Steel Rails and Iron Men: A Pictorial History of the Kettle Valley Railway

by Barrie Sanford

In this new edition of a railway classic, Barrie Sanford, author of McCulloch's Wonder, presents a unique pictorial history of the legendary Kettle Valley Railway. Archival photographs and several from the author's personal collection illustrate the history of the Kettle Valley Railway from its construction through its turbulent lifespan and eventual demise. These moving visual images celebrate the magnitude of the engineering feats achieved by Andrew McCulloch and the many workers who made the railway a reality. Many workers died in the attempt to lay track across three mountain ranges and some of the world's most rugged river canyons. More lost their lives in the railway's subsequent years of operating freight and passenger services on the sometimes treacherous tracks of British Columbia's southern interior. For all historians and railway buffs, this is an essential book.

165 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1920

Reviews

[Steve Boyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful look at one of the most dramatic sections of railway in North America, the Kettle Valley Railway. It had a short life but it was full of challenges and drama. The author did an excellent job taking us through the entire history of the line, and the book is festooned with many photographs of the line and its trains.