Seriously Moving Images

by Dennis J. Duffy

Here’s the most complete surviving copy of Rails to Romance, a promotional film/travelogue produced for the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in 1945-47 by the BC Government Travel Bureau. Rails to Romance combines features of an industrial film (about the railway and its importance to central BC) and a travelogue (depicting the scenery and attractions of the country through which the line passes).

Section 1 (00:00-04:04)

The Union Steamship vessel Lady Alexandra leaves Vancouver harbour and stops at Bowen Island, a popular holiday destination.

After the pausing at Bowen to outline the resort facilities there, the film continues its voyage to the PGE’s southern terminus at Squamish. Passengers and freight are transferred from the Lady Alexandra to the waiting PGE train.

Section 2 (04:05 – 09:11):

Until 1956, the PGE tracks ran between Squamish and Quesnel, linking with Vancouver via Union Steamships and railcar freight barges. In this segment, we join a northbound steam train carrying freight and passengers from the docks and station at Squamish. Passing through Cheakamus Canyon, passengers enjoy the scenery from an open-topped observation car.

The train stops at Rainbow station (between Garibaldi and Pemberton), where the attractions of Rainbow Lodge resort and Alta Lake are shown. Leaving Rainbow, the traveller is continually gobsmacked by beauty: Birkenhead River, Pemberton Meadows, Anderson Lake, and Seton Lake.

Section 3 (09:12 – 12:56):

This section of the film depicts the Lillooet and southern Cariboo regions. The town of Lillooet is featured. An auxiliary gas car (a gasoline-fueled railway engine) is shown on the line to nearby Shalalth, where the railway picks up gunny sacks of gold concentrates.

Profiling the PGE’s route from Lillooet to Clinton, the narration extols the rugged beauty of the passing scenery, including Fraser Canyon, Bridge River, and views of Moran and Pavilion Mountain. Near Clinton, we visit to a typical Cariboo dude ranch, where “gay holidayers enjoy a morning canter.” The section concludes with shots of The Chasm, 100 Mile House, and fishing scenes at Canim Lake and Lac La Hache.

Section 4 (12:57 – 17:05)

The heart of the Cariboo region, from Williams Lake to the Quesnel area. This section showcases cattle ranching in the region, with roundup and cattle drive scenes. 280-foot-high Deep Creek Bridge is featured; Quesnel, Wells, and Barkerville are visited. Placer mining with a hydraulic monitor is shown. The film underscores the importance of the PGE in the economic development of central British Columbia.

Section 5 (17:06 – 18:26):

This section highlights the PGE’s track, locomotive, and rolling stock maintenance work, as well as behind-the-scenes aspects of the passenger service (such as stocking the coaches and supplying the dining car).

Section 6 (18:27 – 21:15):

This final section provides an overview of the PGE’s freight operations, including the range of forest products coming from the region: pulpwood, saw logs, pit props for British coal mines, and tall peeled trees to make power poles. The film concludes with footage of the freightcar barge service that links the Squamish terminus with Vancouver.

This barge link is also profiled in an earlier blog post about the NFB film Eye Witness no. 54, in which the newsreel item “A Railroad Goes to Sea” starts at 6:56. In 1956, this barge journey was supplanted by train service when the PGE completed its rail line from North Vancouver to Squamish.