Railways in Southern British Columbia

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1880s

1883

  • CPR reaches British Columbia from the east by end of season
  • Northern Pacific completes mainline (via Sandpoint, Spokane) [Peter]

1884

  • CPR reaches Rogers Pass by end of season

1885

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

1887

1888

1889

1890s

1890

1891

  • Spring - C&K completed to Nelson (McCulloch's Wonder, p24)
  • Silver found in Sandon (')
  • Two railroads chartered to build to Nicola that both died. Nicola Valley Railway (backed by CPR) [Spences Bridge to Nicola] and Nicola, Kamloops & Similkameen Coal & Railway Company (indep.) [Kamloops to Nicola to Princton and Osoyoos] (McCulloch's Wonder, p{{{p}}})

1892

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

1893

1894

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

1895

1896

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)
  • C&K completed up Slocan Valley to Slocan City (')
  • September - Heinz's C&W connects Trail to Robson West [Peter]

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

1900s

1900

1901

  • March 28 - Dunsmiur announces subsidy award for Kootenay and coast railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p56)
  • May 11 - Midway & Vernon (M&V) (independent) receives provincial charter.(McCulloch's Wonder, p81) Subsidy increased in spring 1902 but no construction yet.
  • May 23 - Kettle River Valley Railway receives federal Charter and Republic & Kettle River (US) by Holland (McCulloch's Wonder, p68)
  • 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)
  • August 31 - Construction starts on Kettle River Valley Railway (McCulloch's Wonder, p68)
  • October 28 - KRVR-R&KR receives first locomotive (McCulloch's Wonder, p68)

1902

  • January 2 - KRVR-R&KR reaches Curlew (McCulloch's Wonder, p69)
  • January - GN blocked from Grand Forks by KRVR
  • CPR builds from Nelson to Proctor (McCulloch's Wonder, p256)
  • April 12 - KRVR-R&KR completes Grand Forks to Republic (US) (McCulloch's Wonder, p73)
  • W&GN (GN) completes from Carson (Grand Forks) to Republic (McCulloch's Wonder, p74)
  • June - Dunsmuir charters Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay Railway for BC McLean brothers. (McCulloch's Wonder, p62)
  • June 9 - VV&E comples from Cascade to Carson (south of Grand Forks) (GN) (McCulloch's Wonder, p74)
  • November 9 - GN crosses KRVR tracks into Grand Forks, which KRVR blocks by parking locomotive across (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
  • November GN completed to Granby Smelter (at Grand Forks) [Peter]
  • Columbia River bridge completed at Robson [Peter]
  • CPR builds Kootenay and Arrowhead from Lardeau to Gerrard [Peter] (The Skyline Limited, p179)
  • late - Tracy Holland resigns as head of Kettle Valley (McCulloch's Wonder, p76)

Note: Kettle River Valley Railway (CDN) and Republic & Kettle River Railway (US) were merged into single entity called Kettle Valley Lines

1903

  • September - Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay Railway starts token construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p63)
  • October - Vancouver & Coast-Kootenay dies
  • William Hamilton Merritt revives charter for Nicola, Kamloops & Similkameen Coal & Railway Company (see 1891)

1904

  • January 1 - Midway & Vernon (independent) starts token construction at Vernon - one man with wheelbarrow to sustain charter(McCulloch's Wonder, p82) built 1/4 of mile over several years

1905

  • Corbin (backed by CP) announces Spokane International to Moyie Lake
  • June 20 - grading starts on Spences Bridge to Nicola railway NK&S (McCulloch's Wonder, p91)
  • July 5 - M&V starts construction from Midway end (under McLean brothers) (McCulloch's Wonder, p83)
  • November - M&V completes grading from Midway to Rock Creek (McCulloch's Wonder, p84) but did not get further. Officially disolved in 1927. (McCulloch's Wonder, p86)
  • November 12 - CPR leases NK&S from Mr. Merritt. CPR talks of connecting it to Midway. (McCulloch's Wonder, p90)
  • November 9 - CPR and GN clash just west of Midway over property rights (McCulloch's Wonder, p102)

1906

  • CPR's Nicola Branch under construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p64+)
  • January 8 - NK&S starts laying track at Spences Bridge up Nicola
  • June 16 - Kettle Valley starts slowly building north from Grand Forks (McCulloch's Wonder, p77)
  • October 31 - NK&S approved between Spences Bridge and Coutlee (McCulloch's Wonder, p92)

1907

1909

1910s

1911

1913

1914

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+) trains operating between Summerland and Princeton (McCulloch's Wonder, p96+)
  • September - Slide Creek Bridge (m31.8) Coquihalla Subdivision under construction (McCulloch's Wonder, p96+)
  • December - construction on Coquihalla pass but not completed until 1916 (work restarted in May 1916) (McCulloch's Wonder, p96+)

1916

1920s

1920

1930s

1931

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

1940s

1942

1950s

1960s

1967

1970s

1977

1980s

1980

1988

1990s

1991

Unknown