The Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) was the result of a strong desire to link the Kootenays directly with the Coast. The CPR arrived in BC in 1885 but was initially of little use to the people of southern BC, an area rich in mineral deposits, such as silver. It was all too easy for BC's American neighbours to help themselves to the province's riches and haul them away on their own railroads, which seemed to be cropping up everywhere. J.J. Warren, an Ontario lawyer, had taken over the financial problems of the almost defunct Kettle River Valley Railway (KRVR). Warren had a chat with the CPR president, Thomas Shaughnessy, about the future of BC's railways as he envisioned an alliance of the CPR and the KRVR to expand the rails west from Midway. Warren and Shaughnessy chose Andrew McCulloch for the task of Chief Engineer who was faced with the task of constructing a railway through some of the most difficult and rugged terrain in North America. The route from Midway to Hope was complete in 1916, and there was a big celebration everywhere along the route including Penticton. The KVR not only provided faster and more efficient service for Okanagan fruit going to its market, but it also carried ore and lumber to the coast, men in search of jobs and young minds yearning for an education. During construction there had been a delay as the laying of tracks approached Summerland. After the first route had been abandoned because of grade difficulties it seemed that the KVR was going to totally bypass Summerland and remain on the south side of Trout Creek. Summerlanders claimed that "their community was being short-changed from becoming a major metropolis on 'the new transcontinental line', all because of an 'infinitesimal' bridge needed to carry the railway across the Trout Creek Canyon". Reeve James Ritchie wasn’t convinced and apparently surveyed a potential route; his findings and suggestion kept the grade at 2.2 % and even shortened the line by half a mile! As for the infinitesimal bridge, it became the largest bridge on the original KVR line and the third largest steel girder bridge in North America; 619 feet long and 238 feet high! In 1916, the West Summerland station was built and it operated on South Victoria Road for almost sixty years. Return to the Virtual Exhibits >> |
Many different pieces of equipment were devised to aid communications on the early railways. The Trainman’s Hoop could be used to pass messages from the engine to the Station Master as the train sped by. 