Wellington Colliery Line
The Wellington Colliery Line is a 12.3 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) on Vancouver Island running from Royston on the Central Coast Line to Cumberland. It is Line 112 of the Island Region of BC Rail.
History
In 1889, the Wellington Colliery Railway was established by the Wellington Colliery Company to transport coal from the colliery's mine at Cumberland to the company's private coal dock at Union Bay. In 1913, when new mines were opened at Puntledge and Bevan, the railway west of Royston was rerouted to head north from Cumberland to the new mine sites, then swinging east to head to Royston and Union Bay.
In 1964 the mines were closed, and at that time Bevan Station, and the roughly 6 mile mining spur from Cumberland to Scott's Slope (serving No 6, No 3, No 1, No 2, and No 4 mines, in that order running downwards), were closed. The site of the former No 5 Mine, just north of Cumberland, was redeveloped into a light industrial complex in 1967.
In 1981, the BCR took over the Wellington Colliery Railway, redirecting freight traffic to the Comox Harbour docks in Courtenay. This rendered the port facilities at Union Bay superfluous, and the eastern portion of the line, from Royston to Union Bay, was closed. In the early 1990s abandonment of the line was considered, but due to local pressure the line was kept open. In 1997 the tracks were refurbished and new fueling, storage, and light maintenance facilities for diesel railcars were built at Cumberland for the RailBus service that operates between there and Courtenay Station.
Wellington Colliery Railway locomotives
The Wellington Colliery Railway operated a variety of locomotives; the following list is incomplete
Steam locomotives
| Number | Type | Wheel arr. | Builder | Year | Bore & stroke | Driver diameter | Boiler pressure (lbf/in²) |
Tractive effort (lbf) |
Acquired | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | B 50‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1917 | 11"×12" | 32" | 200 | 22563 | 1917 | 1969 | 50-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, built new for WCR. Retired in 1969, plinthed outside Cumberland Station. |
| 11 | B 50‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1917 | 11"×12" | 32" | 200 | 22563 | 1917 | 1960 | 50-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, built new for WCR. Scrapped. |
| 20 | B 42‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1918 | 10"×12" | 29.5" | 180 | 16886 | 1919 | 1940 | 50-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, acquired second-hand. Scrapped. |
| 21 | B 42‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1912 | 10"×12" | 29.5" | 180 | 16886 | 1921 | 1949 | 50-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, acquired second-hand, ex Wilton & Northern Railroad #10 (Minnesota, USA). Scrapped. |
| 22 | B 42‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1923 | 10"×12" | 29.5" | 180 | 16886 | 1923 | 1948 | 50-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, built new for WCR. Scrapped. |
| 31 | B 60‑2 | 2‑truck Shay | Lima | 1917 | 12"×12" | 36" | 200 | 23976 | 1920 | 1961 | 60-ton 3-cylinder 2-truck Shay, acquired second-hand, ex Sultan Railway & Timber Co. #31 (Washington, USA). Scrapped. |
Diesel locomotives
The WCR operated a total of five diesel locomotives; after the BCR takeover, these were retired and sold off.
| Number | Type | Wheel arr. | Builder | Year | Power type | Max speed | Tractive effort | Power output | Acquired | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100–104 | 65-DE-19A | B-B | Armstrong Siddeley | 1955 | DE | 47 mph | 44000 lbf | 560 hp | 1955 | 1981 | Built new for WCR, retired after acquisition by BCR and sold. |
Services
Freight
There are three freight trains per week on this line between the Number Five Mine Industrial Park at North Cumberland and Courtenay; there is also freight moved from Chinook Forest Products via a half-mile spur from Fraser Road and from Thompson Brothers Lumber at Capes Park, but as these two stations are within Royston yard limits, these movements are counted as local Royston shunting work.
Passenger
There is a daily RailBus service between Cumberland and Courtenay, operated under contract to the Comox Valley Transit System. Travel time is 25 minutes each way; first trip departs Cumberland at 06:10, last trip departs Courtenay at 00:40. On workdays there is an extra trip departing Cumberland at 05:10. Fares are determined by Comox Valley Transit.
Route
A grey background indicates a closed section of the line; italic text indicates a closed connection or a closed station on an open line.
• - RailBus stop
| - No passenger service
| Station | Milepost | Connecting lines | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Bay | -5.4 | - | Freight only; closed 1981. Milepost 0 prior to 1981. | |
| Royston | 0.0 | Central Coast Line | ||
| Fraser Road | 1.9 | Chinook Forest Products spur (0.5 miles) | ||
| Capes Park | 2.9 | - | Thompson Bros. Lumber | |
| Nellie Creek | 4.5 | - | Passenger only | |
| Puntledge | 5.6 | - | Passenger only since 1964 | |
| Bevan | 7.8 | - | Signpost only since 1964 | |
| North Cumberland | 11.5 | - | Number Five Mine Industrial Park | |
| Cumberland | 12.3 | - | Passenger only since 1964 | |
| No. 6 mine | - | Freight only; closed 1964. | ||
| No. 3 mine | - | Freight only; closed 1964. | ||
| No. 1 mine | - | Freight only; closed 1964. | ||
| Scott's Slope (No. 4 mine) | 18.1 | - | Freight only; closed 1964. | |