5 records – page 1 of 1.

Digney Speedway

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/landmark693
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Associated Dates
1948
Repository
Burnaby Heritage Planning
Geographic Access
MacPherson Avenue
Irmin Street
Associated Dates
1948
Heritage Value
Andy Digney built the speedway in South Burnaby in 1948. He was approached by the B.C. Midget Auto Racing Association, who were looking for a good location to race the smaller, racing cars, popular at the time. Digney owned property in the vicinity of present-day Metrotown that was centrally located and easily accessible via the interurban railway. Motorcycles were also raced in the early days of the track. In 1949, when the popularity of midget racing declined, Digney started racing roadsters. However, he struggled to find local drivers, and it was expensive to bring in drivers from elsewhere. In 1951 Digney found a winner: jalopy racing. Local men would buy 1930s cars and strip them down, remove the glass, and weld the doors shut. By early 1952 over forty cars were showing up for jalopy races. By the early 1950s the Speedway was well established, with coverage in the sports pages and on radio. The track closed down in 1958 when Andy retired.
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Images
Less detail

Building and opening the Digney Speedway

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85334
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1948 and 1949]
Collection/Fonds
Digney Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 film clip (10 min., 47sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
Scope and Content
Item is a digitized silent film segment identified as Reel 16. The film footage shows land being cleared to make way for the Digney Speedway located near the corner of Irmin Street and MacPherson Avenue, one of the men seen in this footage clearing the land is named Lucky Fordham. The film continue…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1948 and 1949]
Collection/Fonds
Digney Family fonds
Physical Description
1 film clip (10 min., 47sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
Description Level
Item
Record No.
562-003-16
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Accession Number
2014-04
Scope and Content
Item is a digitized silent film segment identified as Reel 16. The film footage shows land being cleared to make way for the Digney Speedway located near the corner of Irmin Street and MacPherson Avenue, one of the men seen in this footage clearing the land is named Lucky Fordham. The film continues with footage of a press dinner in the garden of Andy Digney's home on Bonsor Avenue in Burnaby and is followed with footage of the Digney Speedway in operation for the grand opening on July 8, 1948. Midget cars and jalopies (stock cars) can be seen racing on the speedway. Some of the footage of the raceway pit and races switches to black and white.The film closes with colour footage of a truck moving Lucky Fordham's house from Bonsor Ave to the speedway.
Subjects
Sports - Automobile Racing
Names
Digney, Andy
Digney, Ernest Frank "Dig"
Digney Speedway
Fordham, Lucky
Media Type
Moving Images
Photographer
Digney, Andy
Creator
Digney, Andy
Notes
Title based on contents of film
Geographic Access
Bonsor Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Central Park (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Maywood Area
Images
Video

Building and opening the Digney Speedway, [between 1948 and 1949]

Building and opening the Digney Speedway, [between 1948 and 1949]

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Moving_Images/_Unrestricted/562-003-16.m4v
Less detail

Burnaby and Digney recreational events

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription85208
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1934 and 1938]
Collection/Fonds
Digney Family fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 film clip (10 min., 30 sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
Scope and Content
Item is a silent digitized colour and black and white film segment identified as Reel 3. The film segment opens with footage of Digney family automobile travels and of Pelican Lake, Alberta where the family spent their summer, the footage switches to footage of a parade somewhere in the Rockies (B…
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[between 1934 and 1938]
Collection/Fonds
Digney Family fonds
Physical Description
1 film clip (10 min., 30 sec.) : digital, b&w, col., si.
Description Level
Item
Record No.
562-003-3
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
May be restricted by third party rights
Accession Number
2014-04
Scope and Content
Item is a silent digitized colour and black and white film segment identified as Reel 3. The film segment opens with footage of Digney family automobile travels and of Pelican Lake, Alberta where the family spent their summer, the footage switches to footage of a parade somewhere in the Rockies (Banff) which begins in black and white and changes to colour format. This is followed by colour footage of car racing at the Digney Speedway located on 10 acres of property on MacPherson Ave. Jelopy stock car racing is seen taking place with crowds of people looking on.
Subjects
Sports - Swimming
Events - Parades
Persons - Children
Persons - Crowds
Sports - Automobile Racing
Names
Digney, Ernest Frank "Dig"
Digney Speedway
Media Type
Moving Images
Photographer
Digney, Andy
Creator
Digney, Andy
Notes
Title based on contents of film
Geographic Access
MacPherson Avenue
Historic Neighbourhood
Alta-Vista (Historic Neighbourhood)
Planning Study Area
Clinton-Glenwood Area
Images
Video

Burnaby and Digney recreational events, [between 1934 and 1938]

Less detail

Race car driver Kaija Kalevala

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96404
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[2004]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : col.
Scope and Content
Photograph of Kaija Kalevala posing with memorabilia, including photographs and an autographed checkered flag, from her career as a race car driver in Finland and at the Digney Speedway in Burnaby.
Repository
City of Burnaby Archives
Date
[2004]
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
Physical Description
1 photograph (tiff) : col.
Description Level
Item
Record No.
535-2074
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No restrictions
Accession Number
2018-12
Scope and Content
Photograph of Kaija Kalevala posing with memorabilia, including photographs and an autographed checkered flag, from her career as a race car driver in Finland and at the Digney Speedway in Burnaby.
Subjects
Sports - Automobile Racing
Persons - Athletes
Names
Digney Speedway
Media Type
Photograph
Photographer
Bartel, Mario
Notes
Title based on caption
Collected by editorial for use in a March 2004 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
Caption from metadata: "Kaija Kalevala, who's about to turn 80, reminisces about her career as a pioneer race car driver in the 1940s in Finland, and then at the old Digney Speedway in South Burnaby. She was the first woman to race at the Speedway and her fellow racers presented her with an autographed checkered flag when she retired to take up truck rodeo."
Images
Less detail

Through the Lens of Andy Digney

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/museumdescription10099
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Date
[between 1934 and 1964] (date of original film), edited and narrated in 2016
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 video recording (mp4) (12 min., 17 sec.) : digital, 23 fps, col., sd., stereo
Scope and Content
Item consists of a short film featuring a compilation of film footage created by Andy Digney that was edited and narrated by the Burnaby Village Museum. Burnaby resident Andy Digney captured footage of Burnaby and beyond from 1934 to 1964. Highlights within this film compilaton include the constru…
Repository
Burnaby Village Museum
Collection/Fonds
Burnaby Village Museum fonds
Series
Museum film collection series
Description Level
Item
Physical Description
1 video recording (mp4) (12 min., 17 sec.) : digital, 23 fps, col., sd., stereo
Material Details
Research and Narration: Lisa Codd
Editing and Audio Recording: Matthew Ball
Special thanks to Paul Digney
Scope and Content
Item consists of a short film featuring a compilation of film footage created by Andy Digney that was edited and narrated by the Burnaby Village Museum. Burnaby resident Andy Digney captured footage of Burnaby and beyond from 1934 to 1964. Highlights within this film compilaton include the construction and events held at the Oak Theatre; Royal visit motorcade of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; Sports Day at Central Park; Gymcana event at Burnaby Lake Riding Stables; lawn bowling at Central Park; a Depression-era May Day workers’ parade in 1936; May Day celebrations in Burnaby; visits to locations throughout the Lower Mainland, including Stanley Park, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain and boat trip up Burrard Inlet; the Digney Speedway; the Digney family at their home on Bonsor Avenue and the Digney Bowling Alley.
Creator
Digney, Andy
Subjects
Events - Parades
Events - May Day
Sports - Bowling
Names
Digney, Andy
Digney Bowling Alley
Digney Speedway
Codd, Lisa
Oak Theatre
Burnaby Lawn Bowling Club
Geographic Access
Kingsway
Central Park
Street Address
6521 Bonsor Avenue
Accession Code
BV019.18.1
Access Restriction
No restrictions
Reproduction Restriction
No known restrictions
Date
[between 1934 and 1964] (date of original film), edited and narrated in 2016
Media Type
Moving Images
Related Material
See also the City of Burnaby Archives "Digney Family fonds" MI catalogue 562.003 for film masters
Notes
Title based on contents
City of Burnaby Archives holds the original Digney film masters (562.003) that this narrated segment was disseminated from. See Digney family fonds
Images
Video

Through the Lens of Andy Digney, [between 1934 and 1964] (date of original film), edited and narrated in 2016

Through the Lens of Andy Digney, [between 1934 and 1964] (date of original film), edited and narrated in 2016

https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_BVM_Moving_Images/2019_0018_0001_001.mp4
Less detail