Great Northern Railway Disaster, Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in Burnaby BC, along the Central Valley Greenway near where the incident occurred. It was developed with the support of the City of Burnaby.
The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928. It was unveiled on November 28, 2019.
This is one of many Plaques around the Province, a project of the BC Labour Heritage Centre which aims to recognize events, actions, episodes, movements, or experiences that played a significant role in the history of the labour movement and working people in all regions of British Columbia.
Great Northern Railway Disaster, 1909
The plaque reads: In the early hours of November 29, 1909, a Great Northern train transporting 43 railway labourers to carry out track repairs plunged into this ravine (Lost Creek). Twenty three men, mostly of Japanese descent, were killed in the crash, illuminating the dangerous conditions faced by early railway workers. Unlike the crew members, the Japanese workers had been crowded into a boxcar and could not jump to safety. Rescue efforts were hampered by darkness, the steep banks of the ravine and the torrent of water from Lost Creek. A coroner’s inquest revealed that the accident was caused by the storm and unsafe track design, and recommended that a night track-walker be employed during severe rainstorms. BC Labour Heritage Centre 2017 Union Made City of Burnaby Community Heritage Commission