Okanagan Valley Railway

CP turned over their operation to OmniTRAX. The first Okanagan Valley Railway train into Kelowna was on November 24, 1998. Using former I.C GP-10's. 1064 1049 1038. In Dec.1999, 1038 1049 and 1064 were sent to the CKRY in Kansas and replaced with former C.N. M-420[W]s 3557 3558 still in C.N. paint. Early March 2001, these units were wrecked in a collision witha loaded runaway tank car. OVR leased two CN GP38-2's #4700, 4718 until replacement units arrived.

Clicking on the picture above will show many views of the accident. 3558 was wrecked beyond repair and has been stripped of all useful parts. 3557 was sent to the Carton Trail Railway in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, for parts removal.
Here is a summary of the damage to 3558.

NBSR 3735 was sent here as a replacemnt unit. Upon arrival it was determined the unit was not operable. This unit was delivered to Action Metal in Kelowna on March 4, 2003. Scrapping was finished March 30, 2003.

Late December 2001, OVR's fleet, Carton Trail Railway (CKRY) GP-10 1025, Okanagan Valley Railway (CKRY) GP-10 1049 and Hudson Bay Railway (CKRY) GP-20 2506, parked outside the OVR office.

HBRY 3550, which is the replacement for CKRY 1025. First trip to Kelowna was May 1, 2003.

One of probably only two GP-20's in Canada, at mile 118. Nov. 6, 2003. CKRY 2506.

Rear-left view.

Generator installed.

Front view.

1049 has 'donated' its generator.
This unit has not run for more than a year,
May 2005 it was scrapped in Kelowna.

1006's first job was on a work train for a major tie replacement from Vernon to Sicamous, to upgrade the track for the announcement below. Traffic will increase substantially.

May 6, 2009 — OVR lost its main customer, Owens-Corning Glass Plant, in Lavington, on October 31, 2008. With 50% of its business lost, OVR is sending back GP-20 2506 to The Pas, Manitoba.

CKRY 2506's exhaust stacks capped. This leaves the OVR with GP-10 1006 & M-420 3550.

End of the O.V.R.—September 21^st, 2009

Final two engines, CKRY 1006 and HBR 3550 have their shipping instructions posted in their windows.
Shipping intstructions for CKRY 1006 and HBR 3550.
Both engines left November 19^th, 2009. The OVR office was cleaned out the week of the 21^st of September, and has a “For Lease” sign in the window. Now we wait to see what happens with the line. Businesses in Grindrod and Enderby want the line to remain open.

From delivery to Action Metal in Kelowna, March 4, 2003, to the frame on March 30, 2003. The end of New Brunswick Southern, GP-9. The unit was returned from NBSR and was supposed to be in operable condition. This was not the case.
Here is a sampling of the problems found.

 

Following pictures show the different stages of disassembly over the next weeks. 

Track in the foreground terminates in the yard at Kelowna.

Action Metal employee removing parts.

 

Parts of main generator and engine.

The front pilot.

 

Down to the frame.

Another view of the frame.

 
 
 
 CKRY 1025
December 1957 - Feburary 2005.
 

Delivered to Knox Mtn. Metal in Kelowna's north end, December 18, 2004.The unit sat untouched for over a month,
until the week of Feburary 1, 2005. 

Arrived December, 2004.

Feburary 1 2005 work starts.

Engine is going to be saved.

Pictures: Feburary 5, 2005.

Cooling assemblies, fans and air compressor saved.

Exhaust caps and end of the CKRY 1025.

CKRY 1049
December 1956- May 2005.
 

From delivery to Knox Mtn. Metal in Kelowna, March 17, 2005, to the cut up frame on May 25, 2005. GP-10 CKRY Ex OKAN 1049, the only unit in Okanagan Valley Railway paint that returned to the valley after going to CKRY, has not run for a couple years.

Mar. 17, 2005	Mar. 31, 2005, engine on frame.

Caboose, CP 434683, which had been owned by KPR, had never been used and was delivered to Action Metal in March, 2005. In early May, Caramoomel bought it as their gift shop. Set on a length of track. Nothing was done to the caboose for more than 4 years. November 27, 2009—the caboose was donated to the KVR in Summerland.

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