RailNews

Vancouver Island’s Englewood Railway Shuts Down

Western Forest Products has announced November 7 that it will not be restarting operations on the Englewood Railway and the line will be shut down permanently. The 55-mile-long line was used to haul logs from Beaver to Woss, B.C., in northern Vancouver Island. The railway has been in operation for 100 years and was the last active logging railway in North America. About 35 employees are impacted by the closure, and some are expected to transfer to other jobs. The logs previously hauled by the railway will now be moved by truck, a change that will save on operating expenses, according to a company press release.

The railway has been closed since April 20 when an accident left three maintenance-of-way employees dead. A cut of cars rolled away from the reload yard in Woss and hit a crew of five working on the track with a backhoe.

At the time of its closure the line was operating with three dynamic brake-equipped EMD SW1200 locomotives, all of which had been repowered with Caterpillar engines. Two of these locomotives were acquired new from General Motors Diesel in 1956; the third was acquired second hand in 1972.

Western Forest Products has recognized the historical significance of the railway and has stated that they will work with the local community to determine how to honor its long history.

—Glenn Courtney

This article was posted on: November 8, 2017