Does anyone know if there are still freight trains on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada?
Yes.
The Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, affiliated with Montana Rail Link, operates the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway. They usually run down from Wellcox Yard in Nanaimo to Top Shelf in Duncan on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and stop by Superior Propane in Nanaimo on the return leg. Superior Propane is usually also served on Mondays and Fridays. They run up to Courtenay a couple of times a year to pick up loads of telephone poles after taking empty cars up there the week before. They have done this twice during 2009 so far.
The 60 mile former Canfor logging railway at the north end of the Island is still operating, but I don’t know how often.
This is worth a look if you are going to be on the Island
http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=Vancouver
When my wife and I briefly visited the island about five years ago while on an Alaska cruise, I saw what I think is a spur and a lit signal that dead ended right near the downtown area and wondered if there was also some sort of passenger service there as well.
Vancouver Island currently has the Dayliner passenger service which runs once a day going up island from Victoria to Courtney which you board downtown Victoria. The Dayliner is a great trip where you can stop at select stops or travel all the way up island going across 2 tresstles on the Malahat to your final destination. Southern Railway of BC operates the freight rail movment on the island with hopes with repairing the rail line will bring more work with the ability to run heavier rail cars and faster travel times. North of Campbell River is Woss Lake where Rail logging run by Western Forest Products which is one of the last places you can find the logs ridding the rails. There is talks about possible running of coal from Campbell River by truck to Courtney by rail car to Port Alberni to be loaded on to the ships. Victoria BC Transit has anounced recently there rapid transit with possibilities of ether light rail or street cars. You can check out my website http://vancouverislandrailway.ca to see pictures, read railway news and find links to websites and google maps to many of the local sites to see on the island.
http://www.viarail.ca/trains/en_trai_roch_vico.html VIA Rail Canada’s Malahat leaves Victoria daily except Sunday at 08:00, and 10:00 on Sundays. Using one, two or three Budd Rail Diesel Cars depending on the passenger loads.
SRY uses 2 GP9’s, that are kept at the Wellcox yard in Nanaimo. The VIA Rail budd rdc’s are serviced and based out of the old CPR roundhouse in Victoria.
