Field Trip: Ralph Beaumont's Adventures in B.C.

Click on each picture for a closer look!

(Ralph Beaumont is an avid railfan from Ontario who reports on his railway adventures in B.C. as follows - Russ Milland)

I was fortunate to spend some time in British Columbia this summer, with a great deal of train watching and riding based out of Revelstoke. This remains a true railway town, with Rogers Pass to the east and Eagle Pass to the west. The Revelstoke Museum is a must-see, and there's even of U.S. logging 2-6-2 steam engine on display in nearby Three Valley Gap.

During the trip we saw steam at Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, in Summerland and during the June trips of CP's #2816 Royal Hudson from Calgary to Golden and return. Unfortunately there was no steam as advertised at the B.C. Forestry Museum in Duncan (they were waiting for the boiler inspector to show up), and CPR #2816 was unfortunately not available for scheduled July trips due to it being sidelined for unexpected repairs. Still there was lots of action and new sights to see as shown in the attached photos:

1: Louisiana USA's Calcasieu Long Leaf Lumber standard gauge 2-6-2 was moved in January 2005 to her unlikely new home at Three Valley Gap just west of Revelstoke, BC. The new display roundhouse and grounds there contain numerous business cars and displays.

2: The Rocky Mountaineer pays visits to Revelstoke four days per week (twice eastbound and twice westbound) and make for a great diverson from the major freight activity. Here's the train at the three tunnels just west of Glen William (west of Revelstoke).

3: Pan shot of CPR Royal Hudson #2816 on her June 23 westbound trip approaching Canmore, B.C.

4: CPR Consolidation 3716 operates out of Summerland B.C. on the Kettle Valley Steam Railway.

5: In July I was fortunate to have a cab ride on CP's F Unit #4107 over Roger Pass from Golden to Revelstoke. It was supposed to be on Royal Hudson #2816, but although I was disappointed that #2816 was out of service with unexpected repairs, the view from the F unit's cab was spectacular. Here is a shot as we approached a snowshed in Albert Canyon.

6: A couple of weeks later the heritage train returned from Vancouver and I rode the tail end on the Mount Royal business car from Salmon Arm to Revelstoke. Thanks to CPR and the Revelstoke Railway Museum for making these trips possible, as part of a museum fundraising effort. Here we are exiting the most easterly of the three Clanwilliam tunnels, a few miles west of Revelstoke.

Posting and photos by Ralph Beaumont