This weekend, the Summerland Singers and Players are staging a murder mystery aboard the Kettle Valley Steam Railway.
The play, Murder on the Rails, takes place Saturday, July 21 at 4 p.m. on the steam train.
Dawn Bassett, director and co-writer of the murder mystery, said the play is a classic murder mystery, set in 1915 and inspired by the history of the steam railway.
“It’s not meant to be historically accurate,” she said, but added that two of the characters, Lord Thomas Shaughnessy and Andrew McCulloch, were both important figures in the history of the steam railway.
Thomas George Shaughnessy was the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1899 to 1918, during the time when the Kettle Valley Railway was established. Andrew McCulloch was the chief engineer and later the superintendent of operations for the Kettle Valley Railway.
While Shaughnessy and McCulloch are based on actual characters, “Everything else is completely made up and fabricated,” Bassett said.
The script was written by Shaun McNutt, Anna Lock and Bassett. While it is scripted, it also involves interaction with the passengers on the steam train.
The cast members range in age from nine to 86.
The play will be followed by a buffet meal.
