Welcome to the Kettle Valley Railroad. This is a must see attraction if you are visiting Summerland in BC’s Okanagan region. Nestled high up in Sumerlands Wine country this recreation of the once famous Kettle Valley railroad is a railroad lovers dream come true.
Reservations are best, though they do allow some first come first server riders on board. A trip on this historic railroad will cost you $25.00 / adult and $16.00 for children under twelve. Reservations can be made here:
Once you have your ticket and you have checked in it’s on to the platform to await the call “All Aboard”
This historic railroad ran from Vancouver to the east Kootenays and operated from 1916 to 1964 when it was closed due to the high cost of operations. The Kettle Valley Historical Society purchased this 1912 steam engine 3716 and refurbished it to run on the only sections of the KVR track to remain in operation today. The preserved section of the KVR runs for 10 miles or 16.6km and offers beautiful and stunning views of Summerlands Wine country. The trip ends on one of the few remaining trestle bridges that sits 238ft above the valley floor.
Once on the train visitors have the option of sitting in either a covered or open air passenger car. Of course you will need to make your decision on which car to ride in when you book. Since our visit was in the middle of summer and the day was hot we chose the open air car.
Movement between cars was forbidden but you could get up and look around the car that you were in. and enjoy the view from both sides of the car. A nice addition to the ride was a musician traveling between cars and striking up a jam session with a sing along for all the passengers.
As you can see on the day we took our ride the smoke from the forest fires was heavy in the air, but it did not detract to much from the beauty of the valley.
As the train made its way along the track the various wineries offered great views of their vineyards.
At the midway point the train travels by what the locals call Head mountain. As you can see the mountain looks like the profile of a human head.
As the train nears the end of the track, and before it travels onto the trestle bridge the engine does a reverse run from front to back and passes by the train cars it just detached from. This offered a excellent chance to take some great pictures of this old and magnificent iron horse.
Once the Engine has re-attached itself to the opposite end of the train it slowly backs on to the trestle bridge, which sits 238ft above the valley floor. As we came around the last bend in the track before the bridge I was able to get this picture and great view of the bridge.
238ft is a long way down! Here is a dizzying view of the valley floor from the trestle bridge.
Another view from the trestle bridge was of Okanagan lake. Unfortunately the smoke really dulled the colours of the valley and lake.
After the trestle bridge the train again moves forward and stops at this restored train station for a break and pictures.
Now here I am on the front of the Train, but this was actually forbidden and I got some flak for taking this picture, but it was so worth it!
As we headed back to The main station we passed this winery that proudly advertised that wine is life. The Dirty Laundry Winery obviously had some fun with there train track advertising.
As glampurs I can definitely say that Wine is the way to a happy life and a happy wife! Lorraine loves her wine and I always make sure we have lots on board, but I am always looking for a new brand of wine to surprise her with. After this trip we bought a couple of bottles of Dirty Laundry. It was well worth the price of a bottle to experience the best of Summerlands wineries.
The KVR is a popular attraction in Summerland so reservations are recommended. They can be made here:
Happy Trails
the Glampurs