Photograph of the L.6BCER, a British Columbia Electric Railway line car, used to repair overhead power lines along interurban tracks. Photographed near Jubilee Station, between Imperial and Nelson.
Photograph of the L.6BCER, a British Columbia Electric Railway line car, used to repair overhead power lines along interurban tracks. Photographed near Jubilee Station, between Imperial and Nelson.
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway timetable for the Lulu Island Branch, Eburne, and New Westminster Line, including a Sunday schedule and freight schedule.
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway timetable for the Lulu Island Branch, Eburne, and New Westminster Line, including a Sunday schedule and freight schedule.
Photograph of two British Columbia Electric Railway Company timetables for the Central Park line, one "corrected to October 15, 1933" and the other "corrected to May 16, 1946." Also in the photograph are two tickets, one reads, "Good for one fare at 10 for $1.25 between Vancouver and Burnaby North…
Photograph of two British Columbia Electric Railway Company timetables for the Central Park line, one "corrected to October 15, 1933" and the other "corrected to May 16, 1946." Also in the photograph are two tickets, one reads, "Good for one fare at 10 for $1.25 between Vancouver and Burnaby Northwest Zone" and the other reads, "Good for one fare between Vancouver and Park Ave."
Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Company trams no. 1225 and 1230 linked together and going through an intersection. The destination board at the front reads, "BURNABY LK", indicating it is the Burnaby Lake line. There are street signs on the lamppost on the street corner at the left …
Photograph of British Columbia Electric Railway Company trams no. 1225 and 1230 linked together and going through an intersection. The destination board at the front reads, "BURNABY LK", indicating it is the Burnaby Lake line. There are street signs on the lamppost on the street corner at the left but only the crossing street sign, "5th AVE" is visible. There are hand painted advertisements for "COAL/ SAWDUST/ WOOD" and "FUEL" in the background.
Photograph of the exterior of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company Interurban tram no. 1223 at Marpole station in Vancouver. There are people standing by the tram, and a conductor is climbing onto the tram from the front.
Photograph of the exterior of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company Interurban tram no. 1223 at Marpole station in Vancouver. There are people standing by the tram, and a conductor is climbing onto the tram from the front.
The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.
The Central Park Entrance Gate is the ceremonial entrance to Burnaby’s historic Central Park from Kingsway, and consists of two massive stone pillars, approximately 7.5 metres high and 1.8 metres square, adjacent gate posts and a low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east.
Heritage Value
The Central Park Entrance Gate is significant as a ceremonial entry to a major park, for its connection with the early history of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) and as an important design by an accomplished British Columbian architect.
When the original interurban line between Vancouver and New Westminster was constructed in 1891, one of the first stations was located where the tramway crossed the Vancouver-Westminster Road (now Kingsway) within the newly-created Central Park. The interurban line ran through the park on a diagonal right-of-way (the current SkyTrain line, opened in 1986, follows this original alignment). In 1912 an agreement was reached between the successor interurban company, the BCER, and the Central Park Provincial Park Board, to deed additional land for an expanded right-of-way through the Park in exchange for improvements that included the construction of an ornamental stone wall and gate with an iron arch, with an illuminated 'Central Park' sign, adjacent to the interurban station on Kingsway. This was an early and rare example of an electric sign used for a public recreation facility.
The Gate is also significant as a surviving early design by Robert Lyon (1879-1963), an Edinburgh-born and trained immigrant who was one of the most accomplished of British Columbia's early architects. After he moved to Vancouver, he was employed by the BCER from 1911 until 1918, and worked on a broad range of projects including some of the grandest and most innovative local industrial structures of the time. The arch was built by the Westminster Ironworks Company, one of the leading firms of its kind in Western Canada, operated by John Reid of New Westminster. The Gate was completed in 1914; in 1968 the decorative ironwork was removed due to corrosion and placed in storage.
Defining Elements
Key elements that define the heritage character of the Central Park Entrance Gate include its:
- two subtly tapered massive stone pillars, which rise in stages from a larger base to a shaft with random coursed multi-coloured granite with roughly formed grey granite quoins, to a top formed of finely finished grey granite blocks with a coved and bracketed cap
- adjacent gate posts with monolithic pyramidal granite caps
- low flanking stone wall that curves into the park to the east, constructed of random coursed multi-coloured granite with a river rock triangular cap
P.I.D. No. 017-767-172
Legal Description: Block B of Lot 2 Except Firstly: Part on Plan 8669 and Secondly: Part on Plan LMP4689 District Lot 151, Group 1, New Westminster District, Plan 3443
Boundaries
The property (Central Park) is a municipally-owned park that lies at the western edge of Burnaby, between 49th Avenue to the south, Kingsway to the north, Boundary Road to the west and Patterson Avenue to the east.
The Thomas Irvine House is a very small, two room wood frame cottage, originally located on Laurel Street in Central Burnaby (now the site of the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex - West), and now relocated to the Burnaby Village Museum.
The Thomas Irvine House is a very small, two room wood frame cottage, originally located on Laurel Street in Central Burnaby (now the site of the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex - West), and now relocated to the Burnaby Village Museum.
Heritage Value
The Thomas Irvine House is representative of an extremely modest, vernacular working-class cottage of the early twentieth century, once common but mostly now demolished. Irish-born Thomas Irvine (1864-1964) and his friend, Robert Moore, constructed the house in 1911 to suit the simple needs of a bachelor. Irvine worked on the construction of the British Columbia Electric Railway Burnaby Lake Interurban Line and was a pile driver by trade. The house consists of two rooms, a living room/kitchen and a bedroom. There were some improvements made throughout the fifty years Irvine lived there, such as running water in 1929, and electricity in the 1950s, but the essential character and form of the house remained intact. Irvine was a well-known local character and pioneer of Burnaby.
The heritage value for this house also lies in its interpretive value within the Burnaby Village Museum. The site is an important cultural feature for the interpretation of Burnaby’s heritage to the public. The Thomas Irvine House was moved to the Burnaby Village Museum in 1975 and was restored to its 1920s appearance.
Defining Elements
The character defining elements of the Thomas Irvine House include its:
- rectangular form and simple massing
- bellcast hipped form with cedar shingle cladding
- cedar shingle cladding stained dark brown
- double-hung 1-over-1 wooden-sash window on front facade; simple double wooden-sash casement on west facade
- interior layout of the house with 2 rooms, a living room/kitchen and bedroom
- V-joint tongue-and-groove wood interior paneling
The Vorce Station is a modest utilitarian passenger tram shelter, originally constructed at the foot of Nursery Street as part of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company’s Burnaby Lake Interurban Line. In 1953, it was moved to a local farm by the Lubbock family, and in 1977 it was relocated t…
The Vorce Station is a modest utilitarian passenger tram shelter, originally constructed at the foot of Nursery Street as part of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company’s Burnaby Lake Interurban Line. In 1953, it was moved to a local farm by the Lubbock family, and in 1977 it was relocated to Burnaby Village Museum. The wood-frame structure has a rectangular plan and hipped roof. It is enclosed on three sides, with an open side for access to the train platform and a single long built-in bench across the back of the station.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of the Vorce Station is as the last remaining interurban station in Burnaby and one of the few extant structures left in the Greater Vancouver region that were once part of the extensive British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) interurban system. The Vorce Station was designed and built by the BCER, and is typical of the small local passenger stations on the Burnaby Lake and Chilliwack interurban lines. It was named after C.B. Vorce, the Chief Engineer for the company.
The impact of the interurban line on local development was extremely significant, as it connected the cities of New Westminster and Vancouver, and enabled the residents of Burnaby to form a cohesive municipality from the mainly rural lands remaining between the two larger centres. Much of the early development in Burnaby was due to the growth of the interurban rail lines.
The heritage significance for this station also lies in its interpretive value within the Burnaby Village Museum. The Vorce Station is an important cultural feature for the interpretation of Burnaby’s transportation history to the public, and is an important surviving feature of the BCER interurban system.
Defining Elements
The character defining features of the Vorce Station include its:
- rectangular form and pyramidal roof with overhanging eaves
- simple vernacular design and utilitarian nature
- cedar shingle wall cladding
- cedar shingle-clad roof with galvanized pressed tin roof ridges
- interior vertical tongue-and-groove panelling
- heritage graffiti: initials and messages carved and scrawled on the walls
- identifying sign with large letters visible at a distance
Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Kate Petrusa, Burnaby Village Museum assistant curator. The webinar is titled "Burnaby Streetcars and Interurbans" and is presented by Lisa Codd, Heritage Planner for the City of Burnaby. The zoom webinar is the sixth in a collecti…
Date of Presentation: October 22 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Total Number of tracks: 1
Total Length of all tracks:61 min., 39 sec.
Recording Device: Zoom video communication platform
Scope and Content
Item consists of a video recording of a live Zoom webinar hosted by Kate Petrusa, Burnaby Village Museum assistant curator. The webinar is titled "Burnaby Streetcars and Interurbans" and is presented by Lisa Codd, Heritage Planner for the City of Burnaby. The zoom webinar is the sixth in a collection of seven "Burnaby Neighbourhood Speaker series" webinars that were presented and made available to the public between September 29 and October 27, 2020. The live webinar and recording was also made available on the Burnaby Village Museum's facebook page.
In this webinar, Lisa Codd takes participants on a virtual tour of Burnaby’s early electric railway system, including visits to locations where physical traces of the railway can still be found. Lisa supports her presentation with maps and historical photographs to tell the story of the B.C. Electric Railway transportation routes that shaped Burnaby. Lisa takes questions and comments from participants throughout her presentation and at the end.
Photograph of members of the Alta Vista Baptist Church Sunday school class at the Jubilee Interurban train Station, on the way to a Picnic at Second Beach. Included in the photograph are, from left; Pearl Christian, Joy [last name unknown], Phyllis Smith, Ivy Smith, Dorothy Douglas, Grace Harrison,…
Photograph of members of the Alta Vista Baptist Church Sunday school class at the Jubilee Interurban train Station, on the way to a Picnic at Second Beach. Included in the photograph are, from left; Pearl Christian, Joy [last name unknown], Phyllis Smith, Ivy Smith, Dorothy Douglas, Grace Harrison, [unidentified]. Mrs. Nellie Davis [not pictured] taught this class.
Composed of solid cast brass painted cream, previously green with rear mounting brackets at each end with four holes. There are also curls at the front end for possibly a cord to pass through. Five longitudinal rods forming a basket shape are mounted between the two C shaped end supports which contain the mounting brackets. One end cross member rod is missing.
Length: 88 cm Width: 26.8 cm Depth: 14 cm
Object History
From British Columbia Electric Railway Interurban #1208.
Composed of solid cast brass painted cream, previously green, with rear mounting brackets at each end with four holes. There are also curls at the front end for possibly a cord to pass through. Five longitudinal rods forming a basket shape are mounted between the two C shaped end supports which contain the mounting brackets.
Length: 88 cm Width: 26.8 cm Depth: 14 cm
Object History
From British Columbia Electric Railway interurban #1208.
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, fully loaded with people, passing by Harry Bullen Photo studio on 2608 Granville Street. The car number is 123, and on the end of the car is a sign that reads; "Seeing Vancouver / 2 Hour Trip / Fare 50c." A sign on the side of the car re…
inscribed in the negative and printed on recto, l.l. "B.C. ELECTRIC RLY CO OBSERVATION CAR", l.r. " Harry Bullen Photographer. 2608 Granville St. Phone Bay. 8869"
stamped on verso, l.l. "SEP 1 - 1946/ 664"
Scope and Content
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, fully loaded with people, passing by Harry Bullen Photo studio on 2608 Granville Street. The car number is 123, and on the end of the car is a sign that reads; "Seeing Vancouver / 2 Hour Trip / Fare 50c." A sign on the side of the car reads; "Sightseeing Car Trips / Leave Robson & Granville / At 10 & 11 AM - 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 7 PM / Daily." Behind the car, a store window display of photographs with an awning reads; "Harry Bullen Photographer." Among the passengers in the car are a number of soldiers. Printed at the bottom front of the photograph; "BC Electric Rly Co Observation Car / Harry Bullen Photographer., 2608 Granville St., Phone Bay. 8869."
In "History of Metropolitan Vancouver" at http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology6.htm, it notes that Harry Bullen sold long narrow souvenir photographs of the passengers taken in the car.
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, loaded with people, and conducted by "Dick" Gardner. The car number is 123, and on the rear end of the car is a sign that reads, "SEE VANCOUVER/ TWO HOUR/ TRIP/ FARE 50c." The photograph was probably taken prior to 11am, as there are sign…
printed on recto, b. "B.C. ELECTRIC RLY CO OBSERVATION CAR "DICK" GARDNER CONDUCTOR Harry Bullen Photographer. 2608 Granville St. Phone Bay. 8869."
stamped on verso, c.r. "AUG 14 1942"
Scope and Content
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, loaded with people, and conducted by "Dick" Gardner. The car number is 123, and on the rear end of the car is a sign that reads, "SEE VANCOUVER/ TWO HOUR/ TRIP/ FARE 50c." The photograph was probably taken prior to 11am, as there are signs hanging on the car by the front that reads, "NEXT TRIP/ 11 AM" and "NEXT TRIP/ 3 PM". Storefronts are visible directly behind the Observation car. One has a window display of photographs and a large awning. The display window has a sign that reads, "HARRY BULLEN," indicating the car is stopped right in front of the photographer's studio for a souvenir photograph.
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, full of people and conducted by "Teddy" Lyons. The car number is 124, and a sign on the rear end of the car reads, "See Vancouver / Two Hour / Trip / Fare 35c." The photograph was probably taken prior to 4:00 pm, as there are signs hang…
Photograph of a BC Electric Railway Company Observation car, full of people and conducted by "Teddy" Lyons. The car number is 124, and a sign on the rear end of the car reads, "See Vancouver / Two Hour / Trip / Fare 35c." The photograph was probably taken prior to 4:00 pm, as there are signs hanging on the car by the conductor that read, "Extra Trip / 7:00 PM" and "Next Trip / 4:00 PM." There are restaurants and various stores which line the street by the tracks in the background. The caption printed on the front bottom of the photo reads, "B.C. Electric Rly. Co. Observation Car, Vancouver. / "Teddy" Lyons, Conductor. Harry Bullen Photo. 2608 Gran. Bayview 8869." Stamped on the back of the photo is "Vancouver, B.C. Jul 22 1934."
For another photograph of BCER car # 124, but from a different year, see photograph HV973.26.143
For another photograph of BCER observation car by Harry Bullen, see HV975.88.1
In "History of Metropolitan Vancouver" at http://www.vancouverhistory.ca/chronology6.htm, it notes that Harry Bullen sold long narrow souvenir photographs of the passengers taken in the car
Item is a photographic postcard of an open sightseeing car operated by the BC Electric Railway Company. The car is full of people and travelling down in a street in Vancouver with B.C. Electric conductor Teddy Lyons at the controls at the head of the car and another conductor standing next to the …
Item is a photographic postcard of an open sightseeing car operated by the BC Electric Railway Company. The car is full of people and travelling down in a street in Vancouver with B.C. Electric conductor Teddy Lyons at the controls at the head of the car and another conductor standing next to the car.