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This page last updated January 28, 2008
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Above: the old section foreman's house at Brookmere in 2000, when it was still painted "CPR Red"--it has since been painted green and modified with shutters (thanks to Joe Smuin for clarification of the building's purpose). Left: the Brookmere watertower--the last one I know of on the entire Kettle Valley Railway line. Below: I was driving north along the road between Tulameen and Thynne Lake and spotted what was obviously a railway building, recognizing its hipped roof and tall windows. Before being moved to its current location it was the Manning section house, at Manning Creek, about half way between Princeton and Brookmere. Notes from Neil Roughley: "From what I know, there are only 7 GNR stations left in British Columbia: White Rock (the second station, built 1912), New Westminster (the third station, built ca. 1958 and the only one still in use by the BNSF), Tulameen (built ca. 1914), Princeton (built 1909), Salmo (the second station, built 1923, but the first of GNR design since it did not build the original line), and Kuskonook (built ca. 1899). In the 1980's the Similkameen station (built ca. 1907) near Cawston was sitting in a field along the highway; it may still survive today." And, "the GNR building at Colebrook was a section house." "The Manning section house was built c. 1914." |
(A complete history of the GNR and KVR can be found in Barry Sanford's McCulloch's Wonder.
An abridged history is published in my Vanishing British Columbia)
It is very difficult to get any sense today of the scale of the railway operations in Brookmere. The right-of-way, now part of the TransCanada Trail, seems to be just an impossibly narrow slit through the forest. The village of Brookmere, which once boasted in addition to the railway operations a hotel and numerous commercial facilities, is now just a straggle of small buildings, many of which are unrestored cabins, along the roadway. There is still an unfortunate number of junkpiles and old cars, but some paint-up/fix-up activity is beginning, and hopefully new owners will fix up the old places rather than build new ones so that the village retains some of its remaining historic character. The Brookmere station and roundhouse survive only in photos.
In the years between the end of passenger service in 1964 and the opening of the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) in 1986, Brookmere was quite remote, but is now easily accessed from the highway at the Coldwater Road exit. It is possible to see the old railway roadbed from that point, as it makes "The Loop"--the point where the railway ended its northerly climb from Princeton and headed southwesterly, upstream along the Coldwater River toward the Coquihalla Pass and eventually Hope.
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The GNR bridge crossing the Similkameen River west of Keremeos, now used for road access to Cathedral Lakes provincial park. Train service to Princeton began across it late in 1909. The bridge was damaged in the ice jam and flood following the torrential rains of the "Tropical Punch" storm of January 19, 2005. |
| Note and photos from Don
McKay, Surrey, BC: Most of the pictures [below] I bought
at a Train Meet and
were taken by R.
Mitchell. I have some of my own but haven't come across them
since
I moved. I lived in the same place for 53 years and moved
from three
bedrooms with a basement to a two bedroom rancher so I have stuff boxed
that
I am still finding places for. Most of my Kettle Valley
pictures are also
on 8 mm Video but the one picture I want to send to you is a Picture of
Harry Fontaine in his Section House (Brookmere) sitting with a
Locomotive Hat
at the Telegraph Desk in his Section House. I will send it to
you when I
find it. |
Brookmere Station (demolished), a classic simple GNR design. Photo R.Mitchell, date unknown
Foundations of the Brookmere Roundhouse. Photo Don McKay
Remains of the Brookmere turntable. Photo Don McKay
Brookmere water tower. Photo Don McKay
| Kingsvale (demolished), where the KVR met the southbound spur line from Spences Bridge in the mountains north of Brookmere. Photo by R. Mitchell, date unknown |
Princeton Station (demolished). Photo by R. Mitchell, date unknown
The freight house (?) along the lake at Summerland with the paddlewheeler dock in the background (demolished).
Photo by R.
Mitchell, date unknown
Penticton Station (demolished). Photo by R. Mitchell, date unknown
Osoyoos Station (demolished). Photo by R. Mitchell, date unknown
Myra Canyon Station/Section House 1980s. Photo by Don McKay
On the Coquihalla section of the line, Bridal Falls trestle after a spring snowstorm. Photo by Don McKay
On the old Coquihalla Road, 1978: Christine, my Baja bug and a ruined snowshed. Photo by Michael Kluckner.
The snowshed more recently. Photo by Don McKay
| Note from George T. Foster:
I'm a writer in Seattle who is researching the Vancouver, Victoria and
Eastern railroad (part of Great Northern system) of a century ago
and one of its earlier proposed routes up the Tulameen River and
through the mountains to the Coquihalla River and downstream to Hope
and on to Vancouver. Where the tunnel was proposed (and even perhaps
started) remains a mystery, at least to me. Old issues of the Similkameen Star
give the location as Eagle (now Britton) Creek, but that seems unlikely
given the terrain, while others say it is farther upstream on the
Tullameen, perhaps up what some maps refer to as Railroad Creek. Of
course, the VV&E eventually made an agreement with the Kettle
Valley (CPR) to share its track over Coquihalla Pass via
Brookmere. A 1973 Canadian Energy, Mines and Resources map shows
that before the Coquihalla was built, a highway was proposed from Hope
up the Coquihalla River and around or across Tulameen mountain and
up that river to Princeton and beyond. Does that ring a bell? Any
information would be appreciated. Thank you. |
