I hope this isn't too off topic. I'll be spending a week in Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC at the end of this month and would like to check out any interesting railroad sites.

I'm most interested in any cool abandoned railroad sites, such as bridges, tunnels, grades, etc.

But also any excursion railroads, locomotives/cabooses on display or RR museums.

Any tips or info about good places to visit or see would be greatly appreciated. It doesn't just have to be what I mentioned. I don't want to miss anything while I'm there. If you don't want to post here, your more than welcome to email me directly.

brianmccamish@msn.com

Thanks much.

My Abandoned Railroads Website
brianmccamish@msn.com

Ride the last long-distance RDC train in North America:

http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_roch_vico.html

Here's a list of Victoria rail heritage sites:

http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/282.asp

eledbetter@rypn.org

> Ride the last long-distance RDC train in
> North America:

>
> http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_roch_vico.html

> Here's a list of Victoria rail heritage
> sites:

>
> http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Content/EN/282.asp

Good info! Thanks.


My Abandoned Railroads Website
brianmccamish@msn.com

> I hope this isn't too off topic. I'll be
> spending a week in Victoria, Vancouver
> Island, BC at the end of this month and
> would like to check out any interesting
> railroad sites.

> I'm most interested in any cool abandoned
> railroad sites, such as bridges, tunnels,
> grades, etc.

> But also any excursion railroads,
> locomotives/cabooses on display or RR
> museums.

> Any tips or info about good places to visit
> or see would be greatly appreciated. It
> doesn't just have to be what I mentioned. I
> don't want to miss anything while I'm there.
> If you don't want to post here, your more
> than welcome to email me directly.

> brianmccamish@msn.com

> Thanks much.

CN Cowichan Subdivision, now the Galloping Goose rail-trail. There's also the E&N Railway shops in Victoria where the RDC's are serviced, be careful around the E&N shops as though it may look abandoned, the E&N Railway is an active railway, with about two trains a day in the Victoria area.

If you're looking to check out the E&N Railway the train leaves Victoria at 08:15 and returns around 18:00.

enrailway@yahoo.ca

There is a street car on display in the Provincal Museum, static display of course.

This is the 100th annerversary of Buchart Gardens who opromise a extra special display this year.

I am going up to BC in July.

ted_miles@nps.gov

Hmmm - not really railroad, but at the Sannich Historical Society's place, on the left when driving from the ferry into Victoria, there is the home of the Vancouver Island Model Engineers, with ground level and raised level tracks. The Historical Society has a ton of really neat stuff, too.

John Stewart
Ottawa, Canada.

> I hope this isn't too off topic. I'll be
> spending a week in Victoria, Vancouver
> Island, BC at the end of this month and
> would like to check out any interesting
> railroad sites.

>

freewrl-1@rogers.com

Been several years since I visited, but i had a great time and visited some fine sites related to the logging heritage of the region - one has some nice geared engines and a couple tiny Porters as I recall. The E&N was dead at the time, I did find an olg log loader built on the frame and running gear of a Shay in the yard.

Nice microbrews and good food and huge trees. Beware the panhandlers and bums in Victoria, unless they have cleaned the city up since my visit.

dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

. The
> E&N was dead at the time, I did find an
> olg log loader built on the frame and
> running gear of a Shay in the yard.

Heheh, if you thought the E&N was dead then, you should see it now, freight service to Victoria ended in late 2001, most of the yard is under a hell of a lot of vegitation, the E&N Historical Society has a boxcar and caboose(ex-CN transfer van) sitting in the yard, but that's it.

enrailway@yahoo.ca

Any word on the trestle in north Nanaimo that burnt on April 5?

tramways@canada.com

> Any word on the trestle in north Nanaimo
> that burnt on April 5?

It was rebuilt and the line was officially reopened on April 20th, freight trains were running over it as early as the 18th.

enrailway@yahoo.ca

> It was rebuilt and the line was officially
> reopened on April 20th, freight trains were
> running over it as early as the 18th.

I'm just curious about general exploring on Vancouver Island. Are a lot of abandoned historical sites, like mines and old railroad grades closed off to the public? I don't mean the stuff they turned into public tourist sites, like the trans Canada trail, but just misc. old sites out in the woods. I'm just wondering if basicly everything is gated off except the main roads or if you can really explore anywhere you want to.

Also, where can you get some detailed USGS type maps for Vancouver Island? For example, I use www.topo.com digital USGS maps for most of my exploring. What does Canada use and where can I find something similier?


My Abandoned Railroads Website
brianmccamish@msn.com

Try the following site, there is a list of books on the right hand side that might be worth finding before you head out.
http://www.trainweb.org/rosters/VIR.html

> I hope this isn't too off topic. I'll be
> spending a week in Victoria, Vancouver
> Island, BC at the end of this month and
> would like to check out any interesting
> railroad sites.

> I'm most interested in any cool abandoned
> railroad sites, such as bridges, tunnels,
> grades, etc.

> But also any excursion railroads,
> locomotives/cabooses on display or RR
> museums.

> Any tips or info about good places to visit
> or see would be greatly appreciated. It
> doesn't just have to be what I mentioned. I
> don't want to miss anything while I'm there.
> If you don't want to post here, your more
> than welcome to email me directly.

> brianmccamish@msn.com

> Thanks much.

> Also, where can you get some detailed USGS
> type maps for Vancouver Island? For example,
> I use www.topo.com digital USGS maps for
> most of my exploring. What does Canada use
> and where can I find something similier?

Brian,

Check out the website (link below)http://maps.nrcan.gc.ca/topographic.html

Natural Resources Canada is the govt. dept that produces the 1:50,000 topographical maps that I think you're looking for.

Mike Nowell
Ottawa
Canada

Natural Resources Canada
cottagebound@hotmail.com

> There is a street car on display in the
> Provincal Museum, static display of course.

> This is the 100th annerversary of Buchart
> Gardens who opromise a extra special display
> this year.

> I am going up to BC in July.

This may be outdated, but when we visited Victoria in 1991 the BCERy carbarn on Pembroke St. west of Government St. was still there--as I recall it was a camping and backpacking supply store. There's also a highway going northward out of Victoria named Interurban Rd.

davistrain@aol.com

It has been a few years but if you go north along the main highway towards Duncan, there is a small logging museum with some old equipment which may be of interest. It is located just beside the highway. The E&N railway (ex-CP) is still operating but if you can get hold of some topo maps, you may be able to explore some of the abandonned roadbeds of the CNR. There was once a line to Lake Cowichan for example. In any event, Vancouver Island is a treat & you won't be disappointed.

duncan_ev_campbell@hotmail.com