Saturday, April 27, 2013

Engine 374


On 23 May 1887, Canadian Pacific Railway Engine 374 arrived in Vancouver pulling a train carrying 150 passengers. The new nation of Canada was now linked from the Atlantic to the Pacific and this opened the door to new arrivals and immigrants. The CPR rail yard and roundhouse were located in False Creek, an industrial area with saw mils, lumber yards and barges. The railway tracks were removed for the creation of the Expo 86 site, who's theme was Transportation and Communication. Engine 374 was refurbished. As a fundraiser "Heritage" bricks were sold for $19.86 each, the amount to coincide with the year of Expo, and $400,000 was raised. Each brick had the purchaser's name on it and these bricks now form the paved floor for the Pavilion on Drake Street, Vancouver. 

My daughters, both 4th generation Vancouverits, have their names embedded in time with the train that brought it all together.






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