Between 1920 and 1923, the KVR upgraded rail facilities to Dog Lake and the south Okanagan. After World War One, there was a need to look to the boundary and possibly a USA connection for expansion.
The KVR built a two-track barge slip on Kruger property, part of the Penticton Indian Band cut-off lands. Construction of a similar slip was built at Okanagan Falls. The MV York was able to utilize these slips to haul 6 rail cars including engine and caboose on a barge on the lake until 1931.
The rails continued down the valley as far a Haynes Junction, just south of Oliver Townsite where it serviced a fruit packinghouse.
Oliver was in its infancy and needed the KVR to assist in the transport of much of the supplies needed to construct the big syphon for the irrigation project. Oliver also welcomed access to rail cars to haul ore from the last few claims above the town at Fairview. A sawmill sprung up at Oliver as well.
This was the total of KVR service to the south lands until 1931 when rails were completed on the west side of the lake.
From 1923 to 1931, the rail cars were pulled about by a single locomotive from Haynes to the Falls.
CPR and the Dominion Research Station encouraged growers to grow cash crops that could ripen while in transit, as this form of transport didn’t arrive overnight. Onions, tomatoes, peppers and melons were planted between the young trees successfully.
A fond recollection names the train from Oliver prior to 1931 as “Cantaloupe Annie”.
This is the only photo in our archive showing the barge slip at Okanagan Falls. It was built very close to the little government wharf used by the community for those years prior to a good road from Penticton.
The slip needed to be on the east side of the rock outcrop bordering the mouth of the river, to protect against the build up of flotsam during freshet.
The completion of the track on the west side of Skaha Lake enabled a huge expansion of existing agricultural processing plants from Kaleden to Oliver.
The photo above shows oil cars parked on the old barge access track at Okanagan Falls, after the track was completed around the lake.
In 1945, the tracks were completed to Osoyoos.
Northwood Lumber Mills moved from Penticton to Okanagan Falls in 1970 and CPR extended service with a spur into the mill. They ran lumber trains to the coast until the fall of 1988. All traffic ceased in 1989. Thanks to Joe Smuin for information for this article.
