BC Electric 1225 heading back to Canada!

2004 will be remembered for several major events in the history of the Orange Empire Railway Museum. In addition to the start of construction of a major new building (Carhouse Seven), the Museum has entered into an historic agreement with the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society of Surrey, British Columbia to return BC Electric interurban car 1225 to Canada. The FVHRS will purchase the car from OERM for US $200,000, and the entire amount will be applied to the project to construct Carhouse Seven. The terms of the agreement call for a 10% deposit (which has been made) and gives FVHRS up to two years to raise the balance. The 1225 will thus return to its home rails in Canada and OERM will receive a major boost towards completing the carhouse that will house a significant portion of the Museum's collection.

Making tough choices
When OERM's Collection Policy was drafted in 2000, specific deaccession criteria were developed, both to document the process and to safeguard the Museum's collections by restricting deaccession to only limited circumstances. Outside of issues pertaining to authenticity or loss from damage, a railcar or other artifact can only be deaccessioned from the Museum's Permanent Collection because a) it is not relevant or appropriate to the Museum's mission; or b) the Museum does not have the ability to properly care for or conserve the artifact; or c) it is being replaced by a better, more complete, example of a particular type of artifact.

When considering the 1225 in light of these criteria, OERM's focus (as communicated in its Mission Statement) on the railroads of Southern California and the West does call into question the relevance of a Canadian interurban car. The 1225 was on a short list of railcars and locomotives that OERM's Collection Development Committee identified in 2000 as being worthy of consideration for deaccession if a more appropriate home were available. The 1225 deal worked because in addition to being somewhat of a misfit amongst the Museum's regional collection, the car is in the happy position of having another non-profit preservation organization to which it represents a critical component in fulfilling their own mission. The 1225 will return to Canada and, ultimately, to operation on BC Electric rails through the auspices of the Fraser Valley Railway Heritage Society (FVHRS). The group has built a carbarn and a reproduction of the BC Electric Sullivan station in Surrey, adjacent to the former BC Electric line. They're also negotiating for trackage rights on the now freight-only line and working to purchase BC Electric car 1304 in addition to 1225.

Now 91 years old, the 1225 is also need of some restoration work. Although complete and having benefited greatly from indoor storage since the 1970s, the car has not escaped the ravages of time. It will need sash and door work, seat repairs, some work on the ceiling, as well as renewal of some of its wooden exterior components along with a complete paint job. Representatives of the FVHRS have inspected the car at Perris on several occasions and are eager to begin restoration work in order to return the car to its former glory.

At OERM, efforts in the electric railway area are presently focused on a number of important refurbishment and restoration projects on some significant pieces from California, with special urgency attached to several cars from the Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway. With so many "mission critical" projects already in process, work on British Columbia 1225 would not occur anytime soon if it were to stay in California. OERM is also faced with the reality that indoor storage for its historic collection must be provided now if the Museum is to gain a sound footing for the preserving these amazing pieces of Southern California's history into the future.

History of Car 1225
1225 was built by the St. Louis Car Company for the British Columbia Electric Railway, Canada's largest interurban system. BC Electric operated an extensive network of interurban and local streetcar lines in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. The company's longest interurban line stretched 72 miles east to Chilliwack B.C., passing near the U.S. border at Sumas, Washington along the way. Passenger operations on the BC Electric dwindled steadily after World War II, and by 1956 only the 8-mile Marpole-Steveston line remained. Passenger service ended altogether on February 28th 1958, with none other than car 1225 making the last scheduled passenger run to Marpole. Diesel freight service continues today on portions of the system.

Built in 1913, the 1225 represents a transitional vehicle between wood and steel car construction. It is an example of a "composite" car, utilizing both wood and steel on the carbody. The underframe utilizes traditional steel bolsters as well as steel "I" beams with wooden fillers for the center sills, but the side sills are strictly wooden. Above the floor line, the car is largely wooden construction except that steel plates take the place of the traditional "matchboard" wooden siding below the windows and serve as a structural girder. The interior has an exceptionally high ceiling, giving the car a very distinctive appearance. Paneled in varnished wood, the interior is divided into smoking and non-smoking sections. The smoking section has wooden slat seats while the seats in the non-smoking section are rattan-covered.

OERM purchased the 1225 directly from the BC Electric in 1958 as a complete car, and it made the 1,200 mile journey from Vancouver to Perris on its own wheels in a succession of freight trains. Even more remarkable than the fact that it was moved on its own wheels, it made a stop in Sacramento for operation on a special fan trip on the Sacramento Northern Railway (SN). The car was even repainted in the shops of SN-parent Western Pacific and was then operated over the final electrified section of the SN, between Marysville and Yuba City. 

The car has operated regularly at Perris since its arrival, although less frequently in recent years. The failing rattan upholstery on the seats made 1225 less appropriate for public operation, but it still makes regular appearances at member events. The car remains an excellent runner, riding very smoothly and being capable of swift acceleration and a brisk top speed. 

Heading Home
And now 1225 is heading back to Canada, and, ultimately, to operation on former BC Electric rails. The Fraser Valley Railway Heritage Society is one of several groups located along the territory formerly served by the BC Electric which are actively working on restoring and operating significant artifacts from the company's interurban operation. The Transit Museum Society operates the Downtown Historic Railway in cooperation with the City of Vancouver, using beautifully restored interurban cars 1207 and 1231. The Steveston Interurban Society is restoring car 1220 in hopes of future operation. A group called "Friends of 1223" in Burnaby is restoring car 1223 for static display at a heritage museum complex in that city, and car 1235 is in storage at the National Transportation Museum in Ottawa.

A signing ceremony of sorts was held on board the 1225 on May 23, with members of both FVHRS and OERM in attendance for several exhilarating rides on the car. As noted, the FVHRS has two years in which to raise the balance of the purchase price, (although they're certainly interested in completing the transaction sooner, if possible), so the 1225 will be at Perris for at least a little while longer. It will continue to come out for special operations, and of course before the 1225 returns to Canada an appropriate ceremony will be held, offering OERM members one last opportunity to ride it at the Museum.

Although many of us associated with OERM will miss our old friend 1225, we can rest comfortably knowing its going to a good home and that the transaction is making a major contribution to the continued preservation of OERM's collection of historic railway equipment.

(John Smatlak)