Steam Along the Boundary
Canadian Pacific, Great Northern and the Great Boundary Copper Boom
by Robert D. Turner and J. S. David Wilkie
Steam Along the Boundary brings to life one of the most fascinating eras of British Columbia's railway and mining history: the great copper boom that seized the Boundary District in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The rival Great Northern and Canadian Pacific railways, along with the fledgling Kettle River Valley Railway, were the major players in a fierce competition for the rich ores and copper wealth from the region.
After less than 25 years the boom was over, the mines depleted and the smelters gone, but the railways remained, carrying passengers, lumber, fruit, and settlers through the rugged and beautiful mountains.
Railway/History • 224 pp • 11 x 9
ISBN 10 1-55039-158-5, ISBN 13 978-1-55039-158-9 • hardcover • $49.95
300+ b/w and 27 colour photos • 3 colour maps
Logging by Rail
The British Columbia Story
Robert D. Turner
Fourth printing! An insightful history and a sweeping portrait of railroad logging in British Columbia. The book begins with the small rail logging operations of the 1880s and continues through the height of the steam era, two world wars, the Depression, the change to truck logging, and the last steam and dieselized logging lines. Stunning photos, specialized steam equipment, maps, plans, interviews, and a carefully researched text highlight this favourite. Five hundred photos, including many in colour. Canadian Railroad Historical Association Book Award Winner.
Railway/History, 326 pp, 8½ × 11, 500+ b/w and colour photos
ISBN 1-55039-065-1, paper, $39.95
ISBN 1-55039-018-X, cloth, $75.00 (limited number available)
The Skyline Limited
The Kaslo & Slocan Railway
Robert D. Turner
and David S. Wilkie
This is the dramatic story of the Kaslo & Slocan Railway—the Great Northern's narrow gauge—in the rugged Slocan Mountains of British Columbia's West Kootenay district during the 1890s and early 1900s. Here too is the superbly illustrated account of the beautiful sternwheelers that connected the K&S with other Great Northern branch lines. The Skyline Limited is a fascinating chapter in the stories of the Great Northern and the Canadian Pacific. Over 300 illustrations. Canadian Railroad Historical Association Book Award Winner.
Railway/History, 296 pp
ISBN 1-55039-040-6, cloth, $55.00
Steam on the Kettle Valley
A Railway Heritage Remembered
Robert D. Turner
The Kettle Valley Railway defied the topography of British Colombia. Endless hours of hard, dedicated work were needed to keep the trains running safely through the scorching summers and endless winter snows, and over seemingly endless grades. Many newly discovered photographs, first-time interviews, and two previously unpublished paintings by Max Jacquiard make this book the perfect choice for railway history collectors.
Railway/History, 120 pp, 9 x 8, 175+ b/w photos, some colour photos & illustrations
ISBN 1-55039-063-5, paper, $24.95
The Thunder of Their Passing
A Tribute to the Denver & Rio Grande and the Cumbres & Toltec Railroads
Robert D. Turner
Robert Turner's beautiful and moving tribute to the Rio Grande's narrow gauge and the Cumbres & Toltec is his 14th book on western transportation history. This stunning volume chronicles the story of one of the finest preserved steam railroads in North America, from its origins as the Denver & Rio Grande's San Juan Extension in the 1880s silver mining boom, to its present-day operations as the spectacular Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The book spans more than 125 years of railroading in the beautiful aspen-covered high country of Colorado and New Mexico.
Railway/History • 288 pp • 11 x 9 1/2
over 500 colour and b/w photos, maps
ISBN 1-55039-129-1 • paper • $49.95
ISBN 1-55039-130-5 • cloth • $59.95
Vancouver Island Railroads
Robert D. Turner
Rail operations on Vancouver Island date from the 1860s. The equipment and lines were as diverse as the terrain, budgets, and needs of the times. Turner covers mining, logging, the Esquimalt & Nanaimo and Canadian National Railways: the small, the large, and the obscure. Maps, timetables, reproductions—over 250 illustrations and information on everything from hastily built logging lines to the spotless Canadian Pacific Ten-Wheelers, from narrow gauge coal lines to Victoria's classic streetcar system. An expanded and updated edition of this long out-of-print classic.
Railway/History, 186 pp, 8½ × 11, 250+ photos and maps
ISBN 1-55039-077-5, paper, $34.95
IBSN 1-55039-083-X, cloth special limited edition, $55.00
West of the Great Divide
The Canadian Pacific Railway's First Century in British Columbia
Robert D. Turner
Updated edition. A complete and detailed history of the CPR in B.C., from the glorious days of huge steam locomotives and elegant dining, to the luxurious Canadian and modern diesels hauling coal and containers. Included are the personal stories of the men who built this railway, and the enormous construction problems, hazards, frustrations, tragedies and engineering triumphs. Detailed accounts of day-to-day operations, endless battles with winter snows and mountain grades. The steam era of the 1920s to 1950s receives particular attention. Over 400 dramatic vintage photos capture the CPR's first century in British Columbia.
Railway/History • 352 pp • 8.5 x 11
ISBN 1-55039-131-3 • paper • $42.95
Powell River's Railway Era
Ken Bradley and Karen Southern
Powell River's Railway Era presents a wonderful album of railroading in a coastal area of British Columbia. From 1895 to 1955, logging camps, mines and quarries all used railways and they were fascinating ones. Narrow gauge and standard gauge operations employed a delightful range of vintage locomotives and specialized equipment. They left a lasting legacy in the Powell River area and on nearby Texada Island. This is their enduring and intriguing story illustrated with over a hundred vintage photographs and maps.
Distributed for the BC Railway Historical Association
Railway History, 140 pp, 8.5 x 11
ISBN 0-9692511-2-2, paper, $29.95
V & S: The Victoria and Sidney Railway 1892-1919
Darryl E. Muralt
It began as part of a dream—a dream to directly connect lower Vancouver Island to the transcontinental lines by rail and ferry. The V&S Railway, a pioneer shortline built in the late 1880s, was in continuous (and expanding) use from 1892 to 1919. For two decades, the "Cordwood Limited," as it came to be known, was the only service, apart from rural dirt roads, that Saanich Peninsula residents had for travelling to and from Victoria or for shipping and receiving farm products and other goods. It never aggregated more than 16 miles, but was critically important to those it served. This is a story of great expectations, shrewd business, and political dealing.
Distributed for the BC Railway Historical Association
Railway/History, 236 pp, 8½ × 11, paper, 150+ photos and maps
ISBN 0-9692511-1-4, paper, $24.95
Christmas Stories from the Streetcar Barn
Streetcar Stories for Children
Douglas V. Parker
These five magical, illustrated Christmas stories for children are based on the streetcars operated by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society in Fort Edmonton Park, Edmonton, Alberta.
Distributed for Havelock House
Railway/Juvenile Fiction, 40 pp, 8½ × 11, b/w drawings
ISBN 0-920805-01-9, paper, $8.95
Streetcars in the Kootenays
Nelson's Electric Tramways 1899-1992
Douglas V. Parker
Born at the turn of the century out of the promise of rich mineral discoveries, one of the smallest street railways in the British Empire once operated in Nelson, British Columbia. Its streetcars carried passengers up one of the steepest grades of any Canadian system—grades which led to some spectacular accidents. Streetcars in the Kootenays recounts the eventful history of the Nelson Electric Tramway Company. It is also the story of a few dedicated volunteers who began restoring the system's only surviving streetcar, which returned to operation along Kootenay Lake in 1992.
Distributed for Havelock House
Railway/History, 196 pp, 8½ × 11, 117 photographs, drawings, maps
ISBN 0-920805-02-7, paper, $22.95
Timber Down the Capilano
A History of the Capilano Timber Company on Vancouver's North Shore
David M. Rees-Thomas
This brief history recalls the Capilano Timber Company's legacy in BC. More than 50 miles of railroad were laid down; over 400 million feet of high-grade timber were taken out; and millions of dollars were expended locally on wages, supplies, and equipment. Illustrated with numerous photographs, tables, and maps.
Distributed for the BC Railway Historical Association
Railway/History, 64 pp, 6 × 9, 46 b/w photos and maps
no ISBN, paper, $6.95