With the recent demise of Ross Rowland's Pacific Wilderness Railway, I'm curious as to the status of the Victoria, BC roundhouse.. Was his operation based here? If so, was he allowed to make any modifications to the historic structure and site?

bobyar2001@yahoo.com

As a bit of background information, the Victoria roundhouse site consists of three buildings - one being the stores building, another the car shop and the third is the ten-stall roundhouse complete with backshop and 71'1" turntable. All were built in 1913. The yard is basically in its original configuration (some tracks have been removed) and the turntable is still fully operational.

The car shop and stores building are in relatively good shape. The roundhouse itself is structurally unsound (though it can be rebuilt). The backshop was last used in the summer of 2000. Therefore, it is not in that bad a shape.

The three buildings and the turntable are municipal and national historic sites. The national historic designation means absolutely nothing when it comes to assuring the structures are preserved (that's the Canadian way of doing things).

The stores building is leased to a cabinet maker and an architectural firm and was never used by the Pacific Wilderness Railway (PWR). The car shop was used for changing the wheels on the locomotives and the coaches of the PWR. The roundhouse wasn't used by the PWR. Its last usage was by VIA Rail which entered the roundhouse through Stall #1 (stalls were numbered counter-clockwise)and directly into the backshop.

The PWR operations basically used the adjoining trackage and loading docks; therefore most of their work was done in the open air.

The Pacific Wilderness Railway was not allowed to make any changes to any of the structures. The only change made was that the company removed the graffiti, repainted the turntable to its original black colour and put their logo on it.

The Pacific Wilderness Railway's untimely demise was caused by a number of factors. One was the exhorbitent charges by Canadian Pacific Railway (a company that has no fear of biting off the hand that feeds it). Another one was the dealing with the City of Victoria and their rules and regulations prohibiting signage in tourist areas. There was also lack of advertising outside the Victoria area by the PWR. Very few people had any idea the railway existed until they were in Victoria. The Victoria attitude is not condusive to supporting any new ideas or ventures of any type.

Basically, the PWR was well-run and was a credit to the tourist scene in Victoria. Unfortunately, its advertising was almost exclusively driven by the railroad itself and was given little support by the local tourism authorities. There was an effort to purchase the roundhouse site from the Canadian Pacific Railway (a company that wanted more than twice the assessed value of the property)even though their selling of the land for other than railway purposes is questionable due to a 1906 act of the provincial legislature. The progress of the negotiations with CPR moved at a pace slightly slower than a Vancouver Island slug (a snail without a shell)and the PWR couldn't survive the lengthy negotiations.

There is a small group of local citizens and railway preservationists who are currently in the process of ensuring that the roundhouse site remains intact with the goal of turning it into a transportation heritage museum. The roundhouse itself is one of less than approximately five left in Canada in their original condition and age and the only one left in British Columbia in its original condition. (The only modification made to the building was a small office added on to the side of the backshop and the removal of the brick outhouse).

field-office@home.com

Thanks for the insight. I've since found the group's website and discussion group, and a news brief will follow soon. This facility appears to be a historic gem that deserves nothing less than 98-percent authenticity in restoration.


bobyar2001@yahoo.com

>
> Its last usage was by VIA
> Rail which entered the roundhouse through
> Stall #1 (stalls were numbered
> counter-clockwise)and directly into the
> backshop.

This is interesting because in Ontario CPR roundhouse pits were numbered clockwise (left to right) while CNR was counter-clockwise.

What way were Drake Street and Coquitlam numbered?

How about CNR roundhouses was there any difference in GTP compared to say CNOR ?


http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains
oldtimetrains@rrmail.com

As past chairman of the Victoria Round-house Museum Society I have quite a bit of information on the yards,the buildings,and the related site history. In the last few years we have photographed,vidio taped,& measured both the interiors and the exteriors of the buildings

I will wait till the middle of next week and see if any more questions show up and then I will provide more answers & information

field-office@home.com

Not CPR or CNR directly, but the CNR-owned roundhouse I worked in on the Central Vermont was numbered clockwise. The ex-Rutland roundhouse I worked in was numbered counter-clockwise.

This is interesting because in Ontario CPR
> roundhouse pits were numbered clockwise
> (left to right) while CNR was
> counter-clockwise.

> What way were Drake Street and Coquitlam
> numbered?

> How about CNR roundhouses was there any
> difference in GTP compared to say CNOR ?


bobyar2001@yahoo.com

Many years ago I believe I saw what apeared to be a Shay frame and trucks with an ugly tin box on top somewhere on the E&N. Was I dreaming or is there such a beast?

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net