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A Big ProjectIf two big coal mines were going to open in the Peace River Region then there were many things that the government of British Columbia needed to do. They would have to build an entire transportation system, bring in a power supply and build a new town. Transportation Systems: Railway:
Map of Rail lines in northern BC
A railroad was needed to transport the coal out of Tumbler Ridge, so the BC government hired BC Railway to build a branch line. This new branch line would be 129 km long, and would run from a point in its main line, 100 km north of Prince George, to the two new coal mines. To build the railway, BC Rail would need to make two large tunnels that were 6 and 9 kilometers long to allow the train to pass through the mountains. The railway and tunnels took them close to two and a half years to finish. This was a
lot of work! Why were they doing it?
Can you see how a natural resource like coal and the railways are closely connected? The coal companies need the railway to transport coal to their customers. If the rail line was not constructed then the coal probably would not have been mined. We can also see that without the need for coal the railway would never have been built. They both depend on each other. Sea Port:
The Shoryu Maru was the very first ship to take Bullmoose and Quintette coal from the Ridley Island Terminal to Japan. The first shipment of coal was loaded onto this ship on January 7, 1984; close to 3 years after construction of the port began. |
Introduction | Tumbler Ridge | The Caufield Brothers | Japan Markets | Coal Mining and the Environment | Mining Technology | From the Mines to the Ports
© MM Fernie & District Historical Society.