The sounds of the Kettle Valley Steam Railway’s locomotive could be heard in Summerland this fall as the train featured in the filming of a documentary.
Doug Campbell, a history buff and brakeman and board member with the steam railway, said the documentary is about engine CPR 3512, a 2-8-0 that was lost off the barge on Slocan Lake on New Year’s Eve, 1946.
The engine, caboose and snowplow are believed to be in relatively good condition at the bottom of Slocan Lake.
The railway’s engine, 3716, was built in 1912. It’s a former Canadian Pacific 2-8-0 steam locomotive (N-2-b class) and is similar to the locomotive in the documentary.
Summerland’s locomotive is larger in boiler size and the entire locomotive weighs 17,000kg more than the one from the 1946 incident. The Summerland locomotive was also built five years later, is oil-fired instead of coal-fired and has a larger tender.
“The Kettle Valley Steam Railway is the only place in Canada with an operating CPR 2-8-0 configuration,” Campbell said. “Our access to track, steam locomotive expertise, ability to functionally operate without traffic constraints, and to suit film industry needs, were the major factors in the KVSR being selected to be part of this documentary.”
HogHead Media is producing a pilot television documentary series showcasing the history of trains in B.C., the economic and the social impacts of the railway systems and the people who are involved in it, said Producer Colten Wilke.
Experience the Kettle Valley Steam Railway
Your 90-minute journey takes you along the only preserved section of the historic Kettle Valley Railway built during 1910 to 1915.
The restored steam locomotive No. 3716 rolls through picturesque orchards, vineyards and fields, then onto the Trout Creek Bridge, offering a stunning view of Okanagan Lake and the canyon below.
While service is suspended for 2020, the train is scheduled to resume service in 2021.
Learn more at kettlevalleyrail.org
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