thanks for joining we're at the myra canyon trestles just outside of kelowna bc
the kettle valley railway was a subsidiary of the canadian pacific railway and the primary
means of transportation and communication across southern british columbia in the early 1900s
built as a railroad like no other it opened on may 31 1915 and ran from
midway to hope where it connected to the main canadian pacific railway line
the kettle valley railway operated in full until 1957 when sections of the line
began to be decommissioned other portions of the railway continued to be in use as recently as 1989
today much of the railway's original route has been converted into a multi-use
recreational trail known as the kettle valley rail trail
and one of the most popular sections of that trail is myra canyon on the okanagan mountain
myra canyon is located about 18 kilometers southeast of downtown kelowna and contains
18 different trestles and two tunnels between 1912 and 1914 engineers used a combination
of ingenious engineering methods to skirt the rim of the myra canyon with the railway lines
seeming to miraculously cling to the cliffside several thousand feet above the canyon floor
this awe-inspiring work was widely recognized as
a feat of railway engineering and began to be known as mccullough's
wonder although the route required the construction of 18 different trestles
only two tunnels and three deep rock cuts were required
andrew mccullough originally planned to place a tunnel at this site
but when excavation began the contractor found that the rock was highly fractured
and unstable so a full cut had to be made instead
telegraph poles like these carried communications along the length of
the railway with lines running over top of glass insulators
the kettle valley railway used 75 pound rails but they were upgraded at least twice to accommodate
heavier loads and heavier equipment this is one of those hundred pound rails cast in 1947
it has a length of 13 yards and weighs 1300 pounds
the myra canyon section of track ran from myra station to june springs
and carried freight and passengers through the myra canyon until passenger service ended in 1964.
last scheduled train went through this area in 1973 and the tracks were finally removed in 1980
as time went on myra canyon became an increasingly popular spot for hiking and cycling
unfortunately due to the unprotected trestles and steep canyon cliffs some
serious accidents had occurred and the government was contemplating closing the trail altogether
in 1993 the myra canyon trestle restoration society was formed with the objective of making
the canyon safer for public recreation aware of the historical significance the restoration
society applied for recognition of the myra canyon section of the kettle valley railway
and was granted approval as a national historic site in january 2003.
however just months later disastrous wildfires
ended up destroying or damaging 14 of the 18 historic trestles
between august and september 2003 lightning sparked the start of the okanagan mountain park
fire this fire grew quickly and engulfed many portions of the kettle valley railway between
penticton and mccullough lake despite best efforts by firefighters the fire claims 12
of the 18 trestles in myra canyon and the bridge decks of two additional metal bridges were also
destroyed in the fire this steel trestle is one of the ones that survived the fire
built in 1932 it replaced the original wooden trestle constructed in 1914
this steel trestle is the longest and tallest in the myra canyon section
of the kettle valley railway running a length of 720 feet
soon after the provincial government announced that it would rebuild the
damaged and destroyed trestles and bridges and the myra canyon trestle restoration
society was directed by the province to oversee reconstruction of the trestles
restoration project took two years and the trail finally reopened in 2005.
today mccullough's wonder has been restored to its former glory
attracting thousands of tourists and recreationists each year
one of the things that makes this so attractive for recreation use
is that the maximum grade on the kettle valley
railway is 2.2 percent that means that the grade through myra canyon is virtually flat
often called the most difficult and expensive line of track on earth
the myra canyon trestles are a true engineering feat
set against the backdrop of british columbia's stunning landscape
they're sure to inspire all for years to come
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