Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway facts for kids

The Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway (N&FS) was a historic train line in southern British Columbia, Canada. It got its name from a mistake in spelling "Fort Shepherd," an old trading post. This railway connected the city of Nelson to the Canada–United States border at Waneta.

Building the Railway: A Race for Connections

In the late 1800s, there was a big race to build railways in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. This area was rich in valuable minerals, and everyone wanted to connect to it!

In 1890, an American businessman named Daniel Chase Corbin built his Spokane Falls and Northern Railway (SF&N) north towards the Canadian border. This railway connected to steamboats that traveled on the Columbia and Kootenay rivers.

The Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) wanted to stop American companies from taking over the rich mining areas. So, in 1891, CP opened its own line, the Columbia and Kootenay Railway (C&K). This railway ran between Robson (near Castlegar) and Nelson. It followed a part of the Kootenay River that was too rough for boats.

The government of British Columbia didn't want railways that only helped American companies. So, Daniel Corbin used Canadian business people as a front to get permission to build the N&FS in 1891. He promised to connect the railway all the way to the coast of British Columbia, but this connection was never built.

The N&FS reached Nelson in 1893. This new railway offered a direct train route to the United States, linking to big American railway networks. This gave it an advantage over CP's line, which relied on steamboats for part of its journey.

Map showing the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway

The Railway's Path

The Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway started at the US border, where it connected with the Spokane Falls and Northern Railway. It then crossed a 500-foot bridge over the Pend-d'Oreille River at Waneta. This bridge is now used for cars!

The railway then climbed up the Columbia Valley and the Salmo River valley. Finally, it went downhill to the northeast of Nelson, reaching a place called Troup (also known as Five Mile Point). This was the end of the line for a short time, until 1894.

Nelson's Train Stations

The N&FS had a station in Nelson called Mountain station. It was located where a parking area is today, at the south end of Cherry Street.

In 1895, the railway was extended. It made a loop at Troup, then followed the west side of the lake. It ended near Cottonwood Street and Maple Street, in an area then called Bogustown (now Fairview).

Later, in 1901, the N&FS train station moved again. It began sharing a new station with the CP's C&K line. This new station is now the visitor center in Nelson.

All Train Stations Along the N&FS Line

This table shows the different stations along the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway over the years. The "Mile" numbers show how far each station was from the start of the railway.

Passenger train service on the N&FS ended in 1951. After that, the route was only used for freight trains carrying goods.

Who Owned the Railway and What Happened to It?

Over the years, the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway was owned by several different companies:

• In 1898, the Northern Pacific Railway (NP) took over the SF&N, which connected to the N&FS.
• In 1899, the Great Northern Railway (GN) bought NP's shares.
• In 1970, GN became part of the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN).
• In 1996, BN merged to become the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

In 1997, BNSF sold the tracks between Salmo and Troup. The provincial government bought the land where the tracks used to be. This area was then turned into a walking and biking path called the Salmo-Troup Rail Trail.

Some parts of the railway are still used today!

• In 1998, a company called International Rail Road Systems (IRRS) leased the section between Columbia Gardens and Salmo. They used it to transport materials for the Trail smelter and lumber.
• In 2010, ATCO Wood Products bought this section. In 2012, it was renamed the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway Corporation, bringing the old name back to life!
• Another company, Kettle Falls International Railway, leased a section of the line from Chewelah, Washington, to Waneta and Columbia Gardens in 2004. In 2019, a different company, St. Paul & Pacific Northwest Railroad, took over ownership of this part.

A Famous Court Case

The Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway was involved in an important court case in the 1890s. This case helped decide how laws work for railways in Canada.

Here's what happened: A train operated by the N&FS accidentally killed two horses. The owner of the horses sued the railway for money, using a law from British Columbia. The owner won the first trial, but the British Columbia Supreme Court changed the decision. They said that the provincial law did not apply to the railway because railways were under the control of the federal (national) government, not the provincial government.

This decision was later supported by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which was the highest court for appeals in the British Empire at that time. This case, called Madden v Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway Co., became an important example of how power is divided between federal and provincial governments in Canada.