Columbia and Western Railway
Encyclopedia
The Columbia and Western Railway was a historic Canadian
narrow gauge railway located in southern British Columbia
.
Constructed in 1896, its route connected silver and gold mines at Red Mountain and Rossland
and a smelter at Trail
. Augustus Heinze was the force behind the line as he also was the developer behind the Trail smelter and worked quickly to gain competitive advantage prior to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway
into the Kootenay region
.
Premier Turner of Victoria passed “An Act to Incorporate the Columbia and Western Railway Company” (C&W) on April 17, 1896. Capitalization was stated to be $5 million. Besides bestowing a grant of 10240 acres (41.4 km²) of land per completed mile of the narrow-gauge trackage—20,000 for any standard gauge built—the Act permitted the C&W to build west through the metal-rich Boundary District and on to Lake Okanagan at Penticton to connect with the CPR’s lakeboat service
to its Mainline via that lake to the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway. The company had four years to accomplish the construction or lose the $50,000 deposit that it was required to remit to the government within six months of the Act’s passage.
A spur ran to the Arrow Lakes steamer landing
at Robson
Heinze sold to Canadian Pacific Railway
in 1898. The spur is now a cycling trail. From The Paulson Summit, it is about 5 km uphill, 50 km downhill, then 5 km flat to the City of Castlegar water intake. About 4.5 km in, you pass a memorial to Doukhobor Peter V. Verigin, who was killed in one of the earliest terrorist attacks in Canada; a still-unsolved Canadian Pacific Railway train explosion on October 29, 1924 near Farron, between Castlegar
and Grand Forks, British Columbia.
Initially it was a gauge line, and the steep, 3400 feet (1,036 m) rise up the mountain from the Columbia River necessitated the use of three Shay Locomotives to move the open ore cars, past the fruit trees of Warfield, and onto the LeRoi and War Eagle mines. The line was regauged
to by the CPR in 1899.
The CPR took the C and W and its generous land grants and merged it into the Kettle Valley Railway
it was then building. J. W. Stewart the famed general and builder, worked on the project (see Foley, Welch and Stewart
). Technically, the portion of the Kettle Valley Line that runs from West Robson through Gladstone and Grand Forks to Midway is the Columbia and Western line.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
narrow gauge railway located in southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Constructed in 1896, its route connected silver and gold mines at Red Mountain and Rossland
Rossland, British Columbia
Rossland is a city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia.Tucked high in the Monashee Mountains, Rossland is at an elevation of 1023 metres . Population today is approximately 3500; a number that fluctuates from season to season. The population is at its peak during the winter...
and a smelter at Trail
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
. Augustus Heinze was the force behind the line as he also was the developer behind the Trail smelter and worked quickly to gain competitive advantage prior to the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
into the Kootenay region
Kootenays
The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...
.
Premier Turner of Victoria passed “An Act to Incorporate the Columbia and Western Railway Company” (C&W) on April 17, 1896. Capitalization was stated to be $5 million. Besides bestowing a grant of 10240 acres (41.4 km²) of land per completed mile of the narrow-gauge trackage—20,000 for any standard gauge built—the Act permitted the C&W to build west through the metal-rich Boundary District and on to Lake Okanagan at Penticton to connect with the CPR’s lakeboat service
Steamboats of Lake Okanagan
Lake Okanagan, also called Okanagan Lake, is the largest lake in the Okanogan River drainage, which is tributary to the Columbia River basin, and is the core of the Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada. During its early days of settlement and development, lack of roads the region made the...
to its Mainline via that lake to the Shuswap and Okanagan Railway. The company had four years to accomplish the construction or lose the $50,000 deposit that it was required to remit to the government within six months of the Act’s passage.
A spur ran to the Arrow Lakes steamer landing
Steamboats of the Arrow Lakes
The era of steamboats on the Arrow Lakes and adjoining reaches of the Columbia River is long-gone but was an important part of the history of the West Kootenay and Columbia Country regions of British Columbia. The Arrow Lakes are formed by the Columbia River in southeastern British Columbia...
at Robson
Robson, British Columbia
Robson is an unincorporated settlement in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is immediately north across the Columbia River from the city of Castlegar, on the west bank of the mouth of Pass Creek. Across Pass Creek on the same side of the Columbia is Raspberry, which was...
Heinze sold to Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
in 1898. The spur is now a cycling trail. From The Paulson Summit, it is about 5 km uphill, 50 km downhill, then 5 km flat to the City of Castlegar water intake. About 4.5 km in, you pass a memorial to Doukhobor Peter V. Verigin, who was killed in one of the earliest terrorist attacks in Canada; a still-unsolved Canadian Pacific Railway train explosion on October 29, 1924 near Farron, between Castlegar
Castlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...
and Grand Forks, British Columbia.
Initially it was a gauge line, and the steep, 3400 feet (1,036 m) rise up the mountain from the Columbia River necessitated the use of three Shay Locomotives to move the open ore cars, past the fruit trees of Warfield, and onto the LeRoi and War Eagle mines. The line was regauged
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
to by the CPR in 1899.
The CPR took the C and W and its generous land grants and merged it into the Kettle Valley Railway
Kettle Valley Railway
The Kettle Valley Railroad was a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway that operated in the Thompson-Okanagan region of southern British Columbia....
it was then building. J. W. Stewart the famed general and builder, worked on the project (see Foley, Welch and Stewart
Foley, Welch and Stewart
Foley, Welch and Stewart was an early 20th century American-Canadian railroad contracting company.They built miles of track for the Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian Northern Railway, Grand Trunk Pacific Railway and Pacific Great Eastern Railway...
). Technically, the portion of the Kettle Valley Line that runs from West Robson through Gladstone and Grand Forks to Midway is the Columbia and Western line.