Kettle Valley Publishing has two videos available about the Kettle Valley Railway, written and produced by George Matheson, author of "Vader's Caboose". I recommend both tapes wholeheartedly. I was especially impressed with the vintage footage of KVR trains taken all along the line. A real glimpse into the past!
Kettle and Caboose, a excellent one hour television documentary on the Kettle Valley Railway. It includes archival Kettle Valley moving-picture steam train footage and historical black and white still photographs and features mini-interviews with several Kettle Valley "involvees" including former conductor Frank Vader who describes the rigors of working long miserable hours in twelve foot deep snowfalls.
Brookmere Revisited, a commemorative video of the annual KVR reunion that takes place in Brookmere. Many of the remaining KVR railroaders and their families, along with railfans and historians gather to share stories around the campfire. Vintage photos, an interview in the Brookmere Museum, an HO scale model railway of the town and many personal memories of the railway highlight the tape.
VHS FORMAT
PRICE $29.95
ALL INCLUSIVE WITHIN NORTH AMERICA
Other locations - Freight is extra and duty may be payable
Additional formats available - extra conversion charges apply
To order contact:
Kettle Valley Publishing Inc.
RR 2 Site 2 Comp19
Lumby, British Columbia Canada, V0E 2G0 Tel: (250) 547-2527
Fax: (250) 547-8973
TOLL-FREE ORDER LINE: 1-888-986-2266
There is a new video out entitled "Kettle Valley Railway Trilogy". It consits of three programs produced by CHBC TV in Kelowna and is mainly a conversation about the railway's history and includes footage shot during the filming of the "National Dream" around Myra Canyon & the Othello Tunnels. There is also some historical photos but the tape is mainly of the talking heads variety but it is very informative and enjoyable. To find out how to get a copy of this video contact:
Puce Creek Central Hobby Distributors
Unit #6, 242 Applewood Cr.
Concord, ON, L4K 4E5
416-733-4100
$34.50 plus $3.00 shipping and handling
Of special note is a video made by Helmut Wisinger of the Kettle Valley Railway. It is 2 hours long and entitled "Helmut's Princeton Sub" and is of a cab ride over the remaining line shortly before abandonment. The first half of the tape shows a trip in May of 1988 from Princeton through the Jura Loops, Osprey Lake and Kirton Canyon to Okanagan Falls and return including shots of switching at the mill. The other half, taken in February 1989, is from Merritt through Brookmere to Okanagan Falls and return in a driving snowstorm.
Stopped in the snow outside of Brookmere -- Photo courtesy of Helmut Wisinger
This video is very good and even though the quality is that of a
hand-held home video, it really captures the feeling of what it was like to be an engineer at the controls of a KVR freight train. I found the winter trip of particular interest... if the train crews found it difficult to see and had trouble with only a few feet of snow, one can only imagine what the Coquihalla must have been like.
Helmut has a new website up that highlights his "Engine Cab Rides" videos as well as Rick Newell's "Last of the Cabooses" videos. The website features descriptions of the videos with photos and ordering info. The address is: www.railvideos.direct.ca and there is also a new page with screenshots at: www.railvideos.direct.ca/helmut/od/od.html
Some of Helmut's other videos include:
"The Canyon Video" which covers the operations in the Fraser and Thompson River canyons.
"The Westcoast Express Video" which covers the new commuter rail operation between Vancouver and Mission.
The "Esquamalt & Nanimo" on Vancouver Island from Victoria, over the Malahat, through Duncan and Nanaimo to Port Alberni.
The prices for the videos are $25.00/each Canadian or $20.00/each US with $3.00/each for shipping in Can or US. They can be ordered by contacting him at the address below...
Helmut Wisinger
#11279, 79th Ave
Delta, BC V4C 1S6
Ph. (604) 594-6724
e-mail:
helmutw@direct.ca
The video "Around the Horn" has been located and because of the upsurge in intrest in the Kettle Valley Railway, the producer is considering re-mastering the whole video to improve the quality and add new footage. He would then be offering it for sale. It features an overview of the history of the KVR with historical photos and old film footage showing some of the trains in action. One sequence in particular caught my eye... a 1953 cab ride through the Coquihalla in winter! It won Regional and National awards for Best Cable Documentary in 1990. If you want to contact the producer, Brian Dodd, and express your interest in this project he can be reached at bdodd@uniserve.com
He's also looking for people with any old photos as well as any movies or videos of the KVR to include in the production
A half hour video was also produced by Rogers Cable in Abbotsford called "Riding the Rails". This May '94 video filmed cyclists over portions of the Carmi Subdivision. While the last third of the video deals with river rafting, the first two thirds presents good footage of the KVR. It costs approx. $38.50 + shipping/handling and can be ordered from:
Reference Books
