Important Dates

Welcome to FVHRS

Our mission: To restore and to operate heritage interurban cars on the original BC Electric Railway Route through Surrey and the Fraser Valley to link heritage tourism destinations.

Our initial operations are focused on the red section on the above map. The original rail line still exists from the rail bridge over the Fraser river at Brownsville to Chilliwack.

News

2011 Newsletter available online

Members received the Summer 2011 newsletter by mail earlier this year. This version is now available on the FVHRS website with the features on the Fall 2010 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, news from the 2011 AGM, celebration of the Last Sullivan Open House and our annual Sponsor & Donor Salute. You will need the free Adobe PDF reader to view the issue.

IN this issue you will also find news about the new Cloverdale site, including the new car barn, future Cloverdale Station, news about the BCER 1225 trucks rehabilitation and a fond good-bye to the original Sullivan Station.

Cloverdale construction update

14 Oct 2011 Breaking News: The Board of Directors of the FVHRS are very pleased to announce that approval to start construction has been received from the City of Surrey. We expect the Building Permit to be issued shortly to be followed by construction and all the other activities that are needed to become the next operating railway in B.C.

Check back for more news, and photographs of activity in Cloverdale.

Aug. 2011 Work has started on the new home for the FHVRS. The City of Surrey has provided the society with property at 5554 176 Street, the site for a new 3-bay car barn and home for the BCER interurbans currently at the Sullivan Station car barn. {Click on the small pictures to see larger view.}

Removing organics and other unwanted items {Aug 4}

The site has undergone a complete change with old "organics" removed and a covering of structural fill ready for the construction of the new barn. Work was delayed for a short time to remove some unexpected surprises left underground, however all is now good to go on the site. Left-over construction items from a previous tenant have been removed by RDM to the various disposal locations.

Part of the site preparation is to install site surface drainage and connect to the storm sewer system. As you can see, extensive infrastructure is needed to deal with the rains on the "Wet Coast" in B.C. Construction planning needs to include these hidden, but needed, systems to protect our rolling heritage cars.

Most of the site preparation work has been completed as of the end of August. The site is now ready for construction to start on the new car barn once the Building permit is issued by the City of Surrey and the official approval for construction has been given by city staff.

Celebrating 100 years of the Fraser Valley Line.

100 years of the BCER in the Fraser Valley

We are most pleased to bring you a Centenary Celebration of the B.C. Electric Railway Fraser Valley line. This publication looks at some of the events over the past 100 years on the BCER line, and a glimpse of what might be in the near future.

Written by Ray Hudson and Henry Ewert, this includes a few images rarely seen along with sections of the map of the BCER 1909-1950 created by David Reuss.

Our thanks to our partners and sponsors: Surrey Heritage Advisory Commission, SRY Rail Link, Buchanan Printing and The Leader.

Click here to download the PDF version of the Centenary Celebration of the BCER Fraser Valley line.

You will need the (free) Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the publication.

Recent work on BCER 1225

Work on BCER 1225 continues in the car barn. the dedicated volunteers are very busy 3 days per week getting the car ready to run again. Having brought the car from its 50 year California vacation, there is a lot of wood that needs replacing to be able to function in the Wet Coast again. Some items have just not survived the 50 + years of use.

Restoration and rehabilitation from the floor up to the roof has been underway since the car arrived. The car has been raised up and the trucks removed for refurbishing and cleaning. The trucks will be returning very soon, and then 1225 will look proper again.