Similkameen Line
The Similkameen Line is a 131.8 mile railway line of the Washington & British Columbia Railway (W&BC) running from Princeton, British Columbia on the Manning Park Line to Curlew, Washington on the Washington & Great Northern Line; of the total route length, 9.9 miles are owned jointly with BC Rail; this section, between Rock Creek and West Midway, is shared with BC Rail's Kettle Valley Line. At Princeton it also connects to two BC Rail lines, the Syilx Line and the Tullameen Line; further, at Oroville, WA it connects to the Sooyoos Lake Line, and at Oroville Junction to the Cascade & Columbia River Railroad.
A notable feature of the Similkameen Line is that it crosses the BC–United States border three times.
The Similkameen Line is Line 44 of the Similkameen Region of the W&BC.
History
The Similkameen Line was opened by the Vancouver, Victoria & Eastern Railway in 1911 as part of a projected Coast-to-Kootenays railway, in the same year as their Cloverdale–Hope line was opened. With the opening of the Manning Park Line in 1913, a direct link from Vancouver to the Okanagan was made.
The VV&E was absorbed by its parent company, the Great Northern Railway, in 1921, after the Dominion government decided to allow the GN to absorb the BC-chartered subsidiaries' operations into its own, so long as the subsidiaries continued to exist on paper. In 1937, the GN spun off its BC operations into the Washington & British Columbia Railway; at that time, the line was given its current name.
When the Great Northern's BC operations were spun off into the Washington & British Columbia Railway in 1937, the W&BC's system was changed from the Division-Subdivision system used by the GN to the system of Lines used by the BCR, and under this system, the Princeton–Keremeyus section of the former Brookmere Subdivision, the Keremeyus–Oroville Keremeyus Subdivision, and the Oroville–Curlew Bridesville Subdivision were merged into the present Similkameen Line. In 1939, as part of a systemwide rationalisation to eliminate unnecessary duplications between the W&BC and the BCR, the W&BC's longer route between Bridesville and West Midway via Myncaster was closed, to be replaced by a new section from Bridesville to a spot on the BCR's Kettle Valley Line just west of Rock Creek; since then, W&BC trains run over the BCR line between Rock Creek and West Midway.
The present Cascade & Columbia River Railroad was the Burlington Northern & Gulf Railroad's W-O Branch until 1996.
Services
The Similkameen Line is fairly busy, with several passenger and freight trains running daily.
Freight
The Similkameen Line plays an important role in moving ore east to smelters in the Boundary Country, and fruit, refined metal, and forest products west from the Interior to the coast. It is also a key means of bringing imported goods from Vancouver to the Okanagan, the Boundary Country, and onwards to the Kootenays. Freight generated on the line consists primarily of paper, lumber, and agricultural products.
Passenger
The W&BC operates a number of passenger services on this line - the Coast–Kootenay, an Express between Vancouver and Nelson, and two Local services running year-round.
The various categories of passenger service are defined by the Ministry of Labour, Industry & Railways in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport & Communications; these categories are applicable to and used by all railways providing passenger service in British Columbia. Like all other railways in BC, ticket prices for BC Rail passenger trains are based on the Ministry's Schedule of Railway Fares.
Express
The W&BC's only Express train on the Similkameen Line is an international service. The short-trip surcharge is not applicable to travel occuring entirely inside Washington state on this trains.
- 171/172 Coast–Kootenay: Vancouver (Pacific Central) – Nelson
- Daily service with a morning departure from each end. First and second class chair cars only (no sleeping accomodations), with a cafeteria car; baggage handling free of charge to first class passengers, and available to second class passengers with a surcharge. This train does not stop anywhere on the section between Bridesville and West Midway.
Intermediate stops:- BC: Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Hope, Manning Park, Allenby, Princeton, Keremeyus, Chopaka (BC and US customs checks)
- Washington: Oroville, Molson, Curlew
- BC: Carson (BC and US customs checks), Grand Forks
- Washington: Laurier (BC and US customs checks), Kettle Falls
- BC: Waneta (BC and US customs checks), Columbia Gardens, Salmo
Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve. Three Local services are operated on the Similkameen Line, two international and one domestic.
International
- 4401.1-2/4402.1-2: Princeton, BC – Oroville, Washington, USA – Sooyoos, BC
- Two daily return trips, second-class only with seat-side drink and snack service.
- 4403.1-2/4404.1-2: Sooyoos, BC – Oroville, Washington, USA – Grand Forks, BC
- Two daily return trips, first and second class with a cafeteria car.
Domestic
- 4301D.1-2/4302D.1-2 (W&BC): Hope – Princeton – Keremeyus
- Two daily return trips operated by diesel trainsets, first and second class with a cafeteria compartment.
Route
A grey background indicates a closed section, italic text indicates a closed station.
▲ - Scheduled Express and Local stop
• - Local stop
| - No passenger service
| Station | Milepost | Tariff-miles from prev. stn. |
Connecting lines | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 0.0 | 0 | Manning Park Line Syilx Line (BCR) Tullameen Line (BCR) |
||
| Crown Zellerbach | 1.4 | - | - | Freight only; Crown Zellerbach paper mill | |
| Allison | 2.7 | 3 | - | ||
| Primdev | 5.3 | - | - | Freight only; Princeton Mining & Development Co | |
| Norman | 7.4 | 5 | - | ||
| Bromley | 12.2 | 5 | - | ||
| Cory | 18.9 | 7 | - | ||
| Hedley | 24.1 | 5 | - | ||
| Bradshaw | 28.7 | 5 | - | ||
| Ashnola | 35.0 | 6 | - | ||
| Keremeyus | 41.6 | 7 | - | BC Tree Fruits Co-operative | |
| Cattle Pass | 44.0 | 3 | - | ||
| Cawston | 45.7 | 2 | - | ||
| Similkameen | 49.0 | 3 | - | ||
| Delmar | 55.0 | 6 | - | ||
| North Chopaka | 58.5 | 4 | - | ||
| Chopaka | 58.7 | - | - | BC and US customs checks only, no commercial service | |
| Nighthawk | 60.0 | 2 | - | ||
| Oroville | 67.0 | 7 | Sooyoos Lake Line | ||
| Oroville Jct | 67.9 | - | Cascade & Columbia River Railroad | Freight only | |
| Mount Hull | 72.8 | 5 | - | ||
| Circle | 79.7 | 7 | - | ||
| Ninemile | 83.8 | 4 | - | ||
| Porters | 85.9 | 3 | - | ||
| Rock Cut | 88.4 | 3 | - | ||
| Molson | 90.9 | 3 | - | US customs checks | |
| Bridesville | 95.8 | 5 | - | ||
| Baker Creek | 98.8 | 3 | - | Industrial spur | |
| Rock Creek Jct | 106.6 | - | Kettle Valley Line (BCR) | Junction only, no commercial service | |
| Rock Creek | 107.2 | 8 | Kettle Valley Line (BCR) | ||
| Kettle Valley | 109.6 | 3 | Kettle Valley Line (BCR) | ||
| West Midway | 117.1 | 8 | Kettle Valley Line (BCR) | Lumber mill; BC customs checks | |
| Ferry | 117.4 | 1 | - | US customs checks | |
| Toroda | 121.9 | 5 | - | ||
| Paxson | 126.1 | 4 | - | ||
| Curlew | 131.8 | 6 | Washington & Great Northern Line | ||
| Bridesville | 95.8 | 5 | - | ||
| Dumont | 99.7 | 4 | - | ||
| Syackan | 102.5 | 3 | - | ||
| Myncaster | 107.4 | 5 | |||
| Bergen | 113.1 | 6 | - | ||
| Roberts | 115.1 | 2 | - | ||
| Hooligan Siding | 117.4 | 2 | - | ||
| West Midway | 121.5 | 4 | Kettle Valley Line (BCR) | Vaagen Fibre; BC customs checks | |