The May Carnival or May Day celebration is an English festivity signifying the transition from Spring to Summer. The holiday comes with its numerous traditions and folklore which are still celebrated and shared to this day. A May Queen is selected from a group of around thirteen girls. The winner returns the next year to […]
Little Red Speeder on Somenos Trestle. Year: 1981 Model: DS-LS Manufacturer: Railcar Company, Lancaster Ont. Most people will remember our little red speeder which was on display for many years in the Main Building. In 2019 it was removed, to make room for the new Forests Forever exhibit. With that, Peter Davies engineer, track worker, […]
Our Summer Student Evan Maher has done a wonderful job of designing and building a brick model of Samson the BC Forest Discovery Centre’s 1910 Vulcan locomotive. The following is a brief comparison of the “Big & Small” versions. Big SamsonConstruction Date: 1910Builder: Vulcan Iron Works, Wilkes-Barre PAModel: Class C6, 0-4-0 STGauge: narrow (36” / […]
Below is a section of oak that was cut by the Canadian Forestry Corps whose Base Depot was located on Smith’s Field in Windsor Castle’s Great Park during the First World War. Over the course of the war, 35,000 Canadians served in 101 companies (Britain – 41, France – 60) with the Corps. The experience […]
Frank is the newest member of the BC Forest Discovery team. He was donated by Patricia Greenwell and is named after her father who worked for CN Rail as well as Macmillan Bloedel (Copper Canyon). He’s looking forward to this year’s Christmas Express, and hopes you’ll stop by and say hi. (Hint: Frank’s favourite locomotive […]
The following is a story told to Maynard Atkinson by Percy Stacy, involving a switching maneuver using the BC Forest Discovery Centre’s shay locomotive which is on display near the front entrance. Maynard a “Railway History Enthusiast” (his own words) has worked collaboratively on several books by Sandy Macham author of Odds, Sods and Logs, […]
Camp 3 (Nitinat) was located near Kissinger Lake (West of Lake Cowichan), and at the time of the photo was operated by Industrial Timber Mills (ITM). The two-man saw is most likely a “Timberhog” (Model K) produced by Industrial Engineering Limited (IEL), and came equipped with a 60” bar. The following is an excerpt from […]
Opened on September 4, the exhibit provides a fascinating and informative look at the lives of the BC forest Service’s men and women who were responsible for the protection and management of BC’s forests. Wonderfully curated by Lorraine Bayford and Carol Miller with assistance from retired Forest Service employees Tom Walker and David Woodgate the […]
The good news is that Carl Wassink of Corry Pennsylvania read my earlier post regarding Betsy, Shawnigan Like Lumber Co.’s locomotive. The bad news is that a lot of information was incorrect, and so my thanks to Carl for putting the record straight. “In looking through your site I came across the photo and your […]
