Kaslo and Slocan Railway - History As K&S

History As K&S

After silver was found in the mountains near what is now known as Sandon in 1891, several investors obtained a provincial charter in 1892 to build a railway between Kaslo and the new mines. Kaslo, on the shore of Kootenay Lake was served by steamers connecting with railways near Creston and Nelson, British Columbia.

The railway was built west up Kaslo River to the pass with Seaton Creek, passed across the hill above the boom town of Three Forks to Sandon. The Canadian Pacific Railway had already reached Three Forks in late 1894 by building from the west from Nakusp on the Arrow Lakes with its Nakusp and Slocan Railway. Both railways reached Sandon in late 1895.

Construction on the railway started in 1895 after obtaining financial backing from the Great Northern Railway which was seeking advantages against the Canadian Pacific Railway and traffic for its mainline at Spokane. Great Northern had gained control of the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway in 1893 which gave it access to Kootenay Lake. Great Northern bought out the original investors in 1897 making the railway part of the Great Northern system under the Kootenay Railway and Navigation banner. Much of the ore from the K&S was shipped to US smelters, providing traffic for the GN.

The Kaslo and Slocan faced stiff competition with the CPR's Nakusp and Slocan for the ore from the mines. On December 16, 1895, crews from the Kaslo and Slocan attacked and demolished the station the CPR had just built on land disputed between the two railways. The CPR relocated the station to other land. Both railways competed with building spurs to service mines in order to obtain ore traffic destined for the other railway.

The K&S was very profitable in the later 1890s. The railway had high operating costs because of its location along the side of step hills, many of which had been burned in forest fires, which subject the line to frequent snow and mud slides. In 1900, when Sandon burned to the ground and labour problems at the mines spelt an end to the boom years causing financial problems for the railway. By 1904, the line was losing money on each train it ran.

In 1908, service was suspended to Sandon, with trains only servicing as far as McGuigan because expensive repairs needed to be done to bridges damaged by spring slides. While the track was rebuilt, service was never restored. In 1910, a serious forest fire burned much of the remaining major bridges and snow sheds.