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:
- Canadian Rail issue no. 447 (July-August 1995) which is devoted to Canada's Railways in World War II
- Article by David Davies, "Wartime Freight in BC in WWII, 1939-1945"
- Summary piece by David Davies, "What happened in British Columbia in WWII? 1939-1945: A Review of Military Events"
Series consists of graphic material depicting railways in British Columbia. Includes prints, negatives, and postcards.
Subseries consists of prints and negatives depicting railways in British Columbia separated from the textual records of the David Davies Railway Collection.
Subseries consists of prints and negatives depicting railways in British Columbia, as well as a small selection of other subjects such as historical ships, buildings, vehicles, and bridges. All photographs created by David Davies.
Subseries consists of printed and photograph postcards depicting railways, buildings, ships, and other transportation in British Columbia.
Series consists of research material relating to steam and diesel locomotives that were used on British Columbia railways. Includes information about the steam to diesel transition period, details about specific locomotives, locomotive manufacturers, and self-propelled coaches.
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.
Series consists of general histories, statistics, and sources for railway subjects, which predominantly consist of photocopy reproductions and clippings from periodicals. Most documents are Canada-wide in scope.
Map depicts Canadian railways in operation at 2011.
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.).
Series consists of large format maps and plans relating to railways in British Columbia and Canada. Also includes oversize documents.
File consists of documentary photographs taken by David Davies of snow plows and flangers in British Columbia.
Photograph depicts a CNR heavy duty plow, built in 1939. Became property of the Kamloops Heritagae Railway Society.
Photograph depicts a CNR heavy duty plow, built in 1939. Became property of the Kamloops Heritagae Railway Society. Image captures a close up of the coupler and moveable lower front plate.
Photograph depicts a train commencing its trip in its yard, not at the station, in Port Alberni. Locomotive at the lower/city end (ie formation at the end of the last trip). It, at the time, needed to get to the head-end, so it took the siding.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific tourist railway train.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific Railway locomotive about to uncouple and run around its train. A sawmill station was behind the camera.
Photograph depicts a switching locomotive and stand-in locomotive.
File consists of documentary photographs taken by David Davies of the Alberni Pacific tourist steam railway in Port Alberni, British Columbia.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific tourist railway locomotive backing onto its train of passenger cars (3 opened, 2 closed, all CN transfer cabooses, now remodelled).
Photograph taken on the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway main line out of Port Alberni with run-around siding over the right out of sight. Yard is found towards the rear. On the left, there was private trackage of the Nordeske paper mill that was in daily use until December 31, 2001 when Rail America stopped runnning freights because the mill went to road transport.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific railway train that was just coming into a run-around loop at the end of a sawmill spur. Trackage built 2000/01.
Photograph depicts Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway trackage in Port Alberni only used by the Alberni Pacific tourist railway. Visible is an interesting throw-type switch.
Photograph depicts a water tank car used for fighting line side fires. Propery of Alberni Pacific tourist railway. Sat in a yard in Port Alberni. Formerly owned by Crown Zellerbach of Ladysmith.
Photograph depicts an old tank car owned by a logging railway on Vancouver Island, parked at the end of a spur behind a locomotive shed of the Alberni Pacific Railway.
Photograph depicts a tiny switcher that belonged to the McLean sawmill and was buily by Buda of New Westminster, circa 1927. Sat on unconnected trackage adjacent to the Alberni Pacific Railway and was part of a sawmill exhibit.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific Railway locomotive built in 1929 by Baldwin. After at least four years of restoration, it commenced running in 2001. It was spotted outside of a locomotive shed in Port Alberni.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific Railway train that was very close the McLean sawmill (opened in 1926, closed in 1965).
Photograph depicts a primitive logging caboose. Believed to have been built by or for the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway in 1898.
Photograph depicts a CNR heavy duty plow, built in 1939. Became property of the Kamloops Heritagae Railway Society.
Photograph depicts a CNR heavy duty plow, built in 1939. Became property of the Kamloops Heritagae Railway Society.
Photograph depicts a CNR heavy duty plow, built in 1939. Became property of the Kamloops Heritagae Railway Society. Photo captures details of a door on its left side.
Photograph depicts the Pacific Rails Convention of Victoria on a field trip to Port Alberni. Travelling on the Alberni Pacific Railway to visit a steam-driven sawmill at its outer terminal. Chartered trip for convention members (one coach/bus load) as the line was not yet open for the tourist season.
Photograph depicts an Alberni Pacific Railway train travelling on Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway track, not used since 2002 and was now at the beginning of a connecting spur to a steam sawmill museum. It was built in 2000, but commenced in the 2001 summer season.
Photograph depicts 2 freight cars of the Okanagan Valley Railway.
Photograph depicts Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway trackage in Langford, Greater Victoria. Looking east towards Victoria and a grade crossing of Jacklin Road (north/south road).
Photograph depicts the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway depot in Ladysmith. Track visible. Looking southward.
Photograph depicts former Comox Logging locomotive #11.
Photograph depicts a locomotive lettered "Central Kansas Railway" (possibly a parent company).
Photograph depicts Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway trackage on the outskirts of Greater Victoria, on the southwest edge of Langford Lake.
Photograph depicts 2 car freight near Oyama on the CN branch from Kelowna to Vernon. The lead locomotive was lettered "Hudson Bay Railway." Central Kansas Railway may be a parent.
Photograph depicts 2 locomotives and a 2 car train, both northbound.
Photograph depicts what was believed to be a former repair coach/car shop. It held a Budd car in storage. Vegetation in the foreground shows passage of a vehicle in the last 2-3 months.
File consists of documentary photographs taken by David Davies of artifacts of the Comox Logging Railway in Ladysmith, British Columbia.
Photograph depicts a homemade (?) device used to scour boiler tubs of scale. Taken at the former site of the Comox Logging Railway's yard and maintenance facilities.
Photograph depicts a part of the former ard of the Comox Logging Railway. It was now a little known park. Locomotive #11, Baldwin, also visible.
Photograph depicts former yard of the Comox Logging Railway. Locomotive shed in background. Locomotive #11, Baldwin, also visible.
Photograph depicts former yard and freight stock of the Comox Logging Railway.
File consists of documentary photographs taken by David Davies of the Okanagan Valley Railway in British Columbia.