RIP Kelowna pacific railway

[Spanderson]

Later this week, my family is going to Kelowna, BC for a vacation. The last time we were there I saw the tracks of the Kelowna Pacific Railroad but I didnt see any trains. This time, our grandparents are coming with us and my Grandpa (the biggest train nut I know) was going to bring his radio scanner. But today I decide to do a little research on the railroad and discover the railroad had gone into bankruptcy on JULY 5!:'''''''( (I cant post enough crying faces to show how sad I am) If we would of planned our trip 30 days earlier I could have caught the last few runs off this railroad, but I cant do that anymore:'(. Does anyone know why they went under or if the line has a future or is CN just going to rip it up and leave the Okanogan Valley with no rail access?

Wish I could have seen this in person.

This lashup looks awesome.

 

[PatrickTaylor89]

Does anyone know why they went under or if the line has a future or is CN just going to rip it up and leave the Okanogan Valley with no rail access?

Wish I could have seen this in person.


This lashup looks awesome.

I agree it really sucks that the KPR seems to be dead. Living in Kamloops, I always enjoyed seeing those trains pass along the CP tracks near my home. From what I have gathered, the KPR went under because they'd been losing money for some time. In fact, I'm not sure they were ever really profitable. According to various stories I've read, they were behind on a number of payments and I believe even taxes. It was obvious that the length of their trains were getting shorter, and I believe in the last year or so they cut back from daily trains to 3x per week. Apparently, that wasn't enough to solve their problems. From what I've heard, there had been a major decline in shipments of forest products, which had once been a major part of their business.

I have it on good authority that decisions should be made in the next week or two about the future of the railroad, but my source had no idea what the decision might be. I doubt the KPR as we know it will return. From what I've heard, CN is considering resuming operations on the line, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that either. If they could make a profit on it, they likely wouldn't have given the line up to a shortline in the first place.

As for your trip, last I heard, the engines were sitting in Vernon, so you could still see them. In fact, I understand that they are down there preparing to clear the remaining cars off the line, so there is a chance you might end up seeing some action after all.


Patrick