Overflow Website

Updated: August 22, 2007 (Check "Railway News" for updates, look for the symbol: )

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This page is divided into the following sections:

About Me

Hello!

My name is Roman. I was born in Port Alberni and lived there until I graduated from Alberni District Secondary School in 1997. It was time for me to move on to college, so I moved to Kelowna where I attended Okanagan College. I'm currently a member of the following societies/councils:

My interest in trains started when I was a kid but I didn't really get into it until I had the opportunity to work on the Alberni Pacific steam locomotive #7 with my dad. With experience from when he apprenticed on steam locomotives in the Czech Republic, my dad overhauled the running gear on #7. During the summer of 1998, I helped my dad out with the rebuilding of the running gear and enjoyed it so much that I came back for two more seasons to help with operations. My duties were limited to "grease-monkey" status, looking after lubricating the running gear during stops at the station and filling the saddle tank with water. I did try firing a little bit and quite enjoyed it (thanks for the opportunity Reg), and I'm considering the idea of becoming a certified steam locomotive engineer.

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Photo Credits: (1, 3 & 4) Josef Krizek, (2) unknown - a reporter from the AV Times took it for us and then gave us the photo. The photo appeared on the front page of the AV Times.

1. That's me in 1983. I'm posing beside the scaled down version of CP #374 in Stanley Park.
2. My dad (on left) and I on the first run up to the McLean Mill National Historic Site in August 1999. This picture appeared on the front page of the Alberni Valley Times.
3. That's me filling the saddle tank on Alberni Pacific's #7 (in August 2000).
4. Me in 1999 at Craigellachie, driving the last spike.

In August 1999, the Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society made its first run out to McLean Mill (even though the spur line wasn't built yet, the train stopped on the E&N mainline to unload passengers). It was quite an honor to be part of the crew. I rode on the tank car and operated the sprinkler valve (due to the high risk of fire along the tracks - it was a dry summer). It was amazing to see so many people along the tracks that day taking pictures and waving as the train rolled by. Four trips were done in all with the biggest ridership ever.

I came back for one more season in 2000. I finally got to try filling the saddle tank with the water tower at the station. One of my perks about this was that every time the tank started to overflow and the water would hit the hot smoke box, my glasses would fog up (#7 is a tank engine with the water inlet to the saddle tank near the smokestack). I had to wait there by the noisy steam-turbines for the fog to clear before I could find my way down off the engine (the engineer got a kick out of this).

Since leaving Port Alberni, I was kind of saddened at the idea that I probably wouldn't be able to work on a steam locomotive again, until I joined up with the Kettle Valley Steam Railway Society in Summerland. Hopefully, I'll be able to find the time to volunteer for them in the future.

I had an opportunity to work at Fort Steele Heritage Town near Cranbrook for the past three summers, working on the railway of course. I had a chance to work on steam locomotive #1077 (sister to Alberni Pacific #7 [ex M&B #1055])

During the summers of 2005 and 2006 I worked as a conductor, fireman and engineer-in-training at Fort Steele.

My intention of creating this website was to bring more awareness to the history of steam locomotives in British Columbia (plus I wanted to know how this HTML and internet stuff worked!!).

I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my site. See you down the track...

Regards,

Roman Krizek
BBA, Dipl BAdm, Dipl EET

Contact me: preservedsteambc@hotmail.com 

PS: Remember; Look, Listen & Live (Operation Lifesaver) 

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Bibliography

The following is a list of sources I referred to when constructing this site:

Books

Doeksen, Corwin and Gerry. Railways of the West Kootenay, Part 1. Published 1991 (newer edition).

Doeksen, Corwin and Gerry. Railways of the West Kootenay, Part 3. Published 1988.

Green, Mervyn T. 'Mike.' Industrial Locomotives: A Catalogue of Industrial Locomotives and Short Lines of British Columbia and Yukon Territory (An All-Time Listing, Including Museums) BC Rail Guide No. 11. Published 1992 by the Pacific Coast Division of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association.

Hungry Wolf, Adolf Canadian Railway Scenes No 1. Published 1983 by McNaughton & Gunn.

Hungry Wolf, Adolf and Okan. Canadian Railway Scenes No 3. Published 1986 by McNaughton & Gunn.

Hungry Wolf, Adolf Narrow Gauge Railway Scenes. Published 1992 by Kromar Printing Ltd.

McKnight, George. Sawlogs on Steel Rails, 45 Years - Alberni Railway Logging. Published 1995 by Friesen Printers.

Sanford, Barrie. Steel Rails & Iron Men: A pictorial History of the Kettle Valley Railway. Published 2003 (first paperback edition) by Whitecap Books.

Sanford, Barrie. The Pictorial History of Railroading in British Columbia. Published 1981 by Whitecap Books.

Smuin, Joe. Kettle Valley Railway Mileboards: A Historical Field Guide to the KVR. Published 2003 by North Kildonan Publications.

Turner, Robert D. Logging By Rail: The British Columbia Story. Published 1990 by Sono Nis Press.

Turner, Robert D. Steam on the Kettle Valley: A Railway Heritage Remembered. Published 1995 by Sono Niss Press.

Turner, Robert D., Wilkie, Dave. The Skyline Limited: The Kaslo and Slocan Railway. Published 1994 by Sono Niss Press

Turner, Robert D. Vancouver Island Railroads. 2nd edition Published 1997 by Sono Nis Press.

Websites

History of the Two-Spot. No Author. This sheet is obtainable at the E&N station in Port Alberni.

Help Restore Steam Locomotive #2141. No Author. This pamphlet is obtainable from the Kamloops Heritage Railway Society.

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Thank You and Contributors

I would like to thank the following people for contributing info or photos:

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