Mary Trainer - Whistle Posts West: Railway Tales from British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon

BRIAN ANTONSON

IF THERE IS one thing I have learned while spending more than forty years in the field of railway preservation, it is that everyone seems to have a train story. Whether it is from a time long ago, perhaps recalled by a relative who has a past linked to the railway, or from someone who loves to watch or ride a train, the stories emerge. Whenever I speak with people at our railway heritage facility, I am intrigued by the new and seemingly endless tales that unfold.

Trains have made an impact on all of us in many ways. Whether it is because they seem so large and powerful, or whether memories of a special or particularly enchanting trip are rekindled, a passing train gives pause for a look, a turn away from the current bustle.

This book has captures some compelling stories that illustrate why and how the railways continue to spark our imaginations. From the 1880s to today, from tragedy to high drama, from the humorous to the absurd, Whistle Posts West will engage you to the finish.

I took my first train journey in 1955 aboard Canadian Pacifics brand-new Canadian. It started a lifelong passion for railways that has led to years of work in railway preservation, including the creation of the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish, BC , and many years on the board of the Association of Tourist Railways and Railway Museums. My wife and I love to travel, and to this day we never take a trip that doesnt have a rail journey in the itinerary.

So, climb on board and enjoy some great railway stories!

DON EVANS, President Emeritus, West Coast Railway Association

OUR SHARED PASSION for trains began in the 1950slong before we co-authored works about Western Canadas history. As children, we grew up with the echoes of distant steam-train whistles and, later, diesel horns. How well we remember the puffs of smoke emanating from locomotives chugging along the Kettle Valley Railway high up into the dry Okanagan hills. Or the unforgettable experience of standing in awe alongside a huge F unit locomotive!

There were family trips by train too, where lasting impressions of the magnificent Canadian landscape were createdlike the grand spectacle of the Rocky Mountains or the endless fields of prairie wheat waving in a summer breeze.

We recall seeing, as young adults, a lifeless but stately Royal Hudson 2860 awaiting restoration; it would become wonderfully revitalized under steam. Weve cycled along abandoned railbeds, travelled many of the worlds most exotic railways, and supported efforts to preserve and promote our railway heritage.

Today, like rail fans everywhere, were thrilled to stop at a crossing to admire modern consists thundering by, sometimes several kilometres long. As drivers alongside a moving train, we occasionally pull over to recapture a winsome childhood memory and, yes, to wave at crew and passengers. And when the opportunity arises to travel by train, we take it.

And so we embraced the opportunity to create this work with great enthusiasm. Herein, youll find stories that span a century and a half, that cover the plains and foothills of Alberta, the mountains and valleys of British Columbia, and treacherous territory in Yukon. They recount disasters and near disasters, the business of the routes and rails, the realities of working on the railroads, and rollicking good stories that paint a panorama stretching from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Rails may speak to us, but theyre simply mute ribbons of steel until they become a railroad. Once a locomotive moves down the line with a train in tow, the rails positively sing!