Don Evans of West Coast Railway Association

Brian Norden · **Posted:** Tue May 21, 2019 8:38 pm

Trans Magazine NewsWire added the following announcement during today (5-21-19):

Quote:

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Don Evans, the Canadian railway preservationist who led the West Coast Railway Association to create a sustainable museum complex in Squamish, cemented the merger of the North American tourist railways and museums organizations, and assisted with the development of countless museums across the continent, has died.

The regional Rotary Club council of which he was a member said that he died Monday while on vacation in Peru.

Don was a graduate of Harvard Business School. He established DJE Holdings Ltd. in 1998 following his retirement after 31 corporate years in the telecommunications industry.

He was President Emeritus of the West Coast Railway Association and a Director of the Heritage Railway Association, formerly the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums. The West Coast Railway Association is hosting the Heritage Railway Association annual meeting this September.

He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his community service and the Caring Canadian Award which was presented in 2016 by the Governor General of Canada.

A celebration of life will be announced later.

Elizabeth · **Posted:** Tue May 21, 2019 9:42 pm

This is shocking news and very sad. I met him a couple of times and he graciously gave my husband and I a tour of the Westcoast Railway Museum. He was also our guest on an episode of "Let's Talk Trains" a few years ago.

The British Columbian railway preservation and museum movement has lost a key person in Don.

Elizabeth

Old Smokey · **Joined:** Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:58 pm **Posts:** 172

It really is a major loss for North American rail heritage, not just Canada. Very unhappy to hear this. The rail preservation world is full of dreamers, but Don was one of those people who had a knack for actually getting things done.
Among many other achievements, he and the team organized this years annual HeritageRail Alliance Conference at Squamish, Sept 18 thru 21, 2019. Railway museum and tourist railway professionals from all over North America will be attending for 4 days .

He recently somehow got a million dollars from the Canadian Government, which is frankly amazing, to help purchase a giant ex-BC Rail shop just across from the museum, where they can work on their cars and locomotives.

You should see it..https://heritagerail.org/2019/03/railwa ... ish-shops/

Here he is, some years ago with his "ride", and the museum's 4069, at the BCR North Vancouver station, for a Fathers' Day event. He will be missed.

BCR4619 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:58 pm **Posts:** 28

Defiantly big shoes to fill in his absence especially for the upcoming HRA conference this fall!

The photo of the shop in the above article is the wrong building, Im not sure where they got that one but here is the proper one.

Old Smokey · **Joined:** Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:58 pm **Posts:** 172

Christian Vazzaz Thanks for the correction, and the better shop photo.
What a fine shop...and BCR as well.

Robert Opal · **Posted:** Thu May 23, 2019 5:59 pm

Very sad indeed. I've worked with Don for years and just recently talked with him at some length at the HRA conference in Sacramento last month. He was an impressive person and a great asset for the tourist railroad/rail museum industry.

Alan Walker · **Posted:** Fri May 24, 2019 1:37 pm

Very sorry to hear of Don's passing. He was someone who had the talent of great vision for WCRA and had the talent of getting things done, especially when working with the provincial and federal governments. All of us who had the privilege to know him will miss him dearly.