In the spring of 1991 the WCRA learned that the building was to be demolished and
asked BC Rail to donate it for use at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park. BC Rail
agreed on the condition that it be removed from their property during their scheduled
vacation shutdown during the first 2 weeks in August. Funding, including a grant from
the Province of British Columbia, was arranged and the Association contracted with
Supreme House Movers to undertake the move. Volunteers were allowed on the property
to prepare the building, strip out the interior partitions and remove the outbuilding that
had been built on the west side of the car shop.
On schedule, Supreme House Movers installed a framework of huge steel beams in the
building and using 20 hydraulic jacks on dollies raised the 200 ton structure 2 metres
from its foundations. On August 12, 1991 the 2 km trip to its present location began. In
preparation for the move the slough in front of the West Coast railway Heritage Park had
been filled in, however, nature threw an unexpected punch in the form of a severe
thunderstorm during the first night and, at midnight, the District of Squamish ordered the
slough to be cleared as they were concerned with flooding. The following day the
weather cleared, the slough refilled and the move was completed. The car shop ended up
within a foot of its planned location.
The next year, a new foundation was built and the shop was lowered on to it. 1993 saw
the stripping of all the exterior siding and the sheathing of the building with plywood.
This was made necessary to bring the car shop up to modern day earthquake standards.
At this time the entire half of the south wall was rebuilt along with replacing the lower
upright structural members as the old ones had rotted out. Fill was brought in to bring the
floor level to track level. In 1995 a British of Columbia grant under the BC21 program
was awarded to continue restoring the building and in early 1998 the roof trusses were
reinforced and a machine shop built on the east side.
