Revelstoke, British Columbia (2003)
 Located within the Columbia Mountains in the interior of British Columbia,
Revelstoke’s history as a railway centre began in the 1880s during
the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Revelstoke is located
on the Columbia River between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges.
When the original CPR survey crews located the line it was known simply
as Second Crossing owing to the presence of the Columbia River. Prior to
being named in honour of Lord Revelstoke — which was the title bestowed
upon British financier the Right Honourable A. C. Baring — the community
was known as Farwell, named for A. S. Farwell, a local land owner and surveyor.
It was the underwriting of a bond issue by A. C. Baring’s financial
institution that would provide the funds that would lead to the completion
of the CPR.
 In
1899, the community of Revelstoke became a major divisional point on the
transcontinental mainline of the CPR, complete with divisional offices
and large locomotive shop facilities for the servicing of steam locomotives.
CPR employees for over a century have called Revelstoke home, and have
ensured the safe operations of trains and maintenance of the Shuswap Subdivision
running west to Kamloops and the Mountain Subdivision west to Field. Until
the upper Arrow Lake reservoir was flooded with the creation of manmade
dams, Revelstoke also served as the junction of the mainline and the Arrow
Lake Subdivision. This branch line connected Revelstoke with CPR steam
boats operating on the Arrow Lakes system.
 The
CPR also constructed a railway hotel in Revelstoke. This facility was
constructed primarily as a meal stop prior to the introduction of dining
cars on main-line passenger trains through the mountains. This facility
however was closed and demolished in 1928.
 Revelstoke
remains an important railway centre for the operation of CPR’s Calgary
to Vancouver corridor. Revelstoke-based crews continue to safely handle
trains of coal, merchandise, and grain, today using modern fuel-efficient
diesel locomotives. The dedication of the maintenance of way personnel
located at Revelstoke ensures maintenance of the line, which includes
huge geographical and operational challenges, together with managing record
snow falls in the Rogers Pass each winter. Revelstoke’s railroaders
continue to carry on a tradition today established by those who ensured
that the trains ran safely and on time over a century ago. It is in this
spirit that the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame honours Revelstoke as a
Hall of Fame community in 2003.
Photos: CPR Corporate Archives
|
Located within the Columbia Mountains in the interior of British Columbia,
Revelstoke’s history as a railway centre began in the 1880s during
the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Revelstoke is located
on the Columbia River between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges.
When the original CPR survey crews located the line it was known simply
as Second Crossing owing to the presence of the Columbia River. Prior to
being named in honour of Lord Revelstoke — which was the title bestowed
upon British financier the Right Honourable A. C. Baring — the community
was known as Farwell, named for A. S. Farwell, a local land owner and surveyor.
It was the underwriting of a bond issue by A. C. Baring’s financial
institution that would provide the funds that would lead to the completion
of the CPR.
