Closed for the season, Resuming on Sundays, May 3, 2026.
At 4365 McLeod Road on Sundays from 12:30 until 2:30 pm with the Farmers Market, from May 2026 until end Sep 2026.
Ride the train and hand cars!
Railroad Work Parties 2026
We’ve been busy both at Dan’s shop on Wednesday evenings and in Rick’s shop for the Gas Loco upgrade.
Continue reading “Railroad Work Parties 2026”Donated Railroad Print
Paradise Valley Railroad was pleased to accept a gift in January 2026 from Therapeutic Riding of a well-known English Railroad print entitled “High Halden Road”. We’re not sure where to display it, and will store it for now. Thanks, PRTRA!
A photo-report on our 2025 season
Santa Train Fri./St., Dec 5 &6, 2025
We had another great event.
Railroad Work Parties 2025
We plan to meet occasionally, through the fall and winter, either Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm for the metal-work projects at Dan’s, or outdoors at the park on suitable weather days. (The first Tuesday each month with the Market folks. (Pizza day!) are paused until April 2026)
See recent work party details here
Continue reading “Railroad Work Parties 2025”G-Scale Garden Railroad
For a long time, we have considered adding a G-Scale railroad to our operation at the Paradise Valley Railroad. The idea is active now because of a donation of assets from the estate of long-time member Geoff Stubbs.
See the latest here:
http://qathet.prfhs.org/railroad-work-parties-2026/#gscale
PR Company Diesel loco in a Park?
The PR Forestry Heritage Society learned in late January 2025 that two PRCo Diesel locomotives from the mill are being disposed.
Throwback Thursday
For Fall Fair 2014, we introduced our wheelchair car, which has been used ever since
Mini-shed for the wheelchair car
Saturday, June 14, Leif and Dave finished the shed.
forestry museum opening
Glad to see the Forestry Museum open from June through September 2025!
PV Rail Locomotive #2
In November 2024 we upgraded our four-foot “bench loco” to look more like a locomotive, with decoration reminiscent of children’s toy trains.
Paving stones for the station
We completed one of our four Infrastructure projects on April 9, 2025. We had begun last September, did more in January, and more in March
Eventually when the ties rot, we’ll do the whole thing as a poured surface, but this will do us fine for now.
Continue reading “Paving stones for the station”Gutters for the Station
The gutters were installed on March 18 by Joe Huetzelmann & Company.
PV Rail … Looking back at 2024
A romp through our year
Work Parties 2024
To keep the file size manageable, we need to break the work party file into annual or smaller sizes.
Continue reading “Work Parties 2024”Santa Train – Fri-Sat Dec 6 and 7
It was rainy Friday, but perfect weather Saturday. A bit of a lineup Saturday
Pumpkin Patch
A photo story of our 2024 gardening experiment! (We’re switching to a no-watering garden this year, except for our new rain barrel
Ghost Train 2024
Sealhead Raffle 2024
Raffle: Ralph Merkosky of Powell River won our raffled Sealhead carved by Debra Bevaart at Tug Ghum Gallery in Lund. Net proceeds of approximately $2000 will be directed 50-50 to the Forestry Museum and the PVRailroad insurance expense. Photo is with Nancy Merkosky.
PV Rail at Fall Fair 2024
We had a good time at the Fall Fair on Sat/Sun Sep 14/15, 2024, from noon to 5 pm.
1400 to 1500 riders!
We’ve enjoyed having the Pipe Band ride the train for several years. (65 seconds)
Thank you, sponsors
We’ve updated our sponsor’s page
Donated or Garage sale-priced items needed
Things we need, ideally donated or at Garage Sale prices
- Garden tools: – wheelbarrow, watering can
- Shop tools: small screwdrivers with all tip styles, small wrenches,
- Garden Scale Project: track, rail cars, models
- Climax Project: 36″ x 9″ steel pipe for the Boiler
Model Building
We have some exciting projects happening on the railroad and other forestry heritage locations.
We welcome new participants!
Possible volunteer? Info sessions each Sunday, 12:15 to 12:30 and 2:30 to 3 pm
Railroad Wood Ties
Plastic ties became too expensive, so, we are back to wood ties for now. Bob cut and donated some 2x2s, and Dan cut up leftover log ends from the Anderson sled project into 2x2s. Then we re-sawed into ties. Dan and Scott cut 120 more a few days later. About 300 now stored in the old shed rafters. More to go – Dan needs his ATV Trailor back, and 2x2s for another few hundred are stored there.
Ghost Train 2023, Oct 28 and 29
Up McLeod Road from Paradise Valley Road
Admission by Donation for Railroad equipment upgrades.
From previous years:
Clansman Pipe Band – Fall Fair Sept 23
Steam Donkey #1619 is now on display
More photos and information is located here: http://qathet.prfhs.org/steam-donkey-1619-display/
The fairlead and pulley are part of the Anderson Display.
“Bear Creek” photo near Powell River?
Andrew Martin scanned this lantern slide photo, marked “Edward Bros., Bear Creek”, along with a Sliammon photo (shown below the “continue reading”) and wondered if there is a closer “Bear Creek” to Powell River than the ones north of Comox, near Port Alberni, northeast of Port Renfrew, or north of Sprout Lake. Does anyone recognize which “Bear Creek” logging show this photo of a Baldwin locomotive might have come from?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/423298261169886/permalink/2514709755362049
Continue reading ““Bear Creek” photo near Powell River?”2023 Season Opening May 7
We’re glad the spring weather is here, and the Paradise Valley Railroad looks forward to resuming regular Sunday operations beginning May 7 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm beside the Farmers Market at 4365 McLeod Road.
Come for a ride on the train or on hand cars! Prices are the same as last year, $2 per ride, except May 14 when Mothers ride free!
Anyone considering joining the volunteer railroad crew is invited to an information session to be held at the train station at 2:15 pm Sunday, May 7.
WILLINGDON BEACH TRAIL MANAGEMENT TRANSITION – 2022
After 100 years of involvement by volunteers maintaining the historic Willingdon Beach Trail, the Forestry Heritage Society, the maintainer for the past 37 years, turned over its few remaining trail maintenance tasks to the City shortly before the trail re-opened late in 2022, following the installation of the wastewater treatment pipe down the centre of the trail.
Fall Fair, Sep 24-25, 2022
We introduced a new car at the Fall Fair; an easy-access car for folks having trouble mounting the ride-astride cars. Thanks to Kiwanis Powell River for sponsoring our fabrication of this car.
Our Raffle winner for 2022 drawn was Suzanne Goulet of Montreal. The $2,000 funds generated paid for our insurance bill!
Tickets were $5 each, or 5 for $20, and could be purchased at Tug Ghum Gallery in Lund or at the Railroad on Sundays.
What fun to have the Pipe Band on board!
Some other photos of the railroad during the Fall Fair 2022.
We updated our website that shows all our current rolling stock.
We are lucky to have our chief engineer Dan Parsons bring his various steam trains to the PVR. For Fall Fair 2022 he brought his 1/8 scale Shay steam train “ALBERNI PACIFIC #8”, seen in this 8-minute video.
Some July 10 photos
More July 10 photos here https://photos.app.goo.gl/SWbizJzuUKDgyYma6
Fathers Day June 19. Dads rode the train free! The Vintage Car club and a Steam Train visited!
Photos from Father’s Day June 19, 2022
More model Shay photos (2019) .. … … … … More Vintage car 2021 photos
The poster we used to advertise the event is below.
Opening Day April 24- a good start to the season!
New members welcome
Forest History Presentation at the Museum
Dave Florence presented “qathet Region Forest History, an overview” at the qathet Museum and Archives’ Spring 2022 Speakers Series on Thursday, March 10, 2022, at 6:30 pm.
It consisted of a heavily illustrated set of 118 slides, and took about 70 minutes followed by a question and answer session.
A Youtube zoom recording of the session is here (1 hour 23 minutes)
A .pdf version of the slides is here.
A few of the slides follow below.
Continue reading “Forest History Presentation at the Museum”Santa train
was held December 10, 11, 2021: Friday, Saturday, 5-7 pm
FREE TRAIN AND HANDCAR RIDES SUNDAY SEPT 26!!
Nice turnout today! We appreciate all the support to the railroad this year!! It was our final Sunday this year at the Outdoor Farmers Market. See you at Ghost Train Oct 30 and 31.
Photos by Phil Kemp – click on More.
Continue reading “FREE TRAIN AND HANDCAR RIDES SUNDAY SEPT 26!!”10th Anniversary – Sunday – Sep 19, 2021
We introduced this photo display of our first ten years. See each panel here.
We were delighted to enjoy viewing fourteen cars from the Vintage Car Club who visited. Photos here.
We did the Raffle draw: the winner of the Debra Bevaart Sealhead carving was Lynne Andrews of Surrey
Thank you to everyone who participated. More details here.
Photos of the day by Phil Kemp below
PVR Facebook Page
Successful Reopening July 18
More than 200 smiling faces for our re-opening day.
Railroad Opened July 18th!!
Work Parties
Saturday April 17, 10am-2 pm
- at the track;
- Leif, Geoff, Hans, Bob, Rob, DaveM, Dan and Davef attended.
- We cleared the track and nearby areas of debris and built burn piles for a future work party.
Meetings
11 April, 2021 at 1 pm. 2021 AGM and regular meeting.
Minutes AGM Minutes Regular Meeting. Presidents report
Events
Christmas drive-by the lights Dec 11-12, 2020
