Railways in Southern British Columbia

1880s

1883

• CPR reaches British Columbia from the east by end of season

1884

• CPR reaches Rogers Pass by end of season

1885

• November, 7 - Last spike in Eagle Pass, November 7, 1885

1887

• Hall brothers discover silver near Nelson(McCulloch's Wonder, p19)

1888

• April - Corbin gets charter for Spokane Falls & Northern Railway(McCulloch's Wonder, p21)

1889

• SF&N reaches Little Dalles(McCulloch's Wonder, p21)
• Columbia & Kootenay Steam Navigation Company (CKSN) founded, serving SF&N (McCulloch's Wonder, p24)

1890s

1890

• August, 20 - CPR charters Columbia & Kootenay Railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p24)
• James Baker obtains BC charter for British Columbia Southern Railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p22)

1891

• Spring - C&K completed to Nelson (McCulloch's Wonder, p24)
• Silver found in Sandon (')

1892

• S&O - built from Sicamous to Vernon - only know built before or during 1893. (McCulloch's Wonder, p27)
• N&S receives charter (')

1893

• December - N&FS opens to Five Mile Point (McCulloch's Wonder, p26)
• Great Northern Railway mainline completed (McCulloch's Wonder, p28)
• August, Northern Pacific Railway bankrupt (McCulloch's Wonder, p29) and obtained by Great Northern (McCulloch's Wonder, p44)

1894

• October - N&S reaches Three Forks (')

1895

• April - K&S construction started (McCulloch's Wonder, p32)
• October, late - K&S reaches Sandon (McCulloch's Wonder, p32)
• December, 15 - N&S reaches Sandon (McCulloch's Wonder, p32)

1896

• January - C&W charter for Trail to Penticton by Heinze (McCulloch's Wonder, p35)
• Trail smelter built by Heinze (McCulloch's Wonder, p34)
• Rossland to Trail narrow gauge built by Heinze (McCulloch's Wonder, p34)
• December - CPR buys CKSN (McCulloch's Wonder, p37)
• CPR buys BCSR charter (McCulloch's Wonder, p38)
• CPR signs Crows Nest Agreement with federal government (McCulloch's Wonder, p39)
• Vancouver businessmen charter Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern Railway & Navigation Company (VV&E) from Vancouver to Kootenays (McCulloch's Wonder, p40)
• December - Heinz starts construction on C&W (McCulloch's Wonder, p41)

1897

• June, 16 - Heinz (C&W) fails in merger with VV&E (McCulloch's Wonder, p41)
• September 23 - Mackenzie & Mann acquire controlling interest in VV&E (McCulloch's Wonder, p45)

1898

• February - Heinz sells Rossland, smelter, and half C&W to CPR (McCulloch's Wonder, p42)
• March 19 - Corbin charters Kettle River Valley Railway in US to connect Boundary with his SF&N but denied Canadian portion (McCulloch's Wonder, p43)
• June 15 - VV&E (Mann) agrees to build from Miday to Coast, CPR agrees to build from Kootenays only to Midway (McCulloch's Wonder, p47)
• June 27 - VV&E starts construction at Penticton (McCulloch's Wonder, p47)
• July 1 - Great Northern obtains control of Corbin's SF&N (McCulloch's Wonder, p44)
• October 15 - Last spike on CPRs Crows Nest to Kootenay Landing railway built in just over year (McCulloch's Wonder, p44)
• late - CPR works on C&W (McCulloch's Wonder, p48)

1899

• early - CPR works on C&W (McCulloch's Wonder, p48)
• February 27 - new BC Government (Semlin) cancels subsidies to VV&E (McCulloch's Wonder, p48)
• June - Shaughnessy succeeds Van Horne as president of the CPR (McCulloch's Wonder, p48)
• September 18 - CPR complets C&W to Grand Forks, grading to Midway (McCulloch's Wonder, p49)

1900s

1900

• early - CPR has track to Midway and Eholt (McCulloch's Wonder, p49)
• January - CPR surveys from Midway to Hope (McCulloch's Wonder, p50)
• June - James Dunsmiur becomes BC premier (McCulloch's Wonder, p53)
• December 13 - VV&E sold to Great Northern and CPR announces plan for Vancouver & Grand Forks (McCulloch's Wonder, p54)

1901

• March 28 - Dunsmiur announces subsidy award for Kootenay and coast railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p56)
• June - Great Northern gains complete control of VV&E (McCulloch's Wonder, p58)
• July - GN starts construction on Washington & Great Northern (US) north up Kettle River to Canada from Marcus(WA). Also started building from GN mainline to Crowsnest area.(McCulloch's Wonder, p58)
• July - BC Government commissions Edgar Dewdney to survey Hope Mountains for a railway route (McCulloch's Wonder, p59)

1902

• CPR builds from Nelson to Proctor (McCulloch's Wonder, p256)
• June - Dunsmuir charters Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay Railway for BC McLean brothers. (McCulloch's Wonder, p62)
• November - GN crosses CPR tracks in Grand Forks, which CPR blocks by parking locomotive across (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1903

• September - Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay Railway starts token construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p63)
• October - Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay dies

1906

• CPR's Nicola Branch under construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1907

• CPR's Nicola Branch completed (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1910s

1911

• July 1 - Construction starts on Kettle Valley Railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1913

• spring - Trout Creek Bridge near Summerland under construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
• December - construction starts on Fraser River bridge at Hope (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1914

• Myra Canyon trestles under construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
• October - Railway complete between Penticton and Midway (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1915

• April - construction just east of Princton (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
• April 23 - Last spike on Midway to Merrit section at Princeton (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
• May 31 - offical opening of the Kettle Valley Railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)

1930s

1931

• CPR completes railway between Proctor and Kootenay Landing along Kootenay Lake (McCulloch's Wonder, p256)

1960s

1967

• track at Hope ends just east of Station, abandoned earlier (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)