The Kelowna Pacific was a Shortline Railroad Operator in the North Okanagan/Kamloops region of British Columbia, Canada. It operated in mostly rural farmland: through hay-fields, ranches, and forested territory, It had a rustic and laid back feel, especially since it was restricted to 10 MPH on its mainline. Owned by Knighthawk Rail, and operated on mostly CN trackage and some CP, it carried resource economy loads such as lumber, poles, and chips, as well as scrap metal, grain, and some chemical and propane shipments. An easy railway to chase and photograph/video, as it moved at a leisurely pace and had lots of good highway access to scenic spots. Unfortunately the parent company allowed the KPR to go bankrupt, and regular operations ceased in July of 2013, with mop-up movements throughout August, some of which are documented here. Thankfully CN invested hugely in rehabilitation of the line, and now operates tri-weekly freights to and from Vernon and the North Okanagan.
It's sad that that railroad went bankrupt and ceased to exist. There's not enough shipping by rail. And with the tracks in such bad condition on the final run in this video, it looked like a comic parody of running a train - I half expected to see Tim Conway as the brakeman and Harvey Korman as the engineer.
On September 26, 2013, CN announced that it had reached agreements with a major shipper and two locals of the Teamsters union that would allow CN to resume operations over most of the Kelowna Pacific. CN said it planned to abandon the line between Lumby Junction and Kelowna. In 2014 CN began removing the railroad tracks in Kelowna.
i look at google earth imagery from 8/1/2018 and there are still hoppers and lumber cars at Lavington... of course thats over 2 years ago now... anything still going through Vernon to Lavington? or is she dead and Trail-bound now like the Kelowna spur from Vernon? does any1 have a video of the last train into the city of Kelowna?
So even with it being the second-last month of operation, they still planned to install new rail ties? Or did the operational shutdown come as a surprise? Any idea how much the railroad got paid a month to store a tank car?
Finally I see a real train in the states that's a train. I think I counted 21 coaches including double deckers. The 4-5 coach so called trains shouldn't be called trains.
This was in the KPR era(2000 - 2013). The conductor was Marty Kimmerly, who passed away 4 or 5 years ago. Marty was the son of a CN yardmaster (old family railroaders) & both were great guys to work with. The KPR used to store tank cars at different locations on the Okanagan Subdivision for different suppliers. CN & CP didn't have the room, or maybe just didn't want the business. Regardless car storage was was a fairly lucrative sideline business. Unfortunately none of the proceeds were reinvested in infrastructure and the KPR owner "took the money and ran" leaving the worn out mess with CN in 2013. The track down into the hole was quite a steep grade and originally was constructed in the 1980's servicing Lehigh Cement, BC Liquor Board, the Stockyards & a few more businesses. It never really developed into the rail serviced industrial park CN had envisioned. This clip brings back lots of memories as I worked that piece of track from 1975 - 2017.
Godo to know my KPR railway stilll runs. My KPR or Canadian Porvelo Rail system is my model train which I run at shows. My KPR has existed since 1976 and still exists today.
