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| "In
1903, the rail line of the Victoria Terminal Railway (V.
T. R.) between Port Guichon and Colebrook, near the border with
Surrey, a distance of about 18 miles, was completed. It had taken
much lobbying by Delta residents to have a rail link with New
Westminster and the rest of the Lower Mainland. For the next three decades train service of varying frequencies was supplied, sometimes three times a week, sometimes more and sometimes less. Local residents had their own colloquial names for the service, ranging from "slow train to the sea" to "Molasses Railway." In 1905 the Great Northern Railway (G. N. R.) took over the ownership of the V. T. R., making the line part of its larger system. Persistent vigilance by Delta farmers, Municipal Council and the Delta Board of Trade was needed to retain service at a reasonable level. The railway was constantly trying to increase its profit margin by reducing service and stops. One of the highly-disputed areas where cut-backs took place was the number of sidings at which the train would stop to take on farm products, especially milk. In 1910, after much acrimony, the sidings were agreed to be Chilukthan Slough, and Goudy, Benson, Matthews, Embree and Oliver Roads. The track followed 44th Avenue in Ladner more or less to where it would cross 46A Street, if 44th Avenue were a through street. Then it began a gradual curve up to Port Guichon, with a spur sweeping back to the east, along Savoy Street to the milk condensory on Fairview Road (46A Street). The track did not end at Port Guichon station, but continued up onto the dock so that rail cars could be taken right onto ships bound for Victoria and other destinations. It may seem unlikely now, but Port Guichon in those early years of the 20th century was a port of some importance, largely as a result of the arrival of the railway. Vessels, generally steamers, called in here to take on cargo, especially lumber from the mill, as well as farm produce destined for Victoria and Nanaimo. However, over the years this channel of the Fraser River silted in and the port became inaccessible to large ships. Another factor leading to the demise of Port Guichon was the arrival and development of trucks as a means of transporting goods quickly and efficiently. By the late 1920s Port Guichon's period of fame had ended. In 1935 the railway discontinued its service to Port Guichon, and later the rails were removed. The railbed was put to use as the foundation of 44th Avenue many years later. Even in recent times individuals have reported finding remnants from the line." |
