This is something your editor has wanted to do for a long time, take a ride on the Southern Railway of British Columbia out the Fraser Valley. While
this is not something generally done, SRY graciously donated a cab ride to our auction recently and helped support our activities in that regard. As
part of that process, your editor was also allowed the privilege of a ride, and I was joined by WCRA founding member and incoming board member
Hugh Little.
1330 hours, Monday April 9, we arrive at SRY's office below the Queensboro Bridge and check in. The necessary paperwork has been prepared,
and we sign off with the dispatcher and meet our conductor Don Moore. Our train today is a heavy one, 22 cars and caboose, we will head to Gifford
with one set out en route, swap trains there to return to New Westminster with more work on the way back. This job is called West Turn 1, and
departs New Westminster yard for the valley run around 1430 daily.
Sometime after 1400 (I didn't record it exactly), our motive power pulls up and then couples onto the train. Our power today is four units'GP9's
#122, 129, 124 and SD38 #381. We climb aboard #122 and meet our head end crew, Engineer Russ Findlay and Brakeman Dean Rasmussen. Soon
we are underway (after a CPR train clears and drops some cars for SRY) at 1430. We plod through the CPR yard (track work underway on SRY's
track) and along Front Street, then climb to the Fraser River Bridge. We have a clear signal right onto the span, and head across the muddy Fraser.
Once on the Surrey side, the fun begins (or should we say the work), as the train tackles Scott Hill. One of three 2.7% grades on the line, this really
puts the units to work. Our lead GP9 has been isolated so far with the other three doing the work (saving fuel and cab noise), but now it is cut in and
we tackle the grade. Four GM's in run 8 maintain a steady 15 mph up the grade as the crew contends with keeping the feet under the units with the
load as well as deals with the issue of lots of people (mostly students from school) on the tracks.
Once across Scott Road for the second time, the grade levels off (although this former interurban line is rarely level!) and the next few miles are at
15 mph on account many grade crossings and lots of switches into industries the line serves. This area of Surrey is also noted for acts of vandalism
and the crew is on the alert for each switch and for things on the tracks. All is well today. At Burke, we set out nine loads of coil steel which will be
switched into IPSCO by a switch crew later. That's some tonnage!
Continuing now with 15 cars plus caboose, we head downgrade now past Sullivan Station and across the fields to Cloverdale, now rolling at track
speed of 30 mph. The Serpentine River
meanders along the line for a bit, then we cross on a wooden trestle (I have shot pictures of BC Hydro / SRY trains on
occasion from the nearby highway bridge). As we approach Pratt we have a 'clear to stop' signal and pull up to the stop signal
at the junction with BC Rail's Port Sub. to await a westbound container train. He approaches after about ten minutes, a CN
train with a pair of GEC/Alstom GCFX 6000 series SD40-3 units.
1600 hours we're now clear onto the Port Sub (BC Rail dispatched, CTC signaled), and soon are rolling along the smooth
welded rail at 40 mph. It's a nice ride through Langley to Livingston, where the Port Sub ends and diverges to CN's line and
SRY's next major climb. Once again our four units work hard as we climb to the summit alongside highway 1, then roll past
the only remaining substation from the interurban era on this part of the line and into Bradner. We make a brief stop here to
pick up some food for dinner, as we won't be back until later in the evening.
Hugh and I now join Don in the caboose and discover a delightfully well kept and tidy 'Cab'. Number A2 is one of several
caboose bodies built in New Westminster at Manly Shipyards between 1964 and 1968. The completed bodies were craned on to
BC Hydro tracks and the cabooses were then finished by the railway. We enjoy the ride down the Mt. Lehman hill to Gifford
from the cupola, where we will await the arrival of the train from Huntingdon. The caboose is cut off and the power and train
proceeds down to the east switch where the cars are left, Russ and Dean come back along the passing track to join us in the
caboose for 'beans'.
What a delight! Don has five places set at the table with napkins and 'linen' place mats, the kettle is whistling and we sit down
for our meal. Us two novices have just picked up a sandwich, but the crew is much better prepared as meals are warmed in the
oven. We enjoy conversation and food in these pleasant environs, accompanied with hot tea and cookies.
We have a bit of a wait, but finally hear that 151 has left Huntingdon and is headed our way with 16 cars. At 1825 the train
arrives with MP15 #151 / SW900 #911, he cuts off the power leaving the cut of cars on the main east of the switch and pulls in
to couple to the cars we brought for him. We now climb aboard SD38 #381 and back our power up to couple onto the 16 cars.
Then ahead through the passing track and onto the main, back and couple onto our caboose, check the air and are set to go.
We start immediately up the 2.7% grade and the four units get right to work. There is a noticeable difference in the ride on the
six wheel trucked 381, and Russ says this is a favourite. Ever since BC Hydro bought it, he says, it has pulled and pulled. Just
the right combination of power and adhesion for this hilly line. The GP9's tend to be more slippery with their 4 wheel trucks.
Soon, we are cruising through Bradner again, and make one setout of a car of grain. The we make a steady 30 mph to
Livingston, where we are greeted with a clear signal and proceed right onto the Port sub. We pause at Langley to set out one
car on the passing track for a later switch job. Back on track, the light is starting to fade as we regain SRY rails at Pratt and
pull up hill again through Surrey.
After getting all the clearances for our routing and arrival into New Westminster, we drop down the Scott hill with brake shoe
smoke and a hold at 15 mph. We arrive at the Fraser River Bridge at 2025, to the advice of the bridge dispatcher that we
should be prepared to wait awhile. Stopped at the red over red, soon a CN westbound grain train accesses the bridge ahead of
us'his train seems to go on forever as it takes almost 12 minutes to clear. Another CN train (from Brownsville) arrives on the
BNSF approach track beside us with two units and 50 cars. But, we are next and the signal clears, we proceed across the span
again at the designated 7 mph speed, and drop down to Front Street, New Westminster.
Now its slow going, as CP is switching their yard and SRY's is not accessible, so we follow track 19 through CN's yard and
then slip back onto home rails with lots of switches and
moves. Now in sight of our final destination, we are held for some time as SRY 900 works a long cut of cars at the yard throat.
Finally cleared in, we pull along side the SRY office and its time to say good bye.
It has been an afternoon of classic shortline railroading, serving customers, moving the freight, and enjoying the way
railroading was meant to be in this environment. A delightful crew, well maintained equipment, a classic former interurban
line, and even a caboose.
Can we have more please?
