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Pictures of steam through diesel in the Kelowna yard.
Scan of a 1958 postcard looking south west shows Sun-Rype and B.C. Fruit packers. Tall red building by B.C. Fruit packers is the Ice House. Smoke stack on right is from Rowcliffe Canning.
Steam engine CP 962 leaving Kelowna. Large white building to the left is B.C. Fruit Packers Co-operative,
which still looks the same today. New ice house is on the right.
New C.N. Ice House & Icing Platform Contract Awarded, Kelowna Courier, May 16, 1949. A 1953 view of the ice house.
Kelowna Fruit Packers (the white building in the background) is 409’ 10” long.
The icing platform is basically the same length as the building. This would allow for the icing of 9 refrigerator cars.
C.N. did the first icing in Kamloops and then stored the cars in Oyama Pit. Cars were re-iced in Kelowna as necessary.
The refrigerator car in front of the icehouse is bringing ice to the plant.
“C.N. Lines” V. 14 #3 states that “Ice was brought to Kelowna from the Yellowhead Lake, which was near Lucerne, B.C.”
For a description of how this ice house operated, view this article by Elmer Grenke.
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| D-10 #962 in the Kelowna yard. Tender has been painted for passenger train service. | 962 has just crossed High Rd. (Mile 118), and is about to cross Gordon Dr. on its way to the Kelowna station. |
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| 962 is in the Kelowna yard. | Another view of 962. |
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| Feb. 27, 1950: Charlie Haggitt, last trip. | Mar. 18, 1957: “Veteran 962 Makes Last Run” |
Budd demonstration train on a Canadian tour stops at Kelowna in 1954.
Shown is Banff Park, CP 15403 senic dome lounge car and hidden is
Chateau Bienville, CP 14202 sleeper in the Kelowna CP yard.
First diesel locomotive in Kelowna was a CP MLW S-4, #7111 on Sept.11, 1952.
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| 411—Sister to C.N. 416, first engine to Kelowna. |
CN 5118 - head of the passenger train. In the background, a B.A. oil tank car is shown. These cars used to frequent Kelowna. For info on modeling B.A., click here. |
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| C.N. #411 switching in the Kelowna yard. | CN 4323 at the head of the passenger train. | CN 2508 resting in the yard. |
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| C.N. Pacific #5121 in the Kelowna yard taking on water. Station is just over Ellis St. | 5121 at the water tower. | 5121 heading west into the yard. |
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| A Santa Fe type freight engine, 2-10-2 #4307 faces northward in the yard. | Refrigerator cars are being loaded onto the CN barge at Kelowna. |
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| 1957: C.N. 5117 resting in the Kelowna yard. | 5121 crossing Ellis St. heading into the yard. Station is to the right of the refrigerator car. | Engines in the yard. |
He always rode a girl's bike, so that he could leave it anywhere in the yard, without it being stolen.
He figured no boy would ever steal a girl's bike! His helper retires.
A September 1929 picture of CN 2-8-0 2102 by the water tower. A much later view taken in the late 1940's after 2102 was converted to a switcher, pulls special train heading south from B.C. Fruit Processors. A 1947 aerial view of Simpsons saw mill also shows B.C. Fruit Processors location location by the arrow.
A 1964 view of the north end.
AFTER SCHOOL AT THE YARD
In the early 1960's your host spent alot of time after school visiting with the crew at the yard. Back then riding on the engines was not a problem and they were more than happy to have you there. Rode on GE-44ton #4 and #6 many times.
 Looking at the power. |  Always 9028 or 9034. |  Inbound 9028 blocking Ellis St. |
Left, yours truly standing on the ground looking at CN #4, taken in June 1963. 9028 is at the head of the passenger train. 9034 was the alternate passenger engine. The train was short, a steam generator car, baggage car and a coach or two.
9028 blocks Ellis St. as passengers detrain. Traffic was light on Ellis back then.
On October 29, 1961 a Railiner replaced the passenger train. This lasted until April 1963, when the passenger train was brought back. Passenger train service ended on October 26,1963. Sunday October 27, with the change back to standard time, a new C.N. charter bus service was introduced. A schedule shows the bus leaving the Kelowna station at 8:30 PM with stops at the Winfield Greyhound bus depot, Vernon station and additional stops, arriving at Kamloops Jct. around midnight.
 Myself and Engineer Caswell of the |  Left, Martin Howbold, center, Tom Caswell |
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 CN#3, 4, 5 were purchased new in 1956. #4 was retired in the winter of 1969. |  Camrose Pipe in Camrose AB. purchased #4 as their plant switcher in 1969. |
 CN #6,
On the CN freight shed track, in July 1961. |
 At the start of the Kelowna yard waiting for a CP freight to pass. |
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There were six GE 44-ton units in total. The pre 1956 units, #1 and #2, were painted all black with yellow lettering.
New arrivals, #3, 4, 5, 6 were all painted in the 1956 scheme, Olive Green, gold lettering as shown above.
 The Expo 67 train visits Kelowna in the |  Days before its removal in 1960. |
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| In the late 1960's to August 1990, Brenda Mines at Peachland trucked Molybdenum concentrate to Kelowna. Three gondola's were shipped a day. The old Chapman Truck, now missing its fenders was used to move the cars as they were loaded. | In 1973 the freight shed ramp was used as an intermodal ramp. |
WANTED! Any pictures or info relating to rail in Kelowna to add to this website.
E- MAIL ve7jim@rac.ca
