Head north on the Sea to Ski Highway (#99) from Vancouver B. C. for 30 kilometers and you will come to the Britannia Beach. Looming over this community of about 300 people is the B. C. Museum of Mining. Britannia Beach was started in the early 1900's by the staff of the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company. The ore they mined and smelted was copper. The British Columbia Museum of Mining opened in 1975. Today the mine is a tourist attraction. It has been closed for renovations but will reopen February 1, 2010 as part of the Britannia Project.
The railroad runs along the waters edge of the Britannia Beach. Three tourist trains have used these rails in recent years. In the 1970's the Royal Hudson Steam train ran a round trip excursion to Squamish. Next came the Pacific Starlight Dinner Train. Since then the Rocky Mountaineer's, Whistler Sea to Sky Climb with its dome car has run May to September. Passengers over the past forty years have gazed at the B.C. Museum of Mining climbing up the hillside as their train has "choo choo-ed" through the community of Britannia Beach.
Photo: Taken in 2006 by SW.
Link: http://www.bcmm.ca/
Link: http://www.bcmuseumofmining.org/
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britannia_Beach/
Link: http://www.findfamilyfun.com/mining.htmhttp://www.findfamilyfun.com/mining.htm
