Island Rail Marks 130th Anniversary April 8 & 9, 2016
2016 marks the 130th Anniversary of Island Rail and the community will once again be riding the rails. A two day celebration will see the Island Explorer Excursion train run along the Island Rail Corridor from the historic Nanaimo Train Station to Wellington on April 8th. The one hour return trip requires advance reservation.
A family friendly event will follow on April 9th from 10am – 3pm, including tours of the train, music and fun for train enthusiasts of all ages at the historic Nanaimo Train Station.
The heritage streamliner train assembled for the Island Rail 130th Anniversary event is owned by the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA) and provided for this event with the cars as follows;
Locomotive #4069 was built by General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario in August 1952 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).
Baggage/Generator Car – WCXX 9622 McDonald Creek was built as a baggage car by National Steel Car for Canadian National Railways in 1955.
Coach WCXX 5596 – Paul D Roy – This 76 seat day coach was built by Canadian Car & Foundry in 1954 for Canadian National Railways.
Open Observation Car WCXX Henry Pickering – This is the oldest car on the train, originally built by the CPR’s Angus Shops in Montreal in 1914 as coach 1422. In 1956, the CPR converted this coach into Mountain Observation cars, with the open sections seen today.
Business Car WCXX 088- Alberta – The classy car on the train represents a most amazing transformation from a 1929 CPR railway business car, to a restaurant in Gastown, then restored to the first class car you see today.
Island Explorer Train Details:
Friday April 8th, departure times as noted below. Please arrive a minimum of 20 minutes prior to departure
– 2:00pm – 3:00pm Nanaimo Travellers Lodge
– 4:00pm – 5:00pm Cystic Fibrosis & Big Brothers Big Sisters
– 6:00pm – 7:00pm Young Professionals of Nanaimo
FAQ’s:
– Train Station Address: 321 Selby Street, Nanaimo BC
– Children under two (2) years of age who will sit on a lap during the ride, do not require a ticket, however must be noted at the time of reservation
– Wheelchair access available, please advise if you require access to the wheelchair lift at the time of reservation.
– Food and drink is not permitted on the train
Tickets:
Advance reservations/payment is required and the ticket must be presented to ride the train. Tickets are available for $25 per person and may be purchased in advance from the following organizations – please note the train departure time for each group!
Travellers Lodge (2pm Train)
Call: 250-760-2646
Email: Sandy.Parise@nantralodge.bc.ca
Ticket Pick up location: 1298 Nelson St, Nanaimo, BC V9S 2K5
Cystic Fibrosis Canada (4pm Train)
Call: 250-591-0746
Email: krystal_cathcart@hotmail.com
Contact: Krystal Cathcart
Young Professionals of Nanaimo (6pm Train)
Pay online at www.ypnanaimo.com ( scroll down on right hand side)
Email: rsvp@ypnanaimo.com
Contact: Elise Morgan
Ticket Pick Up Location: Integral Wealth Securities, 450 Wentworth St. Nanaimo
Please contact Jenn with any media enquiries
Jenn Houtby-Ferguson
Twist Consulting Email: Jenn@TwistConsulting.ca
Phone: 250-713-9849
