Interurban exhibit opening at the Chilliwack Museum

October 18 UPDATE: Article in the Province: Inter-Urban exhibit sparks debate

The call for establishing light-rail transit throughout the Fraser Valley is strengthening and now some of its advocates are reaching into the past to show us the future. (read more)

October 13 UPDATE: Chilliwack Times article: ‘More Than Just a Tram’

If you live in Chilliwack or you’re travelling through, a must-see exhibit at the Chilliwack Museum is about to open. The exhibit is called: The British Columbia Electric Railway – More Than Just a Tram. Included is a section documenting our efforts to re-introduce passenger rail service to the line.

Exhibit opening:
At the Chilliwack Museum, 45820 Spadina Ave, Chilliwack
Saturday, October 17, 12:00pm – 2:00pm

B.C. Electric Railway historian Henry Ewert will attend the noon hour opening. Ewert is well known among rail fans and historians for his research and expertise in regards to the BCER. Rail for the Valley will also have a presence at the opening, where we will be handing out pamphlets and gathering petition signatures. Feel free to come by and lend a hand.

Here is the Press Release from the Museum:

On Saturday October 17 the Chilliwack Museum and Archives will open their newest annual exhibit that explores the history of the BC Electric Railway.Ai??Ai?? The BC Electric Railway: More than Just a Tram looks back at the railway and the impact that it had on all facets of life in the Fraser Valley.

A?ai??i??Ai??We are excited that British Columbia Electric Railway historian Henry Ewert will attend the noon hour opening , sharing his thoughts on the history of the company.A?ai??i??A? Stated museum director, Ron Denman.Ai??Ai?? A?ai??i??Ai??Henry is well known among rail fans and historians for his research and expertise in regards to the BCERA?ai??i??A?.

In 1907 when the announcement was made that a new rail line was going to be built connecting Chilliwack to Vancouver, Reeve Frederick Kickbush expressed the hopes of local residents when he said, A?ai??i??Ai??[The British Columbia Electric Railway] brings us out of darkness into light and the establishing of the tramway will enable us to get out of the bush.A?ai??i??A? At the time that Kickbush uttered these sentiments, Chilliwack was a small rural community with limited resources for taking products to markets. It took three more years but rail service was finally started on October 1, 1910.

The British Columbia Electric Railway Company was incorporated in 1897 and soon began a vigorous program creating a network of electric rail lines throughout the Lower Mainland. To supply power to the lines, a dam was built at Buntzen Lake, north of the Fraser River and east of Vancouver. By 1910, the company was supplying power to most Fraser Valley communities, and operating an efficient passenger and freight service that played a major role in defining the location and shape of towns located along the line. ChilliwackA?ai??i??ai???s residential, industrial and commercial neighbourhoods were shaped by the path that the railway took through our community. New subdivisions sprang up close to the line and industries, now able to ship fresh products to markets, located beside the line. The passenger service continued until 1950 when the costs of upgrading the now forty year old tracks and rail cars proved to be too much, especially in the face of new forms of transit.

The exhibition will be on display for a year at the Chilliwack Museum on Spadina Ave during our regular operating hours: Mon A?ai??i??ai??? Friday 9am A?ai??i??ai??? 4:40pm. The opening is from 12:00pm A?ai??i??ai??? 2:00pm at the Museum.Ai??Ai?? For more information contact: Ron Denman, Director (604A?ai??i??A?795A?ai??i??A?5210)Ai??Ai??Ai??Ai?? cm_chin@smartt.com.