Iron Road West
An Illustrated History of British Columbia's Railways
Did you know British Columbia's first railway was built in 1861?
That the first crossing of the Rockies by a car was on railway lines?
That West Vancouver had a gas railcar service as early as 1914?
That there was a railway where the Coquihalla freeway is now?
That BC had an armoured train during World War II?
That Canada's smallest railway - on full-size rails - runs daily to and from Lillooet?
That North America's last logging railway ran on Vancouver Island until 2017?
British Columbia wouldn’t exist without the railway; the province was brought into the Canadian Confederation in 1871 in exchange for the promise of a transcontinental line to the West Coast. It was the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1886 that set off economic development in the province, created the city of Vancouver and spurred others to build competing lines.
In Iron Road West, Derek Hayes charts the development of the province through its railway lines, using a wealth of photographs and other visuals to show how rails were laid through the wild terrain that characterized much of British Columbia. As railways revolutionized the province, they inevitably incited fierce competition and personal hatreds, creating an exciting frontier-like environment that Hayes describes in vivid detail. The book also covers the emergence of the modern freight railway in British Columbia, including fully automated and computerized trains. An extensive section details our railway legacy, including preserved railways, locomotives and facilities that can still be visited today. Prolifically illustrated, Iron Road West will fascinate not only railway enthusiasts, but anyone with an interest in the history of the province.
Includes the building of the Canadian Pacific, its branches and its competitors. Accessing the province's mineral wealth. The second and third transcontinentals - the Grand Trunk Pacific and the Canadian Northern Pacific.
Interurbans. The White Pass & Yukon. The Pacific Great Eastern, later the British Columbia Railway. The Golden Age of Steam. Canada's only armoured train. Logging and Mining Railways. The Evolving Modern Railway. The rise of the unit train. Plus: The Preserved Legacy: where to find the province's railway history today.
Includes a newly-developed way to trace the paths of old railways. And an appendix listing all BC's railway charters. Lavishly illustrated with historical and modern photos.
Hardcover, 240 pages. Published November 2018 by Harbour Publishing