The David Davies Railway Collection encompasses all facets of railway history specifically in the province of British Columbia and the Yukon territory. The collection consists of research material accumulated over the course of more than fifty years, and includes monographs, periodicals, articles, clippings, railway timetables, photographs, maps and plans, and excerpts. Material covers public, tourist, and private (industrial) railways, including: CPR, KVR, E&N; CNR, CNoR, GTPR; and PGER, BCR. The collection excludes material regarding streetcar systems and rapid transit, but includes long distance electric interurbans.
File consists of general references for railway topics, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions and clippings from periodicals. Includes the following articles: "Come Ride the Train: The Story of the National Railway Historical Society" by Cooper; "Sources of Railway Information in the Public Archives of Canada" by Thompson; "Researching Railway History in the Greater Vancouver Area" by Meyer; "B.C. Rail Guide No. 1: Historical Summary of Railways in British Columbia" (1992) by Davies and Nicklason; "Postcards and Railways: How they complimented each other in British Columbia" by Davies; "The Centennial of the Railway and Marine World" by Angus; Also includes the bibliography of David Davies, correspondence with museums and archives, the December 1990 "NMRA Periodical Index", and book reviews of railway monographs.
File consists of resources for undertaking railway history research. Includes tips from Davies on researching railway history, a 1971 draft of Davies' "Historical Summary - Railways in British Columbia", and perpetual calendars.
File consists of general railway histories of British Columbia or Canada, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions from books and clippings from periodicals. Includes the following articles: "The Changing Role of Railways in the Lower Fraser Valley, 1885-1965" by Roy; "Railroad Titans" by Parker; "Progressive Dates of Commencement of Passenger Service on the Pacific Great Eastern, 1914 to 1923" by Davies; "The Battle of the Gauges" by McDill; "Farewell to the Twentieth Century: Part 2" by Angus; "Railway Locations in B.C. with Military and Naval Names" by Davies and Green; "Railway Entrances to Vancouver, 1887-1969" by Cummings; "The Seton Portage Tramway: British Columbia's first 'railway'" by Davies; "The Later Transcontinental Railways" by Brook; "Some Pre-Canadian Pacific Promotions for a Canadian Transcontinental Railway" by Lester; and a geographic regional analysis of British Columbia by Putnam.
File consists of issue number 436 of "Canadian Rail", which has been pared down to the feature article "The Railway History of Kamloops, B.C.: A Century Old Story" by Davies.
File consists of two pamphlet guides to stop of interest plaques in British Columbia.
File consists of Number 31 in the Sound Heritage Series, "Railroaders: Recollections from the Steam Era in British Columbia", by Robert D. Turner.
File consists of provincial and regional maps of British Columbia relating to railways, which consist of photocopy reproductions from books and hand drawn works by Davies. Includes a series of articles by Davies published in The Sandhouse entitled: "An Interesting Tale: An Old Map is Discovered"; "Railways Around the Bottom End of Kootenay Lake"; "Railways in the Slocan Region"; "Nelson, Trail, and Thereabouts"; "Kettle Valley Railway Routing: The Theory"; "Competition, Then Compromise: The meshing of the V.V.E.R. and the K.V.R."; "Centenary of Crow's Nest Pass Railway"; and "E&N Developments on Vancouver Island".
File consists of maps of railway trackage in Vancouver Island, which consist of photocopy reproductions and hand drawn works by Davies. Includes maps of track in various cities on Vancouver Island (Victoria, Nanaimo, Duncan, Parksville, Qualicum, Nanoose, Ladysmith, and Port Alberni); maps of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N); and maps of logging railways on Vancouver Island.
Series consists of material regarding railway survey and construction in British Columbia. Includes information about construction statistics, surveying and tendering, construction methods, contractors, and equipment. Also includes details about the construction of specific railways, including the Canadian Northern Railway, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, the Kettle Valley Railway, the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, the Crow’s Nest Pass Railway, and others.
File consists of documents relating to railway construction in general and railway construction statistics, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions from books and clippings from periodicals. Includes the following items, among others: "Historical Summary of Railways in British Columbia" (BC Rail Guide No. 1) by Davies and Nicklason; "Dismantling the GNR tracks within B.C." compiled by Davies; "Summary of Route Mileages built in B.C. in Decades to 1930" compiled by Davies; "Rail Distances in B.C." compiled by Davies; and "A Chronology of Railways of B.C." by Dave Wilkie.
File consists of documents relating to the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes a chronology of the history of PGE, a list of sub-contractors who completed the Squamish sub-division, "PGE/BCR: Dease Lake Extension First 25 Years, 1968 to 1993", and "P.G.E.R. 1914 to 1923: Progressive Dates of Commencement of Passenger Service".
File consists of research material regarding fueling facilities for coal, oil and sand, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes the following pieces compiled by Davies: "Water and Coal Needs for Steam Locomotives"; "KVR Water Tanks/Coal Facilities"; "Coal or Oil Fired Locomotives in British Columbia"; "Sources of Coal for Steam Locomotives Working in B.C."; and "CPR Coaling Towers in B.C.".
File consists of research material regarding tunnels, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on tunnel clearances, the CN Messiter Tunnel, CNR tunnels, tunnelling methods in GTPR construction, PGE/BCR tunnels, and a "Summary of Tunnels in B.C. 100 feet and over" by Davies.
File consists of research material regarding other miscellaneous railway structures, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on handcar sheds, track scales, freight docks, gantry cranes, watchman's shanties, scalehouses, car repair shops, repair hoists, cattle docks, bunkhouses, and snowsheds.
File consists of research material regarding railway stations in general in British Columbia, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals (mainly model railroading magazines). Includes information on baggage rooms, the architectural history of railway stations, a listing of railway depots in B.C., livestock docks, station furniture, and flagstop shelters. Also includes the following articles: "Preserved Railway Structures in British Columbia" by Mike Green and "The Station Typewriter--A Railway Icon" by Fred Angus.
File consists of research material regarding Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) stations in British Columbia, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on various PGE stations and a listing by Davies entitled "Railway Stations in B.C. by Railway Company: PGE". Also includes an article by Patrick O. Hind entitled "Bridge River and the Pacific Great Eastern Railway".
File consists of research material regarding railway gardens (usually located next to railway stations), which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on railway gardens in Cranbrook, Vancouver, Kamloops, and Blue River. Also includes an article by Vallerand and Smith in Canadian Rail no. 530 entitled "Railway Gardens".
File consists of research material regarding railway telegraph lines, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes diagrams showing locations of train phone wires; examples of railway pole lines; and information on telephone shanties and communications insulators.
File consists of depictions of maintenance of way activities, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, postcards, and clippings from periodicals.
File consists of material regarding manufacturers of track vehicles before 1960, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on vehicles manufactured by Fairmont, Kalamazoo, Beavercar, Railcar Company, Woodings-Railcar Limited, Crerar Adams & Company, and Sylvester Manufacturing Company.
File consists of research material regarding issues with animals on railway tracks, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes incidents involving elephants, moose, cattle, snakes, bears, elk, dogs, beavers, ospreys, and others.
File consists of research material regarding railway snow removal rotary equipment, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on Leslie rotary snow plows, CPR rotary plows, and rotary plows in general. Also includes an article by Swanson entitled "The Leslie Brothers and their Giant Snowblower" and an article by Nicholls entitled "Rotary Ploughs".
File consists of a 1985 publication by John G. Woods entitled "Snow War: An illustrated history of Rogers Pass Glacier National Park, B.C.".
File consists of research material regarding Canadian National Railway steam locomotives, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes the following articles: "The Speed Monarch" by Perry; "A Brief Salute to the CNR's Famous 4-8-4s"; "The CNR Look--A Family of Steam Locomotives" by Perry; "Canadian National Mikados" by Odegard; "6060 -- Clear Track Ahead!" by Corness; "Western Workhorses: Canadian National's S-2 Class Mikados" by Skolyan; and "The 6060 to the 6079" by Home. Also includes many depictions of various CNR steam locomotive types, CNR locomotive information and data sheets, and a full issue of Canadian Rail no. 487 featuring articles on Northern type locomotives.
File consists of a 1984 publication by Patrick O. Hind entitled "Pacific Great Eastern Steam Locomotives".
File consists of a 1977 publication by Steve Hauff and Jim Gertz entitled "The Willamette Locomotive".
File consists of a publication by John White entitled "A Short History of American Locomotive Builders in the Steam Era".
File consists of a folder containing information sheets regarding Canadian Pacific Railway locomotives. The sheets consists of Selkirk type 2-10-4, Hudson Type 4-6-4, Standard Type 4-4-0, Atlantic Type 4-4-2, Ten Wheeler type 4-6-0, Mallet Type 0-6-6-0, Jubilee Type 4-4-4, Switcher Type 0-6-0, Switcher type B-B, Shay geared type 3 truck,# Road unit type A1A-A1A, Consolidation 2-8-0, Santa Fe Type 2-10-2, Mikado Type 2-8-2, Baltic tank type 4-6-4T, Road Switcher B-B, Northern Type 4-8-4, Camelback type 4-6-0,#19 Mogul type 2-6-0, Road Freight type B-B,1 Pacific Type 4-6-2, Mountain type 4-8-2, gas-mechanical rail cars, Gas-mechanical rail cars, Decapod type 2-10-0, Switcher 0-8-0, and wheel arrangements.
File consists of research material regarding examples of mainstream power related to diesel locomotives, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Included examples of locomotives had a minimum of 1,000 units built in North America, such as the ALCO RS1, EMD SD40-2, EMD GP38-2, and Montreal Locomotive Works M420, among others.
File consists of a publication by Murray W. Dean and David B. Hanna entitled "Canadian Pacific Diesel Locomotives".
Series consists of articles, clippings, and other research material related to rolling stock used on British Columbia railways. Although the term “rolling stock” encompasses all vehicles that move on a railway, some material regarding rolling stock is filed separately, such as locomotives (see series 2013.6.11). Includes information about passenger cars, freight cars, and non-revenue cars (cabooses, cranes, service cars, etc.).
File consists of research material regarding passenger cars in general, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on rail diesel cars (RDC/Budd car), baggage coaches, diner cars, Pullman cars/sleeper cars, observation cars, and other passenger coaches.
File consists of research material regarding freight cars in general, including statistics, general reviews, and their evolution and historical development. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Also includes "Locomotive, Trolley, and Rail Car Builders: An All-Time Directory" by Ian Arnold (Railway History Quarterly, 1965); a CN Rail freight car roster from 1972; "CN's Freight Car Fleet & Numbering System--1919-1996" by Ian Cranstone (CN Lines, 1996); and excerpts from a 1979 CP Rail Equipment Data Book with data sheets from stock cars, flat cars, ore cars, and woodchip cars.
File consists of research material regarding boxcar design progression over the decades, including profiles for 36-footer, 40-footer, 50-footer, and 60-footer boxcars. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals.
File consists of research material regarding boxcars owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canadian National Railway, and BC Rail. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals.
File consists of research material regarding refrigerator cars. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals.
File consists of research material regarding woodchip cars. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals.
File consists of research material regarding automobile carriers. Predominantly consists of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals.
Series consists of employee timetables for the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canadian National Railway, the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, BC Rail, the Great Northern Railway, the Great Northern Railway, the Burlington Northern Railway, the BC Electric Railway, and the BC Harbours Board Railway. Also known as “working timetables”, these are a valuable research tool that include timings at every station or other significant location along the train's journey, the train's reporting number, its maximum speed, and any other information relevant to the operation of the train.
File consists of Canadian Pacific Railway timetable code resources.
File consists of original Canadian Pacific Railway Pacific Region timetables 85 (25 Oct. 1970), 96 (25 Apr. 1971), and 99 (29 Oct. 1972).
File consists of original CPR Pacific Region timetables 96 (28 Oct. 1979) and 98 (3 Feb. 1980).
Subseries consists of Canadian National Railway employee timetables and schedules.
File consists of the following original and complete CNR BC time tables:
Timetable 30 (31 Oct. 1965)
Timetable 36 (27 Oct. 1968)
File consists of original Pacific Great Eastern Railway Pacific District timetables 75 (19 May 1957), 77 (27 Apr. 1958), and 78 (15 Feb. 1959).
File consists of background material on railway employee timetables.
File consists of photocopied excerpts of Great Northern Railway employee timetables from 1909, 1913, 1918, 1924, and 1931. Also includes an original GNR Cascade Division timetable 104 (31 Oct. 1965).
File consists of research material regarding train order stations, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on train order boards, hooping up, and throwing down.
File consists of research material regarding train signalling, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions, excerpts from books, and clippings from periodicals. Includes information on use of semaphore, searchlights, signal bridges, meanings of signal indications, ball signals, and smash boards.