This cache is placed along the BC Parkway multi-use path between Edmonds SkyTrain Station and 22nd Street SkyTrain Station. The BC Parkway parallels the old right-of-way of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) Central Park Line. The cache is very near the location of the old Leeside Station.
It is a short walk from Edmonds SkyTrain Station or parking is available in the surrounding area but very difficult to find during weekdays. The hide is located in the shade of some trees a few steps off the BC Parkway along an existing trail connecting it to the BCER rail bed above. No need to head off bushwacking to make the find.
British Columbia Electric Railway Central Park Line
The Central Park line began operating from New Westminster to Vancouver through Central Park in 1891. The original alignment travelled up 12th Street. The “Connaught Hill Cut-off” section was built in 1912 to reduce the grade on the line and the Leeside Station and Connaught Heights Station (further to the south) were built at that time.
Rail service along this line continued in this area until it was shut down in 1953 as part of the BCER “Rails-to-Rubber” transition. After the line was closed the right-of-way sat unused for decades. By 1975, the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD, now Metro Vancouver) had proposed a light rail project along this corridor which eventually became the Expo SkyTrain line. Sections of the old rail bed including the tracks and rail ties are still visible in some places though they are slowly being removed.
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