Engine 374

Posted 
on Nov 22, 2014
 
May 23, 1887 was a great day for Vancouver, when CPR Engine 374 pulled the first transcontinental passenger train into the city. Crowds cheered, the city band played, ships in the harbour blew their horns, and hundreds of flags decorated the young city.
 
 
Our speaker was Bill Johnston. Bill has been a Rotarian for more than 30 years. He is currently a member of the RC of Burnaby Deer Lake. His career was in BC forestry industry. He is a director of the West Coast Railway Association and chief custodian of Engine 374.
 
The arrival of Engine 374 was a great day not only for Vancouver, but for the whole nation. The event heralded the completion of one of the greatest engineering feats of the century, a twin line of steel linking the new nation of Canada from coast to coast, ten years in construction.
Between May and July, 1886, a group of eight passenger locomotives, of 4-4-0 type and having 69 inch driving wheels were constructed and numbered 371-378. These were sent to the Pacific division to operate on the Cascade section between North Bend and Port Moody, and two of them figured in historical events.
 
Engine No. 374 in 1914 was selected for a complete rebuilding; it was an almost completely new locomotive, built upon the main frame of the original 1886 locomotive. No. 374 was given an additional thirty year lease on life and remained in revenue service until July, 1945, when it was retired.
 
After delivery to Vancouver, No. 374 was made the responsibility of the Park Board for care and custody and was placed on a section of track at Kitsilano Beach. The next 38 years were perhaps the saddest chapter in the life of this engine. It remained in the park largely forgotten and ignored, the victim of rust and vandalism. Although a few volunteers attempted to maintain her, a lack of money, interest and proper shelter took their toll of the engine. In 1963, a vain attempt was made to move into the former aircraft hangar where the Community Music School is now located in Vanier Park.
 
 Then in 1981, the West Coast Railway Association and the Canadian Railroad Historical Association began to promote the saving and restoration of the No. 374, and by 1983 had raised funds for a badly needed cosmetic restoration. The locomotive was removed from Kitsilano and placed in a warehouse on Granville Island, where teams of dedicated volunteers worked on her for two years. In 1985, the engine was transported to North Vancouver’s Versatile Shipyards for final restoration. Addition funds to accomplish this were partially raised through the Heritage Brick Program sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited.
 
On February 13, 1986, No. 374 was transported to the Expo 86 Roundhouse Site. There, restored to its former glory, it was a fitting tribute to Vancouver’s historic transition from “Milltown to Metropolis”.