Two exciting artifacts have just arrived at the Sooke Region Museum!
Currently under tarps waiting to be unveiled, the artifacts are gas speeder train cars or “dinkey engines”. A dedicated crew of Willy, lead hand and caretaker at the museum, and volunteers Barry, Bart, Ray, Francis and Jim, have been working to restore the trains. After railway ties are sealed and spots have been secured, the speeders will sit on our grounds permanently. Thanks to Vic City Crane Ltd. for transporting the artifacts and to 4M Bobcat and Trucking Ltd. for ongoing preparation of the site.
The speeders were formerly used by B.C. Hydro work crews to carry materials to and from the dam in Jordan River. Speeders were later replaced with pickup trucks or sport utility vehicles. The book “Power Pioneer” by Cliff Banner offers a snippet of history on the speeder cars:
“By the 1970’s the Jordan River narrow gauge rail system had been long out of service and was to be dismantled and scrapped.
The Vancouver Island Production Manager at that time sought a way to preserve the locomotives and track. Together with the Mayor of Nanaimo, they fostered the possibility of installing them as a tourist attraction on Newcastle Island in the Nanaimo Harbour. Arrangements were made to ship the locomotives to Nanaimo where they could by refurbished. But before the initiative could get underway, the Provincial Government declared Newcastle Island as a Provincial Park. This eliminated the possibility of fulfilling the dream of a narrow gauge railway tourist attraction.
Arrangements were then made to store the two locomotives at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in North Cowichan. There were a few unsuccessful attempts to have them restored and suitably placed for public viewing.
Finally, in 2013, the BC Hydro Community Relations Manager, Ted Olynyk was able to make arrangements with the Sooke Region Museum to have them restored for display. The intention is to have them non-operationally restored, and then have one displayed at the Sooke Museum site and one suitably displayed in the Jordan River area. The BC Hydro Power Pioneers sincerely appreciate that these two legacy icons will serve to enlighten future generations.
The Power Pioneers sincerely appreciate and wish to thank the BC Forest Discovery Centre, the BC Hydro managers who both originally conceived the restoration and then facilitated the arrangements, and finally the Sooke Region Museum for enabling it to happen.”
