Vancouver's Engine 374 Celebrations

Engine 374 was the first train to arrive in the City of Vancouver. In May there is an event at the Roundhouse Community Centre to celebrate the train’s arrival.

Today Engine 374 resides permanently at the community centre in Yaletown. It’s on display indoors year-round for people to see. For one day in May each year, though, on the Victoria Day Long Weekend, the locomotive moves outdoors as part of the celebrations. The event happens on May 19th in 2024.

See the West Coast Railway Association website for full details about the event and the museum.

(NOTE: A related event that also happens in May is the Day Out With Thomas The Train at the Railway Museum of BC in Squamish. In 2024 that event happens on May 25th and 26th.)

The Engine 374 Train and its Anniversary Celebration

A significant event in Vancouver’s history took place on May 23rd, 1887. That’s when the CPR Engine 374 pulled the first train into the young city on the new transcontinental railroad. This marked the completion of the coast-to-coast railway, a landmark moment in Canadian history.

Today, and year-round, Engine 374 is at the Roundhouse Community Centre for all to see in downtown Vancouver. Every May there is a celebratory event with family-friendly activities and music. The engine itself gets steamed up with its whistle blowing.

2024 marks the engine’s 137th anniversary of its arrival in the city. This year the community celebrates the occasion on Sunday, May 19th (so not quite exactly on the anniversary date, but close enough).

To learn more about Engine 374 and its anniversary event in May, visit the West Coast Railway Association‘s website.

Festivities Outside the Roundhouse

The Engine 374 Pavilion

People can check out the restored locomotive at the Engine 374 Pavilion in the Roundhouse Community Centre all year. The West Coast Railway Association manages the display. The same organization also runs the Railway Museum of British Columbia up in Squamish. That museum is especially impressive! It’s huge, and with so much to see!

The Engine 374 Pavilion in Yaletown usually operates every day from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm during the winter months (which starts in November and runs until April). It operates daily from between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm during the summer months. As of 2024, the place is only closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Note: The hours can change as the pavilion is run entirely by volunteers. The train is free to visit. You can climb on board the locomotive and ring its bell. There are also short tours sometimes, hosted by the volunteers, of both the train’s exterior and interior. If you can go on a tour, you should! They are very interesting!

Engine 374 Outside the Roundhouse — Engine 374 on its Annual Anniversary Day

The Train’s Anniversary Celebrations

Each year in mid to late May there is an anniversary celebration to commemorate when Engine 374 arrived in Vancouver for the first time. The event usually runs from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. That will likely be the case in 2024, although exact details are to be confirmed.

Each year the celebration features musical performances by the Little Mountain Brass Band, with complimentary cake, juice and coffee offered. There are also some activities inside the community centre for children. The event isn’t huge, but it’s a fair size. It’s also free to attend. There are a few short speeches to mark the occasion and provide some history and backstory to the train.

On the day of the event the engine is properly steamed up to give it more of the feel that it had over a century ago. Attendees can climb aboard the train and check out its cabin during regular hours of Engine 374‘s year-round indoor display room. People also have the chance to blow the train’s whistle during this once-a-year special event.

To learn more about Engine 374, visit the West Coast Railway Association‘s website.

Other Information

For more details about the train, visit the West Coast Railway Association website.

If you like museums, another place you might want to check out is the Railway Museum of BC in Squamish. It’s run by the same non-profit organization. It’s an impressive place, especially for people who like trains.

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