Dear Editor:
I attended the railway noise forum hosted by MP Peter Julian on Oct. 3 that was the subject of your article entitled “New Westminster MP Peter Julian invites community rail noise town hall meeting,” to watch the torch, and responsibility, for continuing our struggle for a better sleep at night from the Quayside Community Board’s Brian Allan and James Crosty to the local political representatives.
I was impressed to see that the topics of rail noise, vibration and safety in New Westminster appear to be now in good hands, although time will tell if political enthusiasm can be translated into action.
The shift from Quayside Community litigation to political mediation may produce results, but I was reminded that the Calgary ruling that shut down the noise at Calgary’s Alyth Rail Yards between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. was only achieved through litigation.
Let’s hope that our community’s 10-year struggle with the four railways, as the torch is passed to the political arena, doesn’t trigger another 10 years of delay in protecting citizens from the growing problems here in New Westminster, including the storage and transhipment of hazardous materials.
In an interesting intersection of time and issues, railways, which have been such a big part of my life – having travelled The Canadian from Calgary to Toronto and back alone every year, between the ages of six and 16 – came together recently.
On my annual trip to give out the Eddy Scholarships at the University of Calgary, I stopped at Revelstoke and had just enough time to visit its railway museum.
On other trips I have also visited the impressive Canadian Museum of Rail Travel at Cranbrook and the Round House Museum at Three Valley Gap.
I was heartened to see that there appears to be some political enthusiasm being generated to preserve the 23 vintage Canadian rail coaches warehoused in New Westminster.
Who knew that they had been here for 28 years?
In its efforts to help Rip Peterman, president of the B.C. chapter of the National Railways Historical Society, in keeping a local rail collection intact, the city might review a “repurposing” of the old bus barns that became the Salvation Army Thrift Store, coupled with the old railway station across Hyack Square in establishing a New Westminster Rail Museum.
An interesting adjunct to the once “Golden Mile” of Columbia Street could be to be the new home of these “golden nuggets” from our railway past.
E.C. “Ted” Eddy,
New Westminster
