned to the boarding site.
Our Motorman Jean posed for a picture, after which we detrained and walked over to Nelson Bridge.
The Nelson Bridge built in 1957 and is the only crossing of the Kootenay River in Nelson. A as a large, iconic bridge, it is a well-known landmark and locally is affectionately known as the Big Orange Bridge, or the BOB for short. It is a traditional cantilever through truss with three spans including a central span consisting of cantilever arms holding a suspended span in the middle. In additional to the top chord which forms towers over the pier points, the bridge also includes a bottom chord which also is angled near the piers so as to form a deeper truss over the piers. The truss includes numerous built-up beams. All shop fasteners (such as those holding the built-up beams together) are rivets, while the fasters installed in the field (like the connection points) are bolted. The bridge includes a system of approach spans that is much longer at the south end and includes deck plate girder spans as well as steel stringer spans. The bridge retains original standard plan ornamental railings for the sidewalks. The sidewalks are located inside the truss lines.
Its main span length is 486.5 feet, the structure length is 2,060.0 feet and Western Bridge and Steel Fabricators were the contractors for the bridge, as was Poole Engineering - Raymond International. Originally a toll bridge, it was built by the British Columbia Toll Highways and Bridges Authority but tolls were removed on March 31, 1963.
The plaque for the bridge. Elizabeth drove us back to the Nelson station and we found it open.
The model railroad layout in the Nelson station. We departed this city and I drove us to Salmo.
Great Northern Salmo station built around 1913. This is a rare example of an American railroad building a station in Canada and today, it is a Designated Heritage Railway Station, protected under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act. The line which the depot served was originally built as the Beaver Falls and Nelson and Fort Sheppard Extension of the Spokane Falls & Northern Railroad by American entrepreneur and railroad builder, Daniel Corbin, then of Spokane, Washington.
Daniel Corbin's Spokane Falls & Northern Railway remained independent until 1898. In that year control passed first to the Northern Pacific and then to the Great Northern through stock purchases. At the time of construction of this depot, however, the line was under the control of the GNR, but Corbin was, by then, out of the picture. One hundred kilometres further west, however, in the Grand Forks area, the Great Northern was actively building railways to nearby copper mines concurrent with construction of the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway.
Daniel Corbin's Spokane Falls & Northern Railway was completed north from Spokane to Colville, Washington on October 18 1889. By 1890 the railway had been completed to near Northport, Washington. In 1891, Corbin received a charter from the Canadian government for the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway. The government had misgivings about granting Corbin a charter, fearing that it would allow the gold, silver and copper riches of the area to flow south to Spokane. By promising to connect the railway to the coast and by using a group of Canadian businessmen as a front for the railway, Corbin got his charter. The connection to the coast was never built but the railway did reach Nelson in 1893. The line from the border to Nelson came to be known as the Beaver Falls and Nelson and Fort Sheppard Extension of the Spokane Falls & Northern Railroad, or, more simply, the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway, Fort Sheppard being just north of the border and across the Columbia River from Waneta.
At the time, it was competing with the Canadian Pacific Railway for supremacy in the mineral rich area of the southern British Columbia Interior. The Canadian Pacific Railway reacted by building the Columbia and Kootenay Railway between Robson (near Castlegar) and Nelson in 1891.
Later, with railway amalgamation, the station and the line were taken over by the Burlington Northern. It likely was last used as a passenger Depot in the late 1960s. Today the section of line from Salmo north to Nelson is a rails to trails trail. A section from Fruitvale south to the border is still in use, hauling wood products from Fruitvale and ore north to a transfer station south of the Trail airport which is then trucked the final few miles to the Teck Smelter in Trail.
We continued our eastbound journey, stopping in Creston.
Canadian Pacific Creston station used by CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City).
Creston Museum 36 inch gauge 0-4-0ST 30, ex. Ryan Pioneer Park 30 1983, nee Grant Smith and Company 30 built by Vulcan in 1910.
The story board about the engine.
Elizabeth drove us to Cranbrook where we had dinner at the ABC Country Restaurant before we checked into the Days Inn for the night.
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