I see on ebay a listing for a book. If I wasn't broke I'd buy one. But I've never heard of the Kettle Valley RR before. Ebay #220551546300
Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.
If you google it, you'll find it for sure, probably even a wikpedia entry.
It was an attempt, initially by private backers who were on unsteady pins, to counter American incursions into lucrative mining and lumber operations north of the border. When the company began to fall on rough times, the CPR stepped in and essentially bought out the company. It ran trains until May,1989, but fewer and fewer, always picking up tracks as the years wore down.
It is reputed to be one of the most costly mile-for-mile railroads in the world, and was certainly that for Canada and the USA. Later, in winter operations during the early years, the higher elevation passes could not practically be cleared, so they closed them for the season. So, tough to grade and build, and then tough to keep in the black.
-Crandell
.
Of course, the KVR isn't completely a thing of the past! 10 miles of track (including the largest bridge on the line, 238' tall!) still exist outside of Summerland, BC, Canada. Trains still ply the line 3 days/wk in the Spring and Fall and 5 days/wk during the summer pulled by ex-CPR 2-8-0 #3716.
http://www.kettlevalleyrail.org/
May I suggest Robert D. Turner's "Steam on the Kettle Valley" (soft), which retailed for about C$20.00 ? J. F. Garden's magnificient (alomst all-color) "The Crow and the Kettle" cover the later years of CLC (FM) dominance. The scenery is spectacular! It retailed for about US$60.00 and is a true 'coffee-table book' that even the non-railfans and women will enjoy. Yar, there some EMDs pictured, but I forgive Mr. Garden. It is a great area of British Columbia to explore. Plan ahead, and watch out for truck traffic!
Hays
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