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Kelowna Pacific Railway
Near the end of March 1999, C.N. announced the Okanagan Sub is for sale and would like to have the line transfered to a shortline operator by January, 2000. Kelowna Pacific Railway has taken over the Okanagan sub on February 7 2000, using six former C.N. MLW M-420[W]s 3500 3504 3515 3563 3571 and 3575. HR412[W]3580, M-420[W]3536 and more recently, wrecked OVR 3558 for parts. The units remain in C.N. paint with K.P.R. letters on the front nose.
3500 is the only unit painted in KPR colours.
Late December 2001, temperature just below freezing, workmen start 3563 after repairs. All maintence is done outside.
 KPR spotting a car at St. George's freight transload. This siding has been torn up as of August, 2008. |
 KPR 3575 south almost at mile 118, High Rd.Kelowna. |
Time is taking its toll on the thirty year-old units. Two units, 3563 and 3575 are now on the dead line, with exhaust stacks sealed. 3571 had suffered a turbo failure, according to a KPR employee, the MLW's are a maintenance nightmare.
 EX-OVR 3558 was purchased as a parts unit May 6, 2002 for $5000 |
 3563 & 3575 on 'dead track'. |
End Of The MLW's On The KPR
KPR has found a buyer for the MLW's: Lake State Railway in Michigan. 3563, 3575 and 3515 left the property May 21, 2004, arriving in Durand, MI. on June 1, 2004. 3500 and 3571 are still in Vernon, 3504 is switching Kelowna.
July 14 2004, LLPX 2038 arrived in Vernon. KPR 3504 and 3571 left Kelowna for the last time on July 15, 2004. July 16, LLPX 2038 made its first trip to Kelowna, later that evening the three remaining MLW's left Vernon for Durand, MI. In early September, staff from LSRC removed usable parts from OVR 3558 and sent them back to MI. in a gondola. The rest of the unit was scrapped.
LSRC 3500 - July 30, 2004, the last three MLW's arrive at their new home.
3500 is at the Wenona Yard in Bay City MI. August 12, 2004, unit is now repainted to LSRC.
Great Western Railway in Southern Saskatchewan has purchased 3563 and 3571 from Lake States Railway (LSRC) and were delivered to Canada on March 4, 2008.
 LSRC 3500. |  LSRC 3515 in Michigan. |
 3500 and 3504 near Bay City MI. |  LSRC 3571- first ex KPR unit to be repainted in LSRC colours. Dec. 13, 2004. |
 3504 freshly painted in Alpena MI. |
 LSRC 3504 and 3571 in new paint. |
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May 8, 2003: de turboed SD-40's, now SD-38's, HLCX 2001, 2002 in Union Pacific colours arrived in Vernon.
April 9 2005: the HLCX units have been re-assigned to the Quebec-Gatineau Railway and have left the property.
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August 3, 2004: EMDX 183 made its first trip to Kelowna. August 4, 2004: EMDX 182 arrived in Vernon. On May 24, 2005, the EMDXs are not getting much use, as they have a wheel slip problem, have left the property, and are going to Paducah, KY.
August 28 2004: two SW-1500's LLPX 218, 219 (ex Conrail), arrived in Vernon.
With the downturn in forestry, 218 and 219 were parked in late fall, 2007.
May 1, 2008: the units were returned to Paducah, Kentucky.
 LLPX 218, first trip to Kelowna September 7 2004. |
 LLPX 219 in Kelowna. |
October 27 2004: LLPX 2267 was delivered to the SRY shops near Vancouver for repairs.
Unit returned to the valley in early January, 2005.
November 20, 2004, LLPX 2605 GP-38-2 with Kelowna Pacific painted below the dynamic brake fan, is now in the valley. LLPX 2606 arrived in Vernon December 7 2004. LLPX 2605's first trip to Kelowna was January 12, 2005. Latest unit to arrive in Vernon, on August 31, 2005, is GP-38 GMTX 2632.
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 July 12, Last new KPR unit, 2643, first trip to Kelowna. May 1, 2008: returned to Paducah, Kentucky. |
June 2002: KPR, with help from CN, constructed a reload yard in Winfield.
 On the flat looking south to Kelowna. |  After the fence was installed, on top of hill looking down to reload. |
A private company is operating the yard, two tracks, one for center beams, or whatever there is to be loaded, with a fork lift. The second track is for loading boxcars. Pictures show the yard just after the tracks have been installed.
 April 2004 view of the reload. |  April 2006, a trench being installed for cement unloading. |
Rutland Siding- A short piece of track that generates a lot of revenue.
 Outgoing loads. |  Incoming grain loads. |  Action Metal siding. |
New Rutland Reload- With the present Rutland track slated for redevelopment,
a new reload yard was installed in the spring of 2006.
 Newly installed bridge to reload. |
 Large two track reload, intermodal ramp in view Action Metal's new home. |
Something different
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| March, 1986: a dedicated train of Three buoys house boats gets ready to head out of Kelowna. There were several trains like this to places in Canada and one to Lake Havasu, AZ. | House boats were manufactured as a tax shelter for investors. Train continues west on Weddell Pl. |
Later in 1986 the federal government closed the loop hole and Three Buoys went out of business. Train is heading west on Recreation Ave. on the reverse loop. |
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 Starting near the end of May, 2004 and on, cars of wood pellets are being loaded. Cars are being loaded along Weddell Ave. |
February 2004, the old Hiram Walker distillery, located in Winfield but still within the City of Kelowna boundries, has not been used in ten years is now owned by Okanagan Biofuels. OK Biofuels has received a $10 millon loan from Ottawa. The plant will be updated and converted to ethanol production. Grain will be arriving by rail, ethanol and cattle feed leaving. This should represent an increase in traffic for both KPR and OVR.
Scan of 2004 press release, Feburary 2005 press release, June 2006 press release. 2007: nothing has happened. March, 2008: press release part one and part two.
Beginning in early September, 2005, Pacific Northern Rail started removing the old main line track to the Kelowna yard and the Sun-Rype spur. A new roadway was being built where the tracks were. After the final Corn Syrup car was spotted at Sun-Rype on September 9 2005, the track was removed. A new line was built to the north to access Sun-Rype. Pictures from the link below show the progress, all new rail is 115lb., replacing 100lb. and some 85lb.
Okanagan Valley Wine Train
On March 1, 1999, the first 13 ex VIA passenger cars arrived in Kelowna.
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| Pictures taken very shortly after arrival in Kelowna on Mar. 1, 1999, before any FTRN modifications. | ||
Cars remain in VIA paint but with the VIA logo neatly painted out. Reporting marks are:
FTRN
Coaches: 5473, 5487, 5532, 5603, 5654, 5585, 5440.
Cafe Lounge: 752, 755.
E-Sleepers: 1128 Elmsdale, 1137 Enfield, 1157 Evelyn, 1159 Eldorado.
Steam Generator Car: 15475.
March 5, 1999, the following passenger cars arrived:
Coaches: 5446, 5522, 5590.
Club Galley Cars: 653 Mount Royal Club, 654 St. James's Club, 658 Boulevard Club, 659 York Club.
March 18, 1999, baggage car 9653 arrived.
With a 275KW, 480V, 3-phase Caterpillar Diesel generator now installed in the Steam Generator car, the following cars are converted for Head-end power:
All Club Galley Cars, Coaches 5522, 5585, 5603, 5654, Cafe Lounge 752, Elmsdale Sleeper 1128.
Baggage Car 9653 is used for maintenance.
CN supplied the power for 1999 season. 2000, Kelowna Pacific Railway had taken over from CN.
The first trip of the Wine Train in June 1999. GMD-1 #1437 and SD-38-2 #1652, at the High Rd. crossing, are heading north to Armstrong.
The GMD-1 didn't work out very well and only lasted a few trips, being replaced by a GP-9u or the SD-38's.With the KPR take over, it's the MLW M-420's.
As of June, 2003, all unmodified cars, except for coaches 5473 and 5590 have been sold.
The Kamloops Historical Society purchased coach 5590 in November 2005 and 5473 in November, 2006.
Nagel Tours' FunTrain Canada Inc. has been cancelled.
“The Okanagan Valley Wine Train” (Press release, 2003)
“Will not run” (Press release, 2004)
2005: the train was put up for sale, but has not had any takers.
Where the Wine Train is stored.
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The wine train is currently stored on the old Petro-Canada siding, off Sexsmith Rd. in Kelowna.
The Wine Train Derails
Late Saturday evening September 7, 2002, as the Wine Train was returning to the Kelowna Wine Train station, the power car derailed on the lead switch to the yard, at mile 118. On the northward part of the trip to Vernon, the KPR crew ran through this switch, which was aligned for Sun-Rype Products Ltd. Amazingly, on its return, the entire train passed over the switch until the power car, which is at the north end of the train. For some reason the last truck chose to go down the other track, not only re-aligning the track, but also derailing the power car and one truck of the passenger car. I live on the hill side above mile 118, about a thousand feet from the derailment. Every dish and picture in our house rattled. My wife thought we were having an earthquake. (The power car weighs about 45 tons.)
7 a.m. Sunday morning: a KPR manager looks at the scene. Track to the left was straight. Yellow building in the distance is Sun-Rype. First right switch leads to the Gorman Bros. Lumber reload yard. Barely visible under the woodchip loader, is an ex-Wine Train car the KPR bought. They are storing it in the Gorman yard.
A closer view of the cars. The head-end crew did not realize there was a problem until FRED dumped the air, putting the train into emergency.
 Setting the power car down. |
 Back on the track. |
C.N. 102 doing some switching in the yard.
First train to Kelowna with a E.O.T. (Fred) was CN on May 3, 1995.
Frequencies of interest in the Kelowna area are: |
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| KPR End to End | 160.515 |
| Kelowna Switcher | 160.935 |
| OKAN E-to-E / repeater | 160.545 |
| Kettle Valley tourist train | 159.900 |
| Ham repeater VHF | 146.620- |
| A/P Ham repeater VHF | 146.680- |
| Ham repeater UHF | 447.775- |
| Ham simplex VHF | 146.52 |
| Ham simplex UHF | 446.000 |
There are several other Ham repeaters in Kelowna as well.
LINKS:
Kelowna in the 50's Packing house fires, 1950's industries in Kelowna .
Railsnorthwest (Yahoo) Current rail news of the Okanagan and B.C.
BC-Interior Railways (Yahoo) Items about the Okanagan and southeastern B.C.
Western Shortline Rosters Very detailed listing of power.
Rails Canada Canadian Rail Sites.
RailServe.com Regional railroad sites.
Railroad Data.Com Over 5000 rail links.
“BRANCHLINE” Canada's Rail News Magazine, which also publishes the Canadian Trackside Guide.
Railroad Reporting Marks (PDF)
