Along the tracks in the Canadian Pacific railyards in Vernon stands the old section house--the actual address is 3901 30th Street. I recall being prompted to paint it in 1993 by the fact that the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion wanted to build on the site and hearing that they were having some problems with the development as they couldn't provide enough parking spaces.

The CPR first reached Vernon and Okanagan Landing in the early 1890s under the name of the Shuswap & Okanagan Railway.

According to the Greater Vernon Heritage Resources Inventory, 1986, by Robert Hobson and Associates, the section house was built in 1911 at a cost of $1485.

According to the Heritage Society of BC newsletter, Spring 2003 page 12, quoting Vernon and District Heritage Society information, this buiding is a Number 5 section house. Most of the section houes that were dotted along the railway tracks every 20 to 50 miles were prefabs built in Ontario. They were rated from Numbers 1 to 6, with "1" being a single-room structure that might store equipment or serve as basic accommodation, while "6" was a 4-bedroom home. This one is the last remaining section house west of Thunder Bay still standing next to active trackage. There is a picture of a CPR Standard Number 4 Section House (1914 design) in Kalman, A History of Canadian Architecture, page 484.

In the autumn of 2002, the house was well-maintained and occupied. Fortunately, the tree that had been planted too close to the house, and which I painted in 1993, has been cut down. No longer owned by the CPR, the house is in a heavy industrial zone, and may be moved. The heritage society hopes it will be moved to an alternate trackside location somewhere, perhaps at Okanagan Landing, where it can retain its original context.