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Written and maintained by Hector Turner (hectorturner@home.com)
Contents Copyright ©2000
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What follows is a brief(?) outline of the construction of the Kettle Valley Railway. For a more detailed look at the convoluted (but fascinating) history of this remarkable railroad I recommend Barry Sanford's excellent books "McCulloch's Wonder" and "Steel Rails and Iron Men". Also Robert Turner's new book "Steam on the Kettle Valley" offers a glimpse into the lives of the men who worked and sometimes died in the service of the railway. |
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| A DREAM IS BORN: |
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In 1885 the Canadian Pacific completed the Trans-Canada Railway from Atlantic to Pacific that was meant to link the country together, but in crossing the mountains the line ran far to the north of the Canada/U.S. border through the Kicking Horse Pass. The people of the southern interior of British Columbia had hoped for a more direct rail line to connect them with the coast, now they found that the only way was a long round-a-bout route by both steamship and train that took many days. It wasn't until 1887 that the CPR realized their mistake... silver was discovered in the Kootenays!
In the boom that followed, the region found itself swamped under an influx of Americans pouring across the border to stake their claims. It was far easier for the Americans to get to the Kootenays than the Canadians because of the natural geography of mountain ranges and river valleys that ran in a north-south direction. It was also easier to carry away the valuable ore by way of the American railways that lay just over the border. South-eastern B.C. was in danger of annexation by the U.S. if a Canadian railway was not built. Thus was born the dream of a Coast-to-Kootenay Railway that would halt American dominance in the southern interior and bring the rich wealth of the area to Canadian ports. It was out of this dream that the Kettle Valley Railway would eventually be built. |
| J.J.HILL VS THE CPR: |
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One of the more aggressive railways pushing into the Kootenays was the Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern(or VV&E) which was controlled by J.J.Hill of the American railway, Great Northern. Competition between Hill and the CPR dated back to the building of the Canadian Pacific when Hill was an executive with the railway and had fought with then General Manager William Van Horne over the route north of Superior. Hill had left the CPR in a fury (he had been heard to say that he would have his revenge "even if I have to go to hell for it and shovel coal"). It was this rivalry, more than anything else, that was to cause the Kettle Valley to be built. It took until 1907, though, when J.J. Warren, an eastern lawyer acting for the fledgling Kettle River Valley Railway, met with Thomas Shaughnessy (president of the CPR and Van Horne's successor) to propose a partnership between the two railways in order to build a line from Midway,where the CPR's tracks ended, to Merritt and their branchline in the Nicola Valley. Shaughnessy expressed great interest in the plan as it would expand the CPR's trackage in British Columbia, but more importantly it would counter Hill, who was determined to take the VV&E through to the coast and funnel the wealth of the province over his railways to the States. Shaughnessy was instrumental in influencing both the government and the CPR board of directors so that in 1910 the agreement was finalized and construction could begin. |
| ANDREW McCULLOCH... CHIEF ENGINEER: |
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The man who would oversee the construction of the railway and direct its operations for over 20 years was Andrew McCulloch. Indeed his name would become synonymous with the Kettle Valley Railway, often called "McCulloch's Wonder".  Andrew McCulloch-- Collection of Barrie Sanford
Born in Lanark county, Ontario, on June 16, 1864 McCulloch started his career as an axeman clearing survey lines in 1891. Working his way up, he took work with railways all over Canada and northern United States including work on the famous Spiral Tunnels for the Canadian Pacific. When he accepted the position of Chief Engineer of the Kettle Valley Railway he was currently a Division Engineer of Construction for the CPR in Montreal. The building of the Kettle Valley Railway would be no easy task however, before it was completed he would face some of the greatest engineering challenges of any railroad ever built. |
| CONSTRUCTION BEGINS: |
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One of the first problems he would face would be the shortage of men and materials, in fact this was a problem that would plague the railway for all the years of construction. McCulloch found that it was as hard to find unskilled labourers as it was engineering personnel. Construction went slowly, first on the line out of Merritt and then on the section between Midway and Penticton. The other main problem became apparent as the work progressed; with the clearing and grading of the roadbed advancing farther and father afield, a locomotive to aid in tracklaying was desperately needed.
Tracklaying near Jura--BCARS Finally, in December of 1910, a locomotive arrived on loan from the CPR, #496. Upon inspection, however, it turned out to be one step short of the scrap heap. Even so, the next day, the tracklaying crews were able to lay 1300 feet in a single day. This record would stand for some time, as the lack of rail and ties forced the work to a crawl. It would continue this way for nearly two more years when, in 1912, only 20% of the railway was complete. Continued next page...
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