Kettle Valley Railway
The Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) was a railway running through southern British Columbia up until 1961. Much of the railway's original route has become a rail trail (a hiking and bicycle path). Portions of the Trans-Canada Trail through British Columbia follow the route as well.
History
The railway is widely regarded as an engineering feat, given that it ran across two mountain ranges, and took nearly 20 years to complete. The line ran from Castlegar to Hope where it connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway. The KVR lost its prominence when the Crowsnest Highway was constructed 1949, but was not shut down until 1961.
One of the major landmarks on the former line are the Othello-Quintette Tunnels, which are lined up in a straight line, cutting through the Coquihalla River's gorge near Hope. They are open in summer for sightseeing. Andrew McCullough, who engineered the complex series of bridges and tunnels through Coquihalla Canyon was an avid reader of Shakespeare. As a result, many of the areas in the Coquihalla Region are named after characters in Shakespearean literature, such as Iago, Romeo, Juliet, Lear, Jessica, Shylock and Portia.
On the Smithsonian Folkways FW03569 1961 recording, "Bunkhouse and Forecastle Songs of the Northwest," Stanley G. Triggs sings a song called "The Kettle Valley Line" while accompanying himself on the mandolin.
Myra Canyon Trestles
One of the most popular sections of the hiking trail along the old KVR line is the section through Myra Canyon, between Midway and Penticton. When the railway was built, 18 wooden trestles were needed to traverse the deep canyon. After some repair work, they became an attraction for tourists.
The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire from August to September 2003, resulted in 12 of the 18 trestles on the Myra Canyon section of the route being burnt down. Additionally the bridge decks of two of the metal trestles were destroyed in the fire.
Soon after the 2003 forest fire, the B.C provincial government announced that it was rebuilding the damaged trestles. As of December 2006, public access is now available from the Myra parking lot to Trestle #12 on the east side and from Ruth parking lot to Trestle #2 on the west side. For up to date information on the restoration process contact the Penticton Visitor Centre at 1-800-663-5052 or visit the Penticton's Official Tourism Site.
Kettle Valley Steam Railway
The Kettle Valley Steam Railway has been operating along a preserved ten-kilometre section from Prairie Valley Station to Canyon View Siding, near Summerland, British Columbia.
