1261 replies to this topic

[UrbanRail]

I just sent an email to him, and should get a response some time this week.

I will let you know what he says.

[Mike K.]

Cool.

[Rob Randall]

The Centennial Square charette I was involved in earlier this year dealt with this a bit. I wrote about it here and blogged about it here. Geoff Young was on our team and he protested the exercise because he felt any debate on the future of Centennial Square must involve the possibility of using it as a transit hub. We were reassured that any change would not preclude CS from becoming a hub in the future although that didn't really reassure Geoff.

Another person recently pointed out to me that the 4% grade from the bridge to CS makes it difficult to bring trains up.

[UrbanRail]

The Centennial Square charette I was involved in earlier this year dealt with this a bit. I wrote about it here and blogged about it here. Geoff Young was on our team and he protested the exercise because he felt any debate on the future of Centennial Square must involve the possibility of using it as a transit hub. We were reassured that any change would not preclude CS from becoming a hub in the future although that didn't really reassure Geoff.

Another person recently pointed out to me that the 4% grade from the bridge to CS makes it difficult to bring trains up.

4% grade cant be right. The grade from the bridge to CS is not that steep. I heard it was more like 2%.

[UrbanRail]

Here is a link to how much of a grade a train can climb without using a rack system. You will be surprised that trains can negotiate steep grades of 4%.

http://en.wikipedia....slope)#Railways

[G-Man]

Trains used to run in this area so I am sure it would be fine. Of course we could always have the train go undergound at Store and have it pull into a station under Cityhall which would connect with the underground LRT along Aastra's routing from the other day on Douglas.

[mat]

This question may already have been answered, but are there any old tram tracks still under city streets? Quite often, in other cities, they were simply paved over.

[UrbanRail]

This question may already have been answered, but are there any old tram tracks still under city streets? Quite often, in other cities, they were simply paved over.

Yes,

under Government St in front of the Empress, years ago tracks were found under Fort St, Burnside during road works. In the uplands there is track still under Midland Loop. I have also been told that track still exists under Douglas st between herald st and hillside ave.

some of the man hole covers downtown still have the BCER engraved on them, the pembroke st carbarn still exists, as well as the old 1892 power station in rock bay.

[UrbanRail]

just to add that post, the tracks would be unsable, after 60 years of being buried in concrete.

[amor de cosmos]

evo & sports traders are in the old pembroke car barns, which are heritage buildings. (designed by Rattenbury)

[mat]

just to add that post, the tracks would be unsable, after 60 years of being buried in concrete.

So it becomes more a resurrecting, rather than new build.

[Mike K.]

I can't for the life of me recall which downtown intersection I saw this at, but this past summer city crews were doing minor road repairs at an intersection and below the asphalt railroad ties were clearly visible.

[Lover Fighter]

Didn't some show up at Hillside near Grosvenor this Summer?
Not downtown, but I seem to remember seeing some from the #4 double decker bus.

[victorian fan]

I remember the train running up to Borden's.
(wasn't that long ago)

[Coreyburger]

I remember the train running up to Borden's.
(wasn't that long ago)

I remember that too. Anybody got any pictures of this? When did they rip up/pave over those tracks?

[aastra]

Here's a picture:
http://www.cowichans...n_Lake_Brid.jpg

And here's one without a train:
http://www.cowichans...victoria26.html

Tracks across Quadra Street:
http://www.cowichans...victoria27.html

Check this out:
http://cowichansubdi...a_Nov_27_85.jpg

There are some great not-too-historical glimpses of Victoria on that site.

[Holden West]

^Great find! Amazing pictures. Remember these next time someone says what a shame it was to build Dockside and Bayview and Railyards because it destroyed the beautiful natural setting.

Thanks for posting that photoset, aastra. But there's a glitch in the coding. If you start the tour from page one, when you try to go to page 17 from page 16 by clicking the "Next" button it stays there so you have to manually enter 17 in the URL to force it to go to that page.

[UrbanRail]

I remember that too. Anybody got any pictures of this? When did they rip up/pave over those tracks?

Service stopped in 1990 and the tracks were ripped up soon after. Although some tracks stayed around for a couple of years in some places.

[concorde]

I can't for the life of me recall which downtown intersection I saw this at, but this past summer city crews were doing minor road repairs at an intersection and below the asphalt railroad ties were clearly visible.

In most cases they removed the rails and buried the ties, that was the most common practice.

[Coreyburger]

Here's a picture:
http://www.cowichans...n_Lake_Brid.jpg

And here's one without a train:
http://www.cowichans...victoria26.html

Tracks across Quadra Street:
http://www.cowichans...victoria27.html

Check this out:
http://cowichansubdi...a_Nov_27_85.jpg

There are some great not-too-historical glimpses of Victoria on that site.

Looking at these pictures, you realize what a massive loss those tracks were. (For the record, I am and have been a bicycle communter and have used the GG and the Lochside trail for commuting). I wonder if there is enough width in enough places to allow running of LRT alongside the rail...