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Vernon  

Vintage film reel shows stunning scenery on 1950s Dayliner train ride

A vintage train ride

This week's vintage B.C. reel from historian and videographer Francois Arseneault, climb aboard for a delightful mid-winter railway trip shot in the 1950s.

In 1956, the Pacific Great Eastern Railroad (later BC Rail) purchased several brand new "Dayliners," self-propelled rail diesel cars manufactured by Budd. The stainless steel cars were economical to operate and comfortable, hauling passengers and light loads of baggage or mail.

They were intended to serve communities that couldn't economically be served by full-size passenger trains.

This cab ride aboard a Dayliner between Squamish and Lillooet is visually stunning and is likely one of the very first runs on the route, says Arseneault.

The Cariboo Prospector or Cariboo Dayliner, as it was known, would operate until 2002. Today, the only passenger train on this route is the Rainforest to Gold Rush operated by Rocky Mountaineer between Vancouver and Jasper. 

 

Anyone who may have old 16 mm or 8 mm film footage of the Vernon and Okanagan area is invited to email Arseneault at [email protected].



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