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Historian to speak about steam railway’s past

Doug Campbell will speak about Pitsche Gas lanterns and Sputniks at KVR annual meeting in Summerland
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AROUND THE BEND Trains once hauled passengers and freight along the Kettle Valley Railway line. The railway crossed the Trout Creek Trestle to provide service to Summerland. (Photo courtesy of the Summerland Museum)

A railway historian will talk about old gas lanterns which were once in use on steam trains.

Doug Campbell, a Kettle Valley Railway historian, will speak about Pintshe Gas lanterns during the Kettle Valley Steam Railway’s annual general meeting on April 13.

He will also speak about Sputniks, the name train crews gave the Dayliners in the early 1950s. The term is a reference to early Soviet spacecraft.

Campbell’s talk, Pintsch Gas to Sputnik, will feature a history of passenger train travel from 1915 to 1964, the years when Summerland was served by passenger train service.

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The bridge over the Trout Creek Canyon was constructed in 1913. The first passenger train passed through Summerland on May 31, 1915. At that time, a train trip from Summerland to Vancouver took 23 hours and 20 minutes.

The last passenger train to pass through Summerland was on Jan. 15, 1964.

The Kettle Valley Railway Heritage Society was formed in late 1989 and the first tourist train was run on Sept. 17, 1995.

Today, the railway operates throughout the summer season and also provides special trains at other times of the year.

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Campbell is a volunteer, history buff and Brakeman with the railway society.

The railway is inviting the public to become members before the annual general meeting by visiting www.kettlevalleyrail.org.

“New members and volunteers are always welcome,” says KVSR president Sharon Unrau. Volunteers are very important to the railway as we move ahead and grow, she added.

The railway society’s annual general meeting will be held Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 1 p.m. at the train station, station, 18404 Bathville Rd., Summerland.

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HIGH BRIDGE The Trout Creek Trestle connected Summerland with the rest of the Kettle Valley Railway line. The bridge was constructed in 1913. (Photo courtesy of the Summerland Museum)
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THE END OF AN ERA The last passenger train service to Summerland was on Jan. 16, 1964. Today, a tourist train service provides a railway experience. (Photo courtesy of the Summerland Museum)


John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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