About Us
The Esquimalt and Nanaimo Division of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association was registered as a society on September
18, 1997.
The purpose of the society is to acquire and maintain a rail museum, to reflect all aspects of railway transportation on
Vancouver Island, to acquire and maintain artifacts for the museum, to operate an excursion train, record the history of
the railways on Vancouver Island, publish & disseminate information, and collaborate with other groups of similar interest.
The E&N Division CRHA has been instrumental in the organization of E&N Railway Days held, annually, in a township along the
E&N Railway since 1997.
The celebration is in recognition of the Last (Gold) Spike being driven by Sir John A. MacDonald, Prime Minister with a
silver hammer on August 13, 1886 at 'Cliffside' station at Mile 25 on the E&N Railway near Shawnigan Lake,BC. This was
very significant for it demonstrated the completion of the government's promise to British Columbia in joining
confederation for a Trans continental railway that also included the Colony of Vancouver Island.
Volunteers
Society volunteers have helped restore rolling stock including our own ex CN transfer caboose 76695, plus two ex CP
Boxcars, and Maintenance of Way equipment, and a CPR baggage car and GP9RM locomotive, owned by one of the societies
members.
The E&N Division has had a long time interest in the preservation and restoration of the Victoria Roundhouse as national
historic site, and is actively involved with Roundhouse Properties ( Bayview) Planning Team. We hope to in 2012 to be
able to move back to the Roundhouse site to work on equipment, and clean up the site. In Parksville, we formed the East
End Track Gang, a group of dedicated volunteers, that go out and help maintain the track between Parksville and Port
Alberni under the direction of the Island Corridor Foundation.
We look forward to working cooperatively with other societies, invite new members, and welcome donations to our division.
Our team is a network of personal contacts and resources cultivated from involvement as members of railway associations
and as employees active and retired from the rail industry. This resource base also includes an extensive inventory of
equipment and contractors.
News
The E&N Division,CRHA, relocated from Victoria, to its new home at Parksville,BC in 2009. Our Railway equipment is
stored on the FMC spur behind the Recycle Depot. Our goals for 2012 are to maintain the railway track between
Mile 0.0 at Parksville to Smith Road near Port Alberni mile 33.0.
We plan to replace railway ties that need replacing, in the near future, once we can get a budget for funding.
We also plan on returning to the Victoria Roundhouse with the railway rolling stock and locomotive in the near future.
Our meetings will now be held in January, March, May,
July, September, November, every second month. Meeting locations
we be at Parksville (in red) in Caboose and alternately in Victoria (in green) at the Victoria E&N Roundhouse 253 Esquimalt
Road, on the third Saturday of each month shown, at 11am.
Drop by for a coffee and say hello.
We are always looking for new Volunteers and Companies to help with our ongoing Projects.
Lastly, we were planning on getting Heritage Status on the Wooden Trestles along Cameron Lake that have history to the
Island and BC, but so far the Island Corridor Foundation, Executive Director told us by email, that they have other
plans and we are not to proceed on this project which we cannot understand the reasoning.
Contact us for more information
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