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E&N Railway/Southern Railway of Vancouver Island
Logo
Reporting marks E&N, EN, ENR, SVI
Locale Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Dates of operation 1883–present
Track gauge 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Headquarters Nanaimo, British Columbia

The E and N Railway (E&N) is a short line railway in British Columbia, Canada. A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. Vancouver Island is a large Island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. The standard gauge (also named the Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson, or Normal gauge) is a widely-used Rail gauge. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. British Columbia (ˌbrɪtɨʃ kəˈlʌmbiə ( BC) ( (la Colombie-Britannique C Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page It runs from Victoria to Courtenay, with branch lines from Parksville to Port Alberni and from just south of Nanaimo to the E&N's main railyard and barge slip (dock) on the Nanaimo waterfront. Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route usually a main line. Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. Port Alberni is a city located in the province of British Columbia in Canada. A ( US and Canada) classification yard or ( UK and Canada) marshalling yard (including hump yards) is a Railroad ferry slip is a specialized docking facility that receives a ferryboat. The E&N line is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation and operated under contract by Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (AAR reporting marks SVI). A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America.

The E&N is one of two remaining railways over 160 km (100 miles) in length on Vancouver Island. Vancouver Island is a large Island in British Columbia, Canada, one of several North American regions named after George Vancouver, the British Until 1996, it was called the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway (AAR reporting marks EN). Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. It then spent three years as E and N Railfreight, an internal short line within then owner Canadian Pacific Railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( Operations were then sold to RailAmerica Inc., who changed the name to the E&N Railway Co (1998) Ltd. RailAmerica Inc based in Boca Raton Florida, is a Holding company of several Short-line railroads in the United States and Canada (AAR reporting marks ENR). A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America. RailAmerica ceased to operate the E&N on June 30, 2006 with the Washington Group's Southern Railway of British Columbia taking over operations the following day under the name Southern Railway of Vancouver Island. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Southern Railway of British Columbia ( AAR Reporting marks SRY) is a Canadian Short line railway operating in the

VIA Rail Canada runs regular passenger train service (the Malahat) with Budd-built Rail Diesel Cars from Victoria to Courtenay and return daily. VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; ˈviːə 'vee-ah' is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail The Malahat is a passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtenay. The Budd Company (now ThyssenKrupp Budd) is a metal fabricator and major supplier of body components to the Automobile industry For other meanings of RDC, see RDC (disambiguation. The Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The train has scheduled stops at Duncan, Nanaimo, and Parksville, with many other flagstops (stops on request) along the way. Duncan (pop 4986 is a city on southern Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Parksville is a city on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. The Victoria and Nanaimo stations have ferry service to Vancouver on the mainland. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal

In 2006 the Island Corridor Foundation took over ownership of the E&N, from the Canadian Pacific Railway and Rail America.

Contents

History

Delays

The history of the railroad[1] begins when British Columbia joined confederation in 1871. Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the The terms of union required that within two years, the federal government was to start the construction of a railway from the "seaboard of British Columbia" joining the new province with the railway system of Canada. On its part, British Columbia was to grant a band of public land of up to 32 km (20 miles) in width along either side of the railway line to the federal government for it to use in furtherance of the construction of the railway. The Pacific terminus of the railway was not specified. There had been a preliminary plan that would see the railway cross the Rockies by the Yellowhead Pass and reach the BC coast at Bute Inlet. Yellowhead Pass (el 1110 m is a Mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies. Bute Inlet is one of the principal inlets of the British Columbia Coast. It would cross Sonora and Quadra Islands and reach Vancouver Island by a bridge across Seymour Narrows. Sonora is one of the 31 federal states of Mexico and is located in the northwest of the country Quadra Island is an island off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, part of the Discovery Islands. Seymour Narrows is a 5 km (3 mile section of the Discovery Passage in British Columbia known for strong tidal currents The Colony of Vancouver Island, which had only been unified with the mainland colony the previous year was the more populous and included the provincial capital of Victoria. See main article Vancouver Island Vancouver Island (officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies was a Crown colony of British The United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia was the name informally given to the defacto amalgamation of the two crown colonies from 1866 until their incorporation Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. Through the influence of then BC Premier Amor de Cosmos, this plan was adopted by Order-in-Council by the federal government on June 7, 1873. Amor De Cosmos ( Windsor Nova Scotia August 20, 1825 – July 4, 1897 Victoria British Columbia) was a Canadian An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in Commonwealth Realms. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1873 ( MDCCCLXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Two shipments of rail were even delivered to Victoria from the United Kingdom. In 1873, Prime Minister of Canada Sir John A. Macdonald had stated that Esquimalt, British Columbia, the site of a naval base, would be the terminus of the "Pacific Railway". The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus Sir John Alexander Macdonald GCB, KCMG, PC ( January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister The City of Esquimalt (ɨsˈkwaɪmɔlt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. A naval dockyard is a Dockyard that primarily serves a Navy. See also Military base Royal Navy Dockyards

However, both the federal government and the Canadian Pacific Railway placed a low priority on construction of such a railway, as it had low traffic potential and would duplicate an existing steamer service. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( In 1874 BC threatened to withdraw from Confederation and Premier Walkem petitioned the Queen for relief from these delays. George Anthony Boomer Walkem ( Newry, November 15, 1834 &ndash January 13, 1908 Victoria British Columbia) was a Then Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie and Walkem agreed to accept arbitration of the dispute by the Earl of Carnarvon, the Colonial Secretary. Sir Alexander Mackenzie (Alasdair MacCoinnich 1764 - March 12, 1820) was a Scottish-Canadian explorer. Henry Howard Molyneux Herbert 4th Earl of Carnarvon ( 24 June, 1831 - 29 June, 1890) was an English Politician and His award, given November 17, 1874 gave an extension of time for the construction and required that a railway be built from Esquimalt to Nanaimo. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Despite the promises of both parties to be bound by his ruling, the federal government bill approving the award failed in the Senate of Canada. The Senate of Canada (Le Sénat du Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the sovereign (represented by the governor general British Columbrians were indignant and withdrawal from Confederation was raised again.

Governor General, Lord Dufferin was sent to BC to assess the situation. Frederick Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, KP, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC (21 June The Governor General, arriving in Victoria had to take an alternate route rather than pass below an arch across the main street that bore a banner reading "Carnarvon Terms or Separation. " His efforts produced no resolution.

In 1879 construction tenders were announced for the section of the railway between Yale and Kamloops. Later in the year it was announced that the terminus would be on the mainland. Walkem, although no longer premier, was sent to Ottawa to press for the Esquimalt to Nanaimo section. This issue was pressed again in 1880 by Amor de Cosmos and when that failed another petition to London was presented in 1881.

The Land Grants

Robert Dunsmuir, the Nanaimo coal baron and a member of the provincial legislature, was interested in taking on the railway project and in the coal reserves a railway land grant would provide. Robert Dunsmuir ( August 31, 1825 &ndash April 12 1889) was a coal miner railway developer Industrialist and Politician He had estimated that it would cost $1. 5 million to construct. Dunsmuir planned to integrate the railway with the systems being built in Washington and Oregon with a ferry link from Victoria. He travelled to Ottawa in 1882 with letters of introduction from John Hamilton Gray, one of the Fathers of Confederation and Joseph Trutch the first Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, both men in favour with Macdonald. John Hamilton Gray (born May 3, 1814, died June 5, 1889) was a politician in the Province of New Brunswick Canada, a jurist and Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the Sir Joseph William Trutch, KCMG ( 18 January 1826 &ndash 4 March 1904) was an English-born Canadian [2]. After a visit to Ottawa, to present himself directly for this project, Dunsmuir went off to Scotland. Macdonald gave the province the choice of Dunsmuir, or a bidder from San Francisco for the contract. While in Scotland, Dunsmuir received the news that the provincial government had chosen the Vancouver Land and Railway Company controlled by Lewis M. Clement of San Francisco for the job. The company was to receive a grant with the following boundaries:

On the south by a straight line drawn from the head of Saanich Inlet to Muir Creek, on the Straits of Fuca:
On the west, by a straight line drawn from Muir Creek, aforesaid, to Crown Mountain:
On the north, by a straight line drawn from Crown Mountain to Seymour Narrows: and
On the east, by the coast line of Vancouver Island to the point of commencement. Crown Mountain sometimes called Ellison Peak, is a mountain located in Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island in British Columbia Seymour Narrows is a 5 km (3 mile section of the Discovery Passage in British Columbia known for strong tidal currents [3]

Dunsmuir was surprised that Clement would take the contract without a cash grant in addition to the land and commit to building the railway to Seymour Narrows, near Campbell River. Campbell River is a city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of [4] When Clement and his company failed to come up with the necessary financial security, Macdonald quickly moved to accept Dunsmuir's terms. In 1883, the British Columbia provincial government signed a contract with Dunsmuir to build a railway between Esquimalt and Nanaimo in exchange for the same grant of land that Clement had negotiated, amounting to 800,000 acres (3,200 km²) plus a cash grant of $750,000 from the federal government. That amount of land was almost 20% of the entire island and included all known coal deposits. The fact that Dunsmuir was a member of the provincial government that was making the deal aroused some suspicion. Shortly afterwards, Dunsmuir and three partners (Charles Crocker, Collis P. Huntington and Leland Stanford of California) incorporated the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway with Dunsmuir president and owner of one half of the shares. When a court ruled that this grant did not entitle the railway to dispossess existing settlers, the company applied for and received a further grant of 86,763 acres between Crown Mountain and Seymour Narrows. Based on an average value of $10 per acre for the land the E&N received, it cost the government $626,660 per mile to build the railway, which, when complete, was in private hands. [5]

Construction

Construction of the railway took three and a half years. On August 13, 1886, the last spike was driven at Cliffside, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Victoria. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The spike was gold, and the hammer was silver. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Silver (ˈsɪlvɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol " Ag " (argentum from the Ancient Greek: ἀργήντος - argēntos gen Prime Minister Macdonald drove the last spike, during his only visit to British Columbia. The railway was extended to Dunsmuir's mine at Wellington in 1887, and into Victoria in 1888. Wellington is the name of a north Nanaimo British Columbia neighbourhood which was once the town of Wellington Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. It was extended west to Port Alberni in 1911, west to Lake Cowichan in 1912, and north to Courtenay in 1914. Port Alberni is a city located in the province of British Columbia in Canada. Lake Cowichan (pop 2948 is a town located on the east end of Cowichan Lake and by highway is 27km west of Duncan. Courtenay is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The E&N Railway was originally to have been built all the way to Campbell River, but that plan fell through due to the outbreak of World War I. Campbell River is a city in British Columbia on the east coast of Vancouver Island at the south end of World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

The present day bridge 17km north of Victoria, BC, over Niagara Creek Canyon, formerly crossed the Fraser River at Cisco, BC, and was moved here some 300km ca. 1888. The cantilever suspension bridge was built in England in 1883 and shipped to Canada. Reference cited: Early Vancouver, Vol. 3, p. 187, by J. S. Matthews

The CPR years

Between 1905 and 1999, the E&N Railway was owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( VIA Rail took over operation of CPR's passenger train service (called The Malahat) in 1978 while CPR demarketed its freight operation, claiming that freight traffic was declining. VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; ˈviːə 'vee-ah' is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail The Malahat is a passenger train service operated by Via Rail between Victoria, Nanaimo and Courtenay. In 1996, CPR reorganized the E&N as an "internal short line" named E&N Railfreight while the railbarge operations were sold to Seaspan Intermodal. See also Merchant ship A train ferry is a Ship designed to carry railway vehicles The Washington Marine Group provides a wide range of marine related services to the Pacific Northwest In early 1999, shortline operator RailAmerica purchased the route from Nanaimo to Port Alberni, and leased the balance of the line. RailAmerica Inc based in Boca Raton Florida, is a Holding company of several Short-line railroads in the United States and Canada This RailAmerica subsidiary was named E and N Railway Company (1998) Ltd. and used the reporting mark ENR (the reporting mark EN was still owned by CPR), thus maintaining the historic name associations for the Vancouver Island line. A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America.

RailAmerica

Despite the purchase by RailAmerica Inc., freight traffic continued to decline and the future of the E&N was still in doubt. RailAmerica Inc based in Boca Raton Florida, is a Holding company of several Short-line railroads in the United States and Canada RailAmerica sought a sale for its acquisition due to unprofitability. Restrictions from Canadian Pacific on the lease/sale agreement, and significant taxpayer investments in public highways during the 1990s, including a major reconstruction of Highway 1 from Victoria to Nanaimo and Highway 19 from Nanaimo to Campbell River, led to reduced driving times the full length of the E&N. Highway 1 is the British Columbia section of the Trans-Canada Highway. Highway 19, known locally as the Island Highway, is the main north-south thoroughfare on Vancouver Island north of Nanaimo. This development also affected the privately owned rail line, which did not have the benefit of the provincial subsidies accorded to its competing highways. Freight traffic dropped to about 2000 carloads a year after the loss of their largest freight customer, a Catalyst Paper pulp mill in Port Alberni. NorskeCanada (formerly Norske Skog Canada and now Catalyst Paper) was a Canadian pulp and paper company based in Vancouver British Columbia

In the summers of 2000 and 2001 a tourist operation ran out of Victoria three times a day in 2000 and twice a day in 2001, called the Pacific Wilderness Railway. Victoria (vɪkˈtɔɹiə is the capital city of British Columbia. The Pacific Wilderness, run by Ross Rowland, was not successful and shut down halfway through the 2001 tourist season. Ross E Rowland Jr is a controversial figure in the United States Railroad preservation, recreation and enthusiast communities who is closely identified

Island Corridor Foundation

The not for profit Island Corridor Foundation is a partnership between First Nations and local governments along the E&N line. After years of work and negotiations, the ICF came to agreements with both the Canadian Pacific Railway and Rail Americia, to hand over its Island rail assets to the foundation.

In February 2006, the Canadian Pacific Railway donated its 234 km (139 miles) portion of the E&N right-of-way, which averages 30. A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted – through an Easement or other mechanism – for Transportation purposes such as for a Rail line or 48 m (100 ft) in width between Victoria and Courtenay, to the Island Corridor Foundation. The donation was estimated to be valued at $236(C) million and encompasses 6. 51 km² of land, six historic railway stations and a number of trestles. In addition, CPR also supplied $2. 3-million in "seed money" to the Foundation.

On March 22, 2006, Rail America handed over ownership of the Port Alberni to Nanaimo portion of the E&N to the Island Corridor Foundation. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On July 1, 2006 Southern Railway of British Columbia began operations of the railway under contract from ICF using the name Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (AAR reporting marks SVI). "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Southern Railway of British Columbia ( AAR Reporting marks SRY) is a Canadian Short line railway operating in the A reporting mark is an identification assigned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR to rail carriers and other companies operating in North America.

Freight and VIA Rail passenger service continue, and commuter rail between the southern communities of Victoria and Duncan will be studied in the future.

Sources

References

  1. ^ MacLachlin, p12-16
  2. ^ Reksten, p 58.
  3. ^ MacLachlin, p 15.
  4. ^ Reksten p 59.
  5. ^ MacLachlin, p 55.

External links

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