Industrial Heritage Centre (Port Alberni, British Columbia)

 museum, place with historical importance, transport museum

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The Western Vancouver Island Industrial Heritage Society (WVIIHS) restores, maintains and operates the industrial collection of the Alberni Valley Museum. The collection is extensive and consists of logging-related vehicles; railway locomotives and equipment; the restored 1912 Port Alberni Railway station and the Alberni Roundhouse; and more recently the McLean Mill National Historic Site and the Industrial Heritage Centre (the old Arena) have also come under the umbrella of the Society.

WVIIHS operates the Alberni Pacific Railway steam train, runs a Conductor Training course for BCIT using a historic RS-3 diesel locomotive, and presents an old-time logging demonstration at the MacLean Mill National Historic Site, operating a spar tree with 80-year-old steam donkey and loading donkey. It has also been maintaining the E&N Railway line between Port Alberni and Cameron Lake with the hope of running a tourist train over the line for cruise ship passengers.

A large collection of historical industrial artifacts, many of which were used by the McLean Mill or elsewhere throughout the Alberni Valley, are preserved and restored at the old arena, at the McLean Mill, and/or at the APR roundhouse. The collection includes:

* several antique logging trucks (1918 White, 1932 Hayes-Anderson, 1937 White, 1947 Hayes, 1955 Mack, 1955 and 58 Hayes)
* 1913 McLaughlin-Buick car
* 1979 International highway truck
* a 1944 International 6x6 military truck
* 1965 Mercury
* 1965 GMC lowbed
* 1939 Ford fire truck
* historic bulldozers (1929 Caterpillar "Twenty", Heathcote TD-14, 1937 International, 1947 D-8 Cat)
* 1937 Allis-Chalmers grader
* a Ross lumber carrier
* an articulated sawmill crane-truck
* Byers shovel
* 1948 Lorain crane
* and several stationary engine.
* photos: www.alberniheritage.com/trucks

Railway equipment includes:
* Number 7, Baldwin steam locomotive built in 1929 and currently operating on the Alberni Pacific Railway tourist train
* Number 2-Spot, a 1912 Shay steam locomotive that may be restored to operation in 2012 for the City of Port Alberni's centennial
* No. 8427, Alco RS-3 diesel locomotive formerly used by Comox Logging & Railway and currently used for conductor training course for BCIT
* No. 11, a GE 45-ton diesel locomotive formerly used at the pulp mill
* the "Buda", a gas-powered locomotive used at the MacLean Mill (and currently on display there)
* a speeder built in 1940s for Comox Logging railway
* two wooden cabooses, one of which sat outside a McDonald's restaurant in Nanaimo for years
* and the "Strathcona", a wooden parlour car built in 1882 and used as a business car for the E&N.

The Centre is open to visitors every Tuesday evening and Saturday mornings.