BCRail - the Pemberton Push

On the last day of my 1990 BC Rail trip, I went to Pemberton and followed the pushers up to D'Arcy where they were cut into the afternoon southbound freight. This made 24,000 HP to get over the two 2.2% grades from D'arcy to Mons. I chased the freight all the way to Squamish, then recorded a meet with a northbound extra. Watch for the famous icon of Squamish in that era, the dog named "Depot" who had his own doghouse in front of the station and was cared for by the train order operators.

[@CentralPennRailProductions]

My my, how AC traction revolutionized the railroad in such a short period of time. Great look back, thanks for sharing!

[@camsmith7651]

Just at the end the guy with the pole was giving something to a train crew. What is it?

[@fmnut]

@@camsmith7651 train orders. They were replaced with the Track Warrant system the following year.

[@BrittaneyRocks04]

Absolutely one of the most fantastic rail videos on KZbin. Long live the Pemberton Pushers!

[@TheBCRailfan]

Excellent shots of the good ol’ BCOL! Great seeing footage of when they still had their MLW M630 fleet.

[@EasternCoastProductions]

Reported Marks Are BCOL Not BCR,BCR Is Bay Coast Railroad

[@fmnut]

I know. But it's always been BCR to me.

[@fmnut]

And they're called reportING marks not reported marks.

[@enr3870]

It's interesting we run the same tonnage trains south out of Lillooet with only 4 ES44AC's now. 2 up front and 2 in the train. No pushers at all.

[@fmnut]

AC traction may have something to do with that

[@enr3870]

+fmnut oh for sure. For a while we were running 5 or 6 Dash 9's or similar horsepower DC traction units.

[@vetteman7109]

that's when railroading was railroading, love, I,m a former NAR cndr. this is what I miss

[@rnrailproductions5049]

2:46 Ahh I love that sound of Idling SD40-2 locomotives, Reminds me of the RBMN SD40-2s idling all night.

[@S76helomech]

Just excellent! Nice to see the matched set of SoCred pushers, with 757 and 762 looking to have been repainted recently. And to have all the non lead Locotrol SD40-2s from the first order on one train is quite the catch. Love the different sounds of the 251 and 645 working on the head end power. Great shots too. Thanks for posting a reminder of how great this railway used to be at the time. If you're ever going to offer a DVD of your BCR footage, I would gladly purchase a copy.

[@fmnut]

email me at [e-mail] with your mailing address and I'll send you a copy

[@fmnut]

email me at fmnut at msn.com with your mailing address and I'll send you a copy

[@fmnut]

email me at fmnut at msn dot com with your mailing address and I'll send you a copy

[@fmnut]

send me a private message on youtube with your mailing address and I'll send you a copy

[@AirchimeLTDproductions174]

I'd certainly love to have a copy of your collection as well if you wouldn't mind.

[@judgedredd8657]

great video, i had always preferred the green BC Rail/PGE colors

[@BCOL4622]

I am making a video series called engines of bc rail. you have some great shots for some episodes I have planned. would I be able to download this video and use it in my video? credit will be given in the description.

[@fmnut]

Feel free. I also have lots more BC Rail material. Contact me at fmnut at msn dot com if you're interested.

[@PGE564]

That trailing jimmy sounds like its dead! That MLW C-630 717 seems to be doing all the head end work. Okay can hear it working after picking up the orders SB out of Squamish.

[@marcelomenendez1971]

nice to see big alcos, train orders, and the kindly black dog at squamish I also saw in others vids, the best friend

[@PGE564]

Depot the dog in Squamish!

[@tamamman]

What a great Video! Reminds me of the days when I use to ride the BCR!

[@PennRailVideos]

Wow!!! That train is insane!! Great video.

[@northMOFN]

You know, I used to own 1/4,000,000th of a railway. My parts were the crossing gate at Porteau Cove, two wheel bearings on a speeder, the coupler knuckle on a woodchip hopper, a starter motor in a BUDD car and the soap dispenser in an office bathroom at the North Van yard. But I was a citizen of British Columbia and that railway belonged to me.

[@alexandergrube6437]

Why did CN have to purchase such a great railroad. Also Canadian railroads really know how to make horns

[@fmnut]

lightnindash 3804 Quite simply, due to politics the province of BC wanted out of the railroad business. CN made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

[@fmnut]

lightnindash 3804 The Canadian railroads do not make the horns. They are made by a supplier same as the US. They sound different than US models due to Canadian government regulations that require horns to sound a minor chord. This is so moose are not attracted to the sound. In the early days of air horns they had several bad derailments from hitting moose.

[@alexandergrube6437]

I meant the horns that the Canadian railroads use sound really good

[@fmnut]

lightnindash 3804 yes, they do

[@ZombieSlayer-dj3wb]

So couldnt afford it anymore

[@ATSF854]

Incredible video. Thanks for posting this!

[@oldpete3153]

I still remember as a kid taking Union Steamships to the Squamish pier and catching the passenger to D'Arcy before the rail was completed connecting North Vancouver to Squamish.

[@zachross8081]

i miss BC Rail

[@polikwaptiwache397]

Awesome video, thank you. So much great content on your channel... I love it....

[@richarddrum9970]

Depot shows up in other BCR videos as well, nice dog. Gotta love those SD40's what an engine.

[@keithode1737]

No shit!

[@AgrarfilmeNorddeutschland]

Very great Video, thank´s for posting and merry Christmas!

[@zachross8081]

I remember seeing bc rail trains stop in darcy a long time ago

[@fairwayrailproductions3239]

Amazing cat eith the train with the BcRails Cabbose

[@mark_wooley001]

Great train video / nice to see caboose ... merry Christmas ...

[@iusetano]

Excellent video.

[@roserugosa]

Superb video!

[@nostalgiakarlk.f.7386]

I love the BC Rail livery. To me, it looks like an alternate Missouri Pacific livery due to its similarity to the Missouri state flag.

[@TrainsNStuff]

Amazing! Why is there no horn at the crossing in the first shot?

[@fmnut]

Trains N' Stuff & West Coast Railfan Productions Switching move, bell only

[@TrainsNStuff]

Yeah, I get it. Horns can get annoying.

[@25mfd]

Was always impressed with British Columbia Rail dressed in USA colors.

[@bcrail2259]

The bc flag has red white and blue that's why bcrail did their locomotives red white and blue.

[@steelrails1153]

@@bcrail2259 ---But they missed putting on the yellow of the setting sun which is the most prominent part of that B.C. Flag. Myself, I think the rail colour scheme was some sort of ulterior attempt to align BC Rail with American Railroads for political and economic purposes, by stupid politicians who don't know what Canada or even British Columbia is, which is NOT politically, socially,or culturally American. To me it was a treasonous colour scheme.

[@cpeast]

I had an uncle and aunt who lived in Pemberton. They were close to the station where the pushers were stored. I remember railfaning there.

[@free2roam674]

First seeing a speeder and then a caboose made me remember more interesting times for rail. When I was growing up in NS we still had full freight and passenger service to the Annapolis Valley. The Dominion Atlantic Railway. It is mostly multi use pathway now, which is also nice.

[@redbarnz]

Spectacular scenery and big ALCOs and SD40-2s--- how much better can it get?

[@AirchimeLTDproductions174]

Phenomenal footage of one of my personal favorite Railroads! I have a question how long was the SB freight chased from D'Arcy with the #717 and how long was the Extra with #721?

[@fmnut]

I don't generally count cars. If I recall correctly the southbound was about 100 cars while the northbound was about 60 or so.

[@AirchimeLTDproductions174]

@@fmnut Thank you and no worries! And I must say your shot of the #721 N into Squamish was my personal favorite shot of the film. #721s Sandcast K5H is absolutely beautiful.

[@fmnut]

@@AirchimeLTDproductions174 yes, all the elements of that shot were gone in a year or two, MLWs, train orders and track speeders.

[@SantaFe19484]

Awesome video!

[@toddhall3710]

Now this is chew chew train service !! I always liked the classics I like the colors of this chew chew train service British Colombia has always been a nice place !!

[@MichiganRailProductions]

Is that a K5H or a K3H? If it is a K5H it is fouled.

[@MichiganRailProductions]

Nvm it is definitely a K5H, just slightly fouled.

[@fmnut]

+Michigan Rail Productions yes, I count 5 bells on the horn. thx

[@MichiganRailProductions]

No problem.

[@robscott8296]

6:56 7:56 9:42 12:47 15:24 17:51 horn

[@zachross8081]

Awesome video!

[@insomniacraft-xn1ez]

what happednd to bc rail again

[@fmnut]

dash9fann777 taken over by CN

[@insomniacraft-xn1ez]

aww I see just like cnw and up fmnut lol

[@Dash7Studios]

Cool to see #758 here. MM&A here in Maine had that for a while.

[@ZombieSlayer-dj3wb]

So did the c424s go until cn took over ?

[@fmnut]

No, they were purged with the other Alcos in the early 90s. Oh, and they were C425's, not 424's.

[@mccoy79productions66]

Love these old units!

[@MagnumLoadedTractor]

Man those liveries look so good

[@BrianTuckerRailvideos]

Great video really enjoyed it

[@ZombieSlayer-dj3wb]

Wouldnt there be 24,600 hp or is that M630 leading ?

[@fmnut]

All 3000 HP. BCR had no M636's.

[@VisionsOfOdin]

Bring back BC Rail

[@camsmith7651]

At the end what was the guy with the pole giving to several crew members?

[@fmnut]

Train Orders. Written authority to move over the next section of line. Cannot be given until line is known to be clear. It's the way trains were protected before signals came into use. Now unsignaled lines are run with orders given by radio called Track Warrants. BC Rail switched to Warrants later in 1990.

[@mainyryan5978]

was the squamish yard one of the main yards for bcr and an important one ?

[@fmnut]

+MAINY RYAN The two principal yards on BCR were Prince George and North Vancouver. Squamish was one of the smaller yards as far as freight handling was concerned, but it was the site of their main shops.

[@mainyryan5978]

+fmnut another train questions if a load from vancouver needs to go to Prince George does the train from vancouver take it to prince george or do they drop it of at a point another train takes it up

[@fmnut]

+MAINY RYAN back in BC Rail days there were 2 daily thru Freights each way between PG and North Vancouver making pickups and set outs enroute. It would be handled in one of those.

[@mainyryan5978]

+fmnut does cn do the exact same so if a cn train leaving the vancouver its going straight to Prince George

[@fmnut]

+MAINY RYAN There are pickups and setouts on the way, but, yes, they go from Van to PG. There aren't any branches to the main line until you get north of PG.

[@loganmalough2379]

You don’t see a lot of BCrail engines nowadays.

[@fmnut]

BC Rail was absorbed operationally in 2004 by CN. Even its newest locos are nearing the end of their design lifespans. Even if they get rebuilt (unlikely) they'll be in CN livery.

[@80Class-Model-Railway]

Great video. Do you do DVD’s?

[@fmnut]

Not any more. Feel free to download the video and burn your own.

[@coasternamegenerator5611]

6:57 what’s going on with that K5H?

[@fmnut]

Don't know