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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