[3][4] The demand for wood products during the First World War led to the construction of a pulp mill, sawmill, shingle mill and community at Beaver Cove by Beaver Cove Lumber & Pulp Limited in 1917, which in turn brought about large-scale railway logging operations in the lower Nimpkish Valley.

A major forest fire in 1952 and the need to salvage the burned over timber led to a further extension of the railway and establishment of the Vernon Lake logging camp and reload facility.

Recognizing that the multiple handling of logs was inefficient and costly, in 1957 Canfor built the 37-kilometre (23 mi) rail link along the east side of the lake.

[8] On November 7, 2017, almost 7 months following the deadly derailment, Western Forest Products announced the closure of the Englewood Railway stating that the logs will now be transported by truck at a lower cost and more efficient process.

In June 2019, Western Forest Products announced it would be removing all 90 km (56 mi) of railway track, leaving bridges and trestles intact.

Up to 22,000 carloads were hauled per year, in 2 to 3 trains per day,[6] although this amount was greatly reduced by the time the railroad ceased operations.

Typically, the north-end operation had the two locomotives (running cab forward) pulling 35-45 loaded log cars, with a caboose at the end, downhill from Siding 4 to Beaver Cove.

Four EMD SW1200 locomotives,[5] three of which had been rebuilt with 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) Caterpillar engines (the fourth retained its original 1,200 hp or 890 kW EMD engine and was kept in reserve) were modified with larger fuel tanks (to handle a nearly 200 km or 120 mi round trip) and with triple headlights (middle, left, right) at both ends.

They were delivered from EMD with dynamic brakes in their original incarnation (an unusual feature in an SW1200) in order to cope with the long descent from Woss to tidewater at Beaver Cove.