This photo shows the first Pacific Great Eastern train from North Vancouver to West Vancouver on Jan. 1, 1914.
Incorporated in 1912 as Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGER), the company took over the operation of the Howe Sound & Northern Railway.
Trains carried freight and commuters several times a day between Lonsdale Avenue and Horseshoe Bay. The PGER Company ended its service on the North Shore in 1928, as costs were too high in the face of the growing popularity of vehicular transportation.
The line was revived in 1956 connecting the North Shore to Prince George along Howe Sound. In 1972, the B.C. government took over operations and changed the name to the B.C. Rail.
Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver, now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.
Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley is open by appointment only. Contact: archives@monova.ca
Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.
