▚ The Province's railway
BC Rail began as the Pacific Great Eastern in 1912, a provincially owned railway pushing north from the Vancouver area into the British Columbia interior. It was renamed British Columbia Railway in 1972 and BC Rail in 1984.
▚ Mountain railroading and electrification
BC Rail ran spectacular mountain railroading to Prince George and beyond, hauling forest products, coal, and ore, and even electrified the isolated Tumbler Ridge coal branch. Its red-white-and-blue dogwood scheme is a Pacific Northwest favorite.
▚ Leased to CN
In 2004, in a controversial deal, the provincial government leased BC Rail's operations to Canadian National for 990 years — effectively ending it as an independent railway.
▚ On this layout
BC Rail runs here in both scales — SD40-2s, a C40-8, an ALCO C-630, C44-9WLs, and a C425. Ol' BC Rail keeps rolling on this railroad.