Canadian Railroads > Water tower Wednesday, near Jellicoe BC,1977

Not all water towers were located at stations or at passing tracks. This water tower was located near Jellicoe BC on CP's Princeton Subdivision, part of the Kettle Valley route between Penticton and Spences Bridge BC.

Such a water tower was placed near a reliable water source, and the first image shows a culvert over a nearby creek. CP would have built a pipeline from the creek to the tower.

I was the tail end brakeman on a ballast work train in the Fall of 1977. The old Kettle Valley Division, by 1977 part of the Vancouver Division of CP would get an annual allotment of ballast cars, and a work train would disperse ballast at locations located by the roadmaster, who along with a small crew of track workers rode in the caboose visible in these images.

Here is most of the crew of that 1977 work train posed at Jellicoe BC.( Jellicoe was the British Admiral in the World War 1 sea battle at Jutland). Left to right, myself (Phil Mason, age 27)tail end brakeman, "Tulameen Johnnie", section foreman, Roadmaster McNight, locomotive engineer Cliff Inkster, head end brakeman Wayne Ferland. Such is the closeness of former KV Division employees that I know Wayne and myself are the only two still with us. Wayne went on to other endeavours and lives in Penticton. I was only working a "vacancy" away from my home terminal of Revelstoke BC. I had been accepted for an upcoming locomotive engineers training program so my supervisors suggested if I was going to work "away" to do it then.

The Princeton Sub.was abandoned in the late 1980's except for a ten mile portion near West Summerland BC which is toady's Kettle Valley Steam Railway. Much of the Princeton Sub was through empty country without road access. Since then I'm told this has become cottage country.

Forty years agoo this month.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/07/22 19:41 by eminence_grise.

Cliff Inkster was one of the railroaders featured in an article titled "Old men of the mountain" by Blair Kooistra in the April 2004 issue of TRAINS mag. Great read about life at the last pusher station on CP in Rogers, BC just before the building of the Mount Macdonald tunnel eliminated the pushers in 1989.
Steve B.

Very interesting photos showing a very different rail scene from forty years ago.
ALLEN

Phil, what's that stuff coming out from under your hat???

Rick
:)