Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway

With an all-rail route to the United States and links to American transcontinental railroads, the N&FS offered better market access than CP.

[5][6][4][7] Mountain station was in the current parking area at the south end of Cherry St.[8] In 1895, a rail loop at Troup, enabled the line to reverse direction, border the west arm of the lake, and terminate by the Cottonwood St. and Maple St. intersection, at what was then Bogustown (now Fairview).

This line turned from Kootenay St. northeastward into Houston St, terminating at the Stanley St. intersection,[10] requiring a 0.9-kilometre (0.6 mi) walk from the closest point to the N&FS Mountain station.

That same day, the final part of the hill route changed, turning northeastward on Observatory St. and south eastward on Stanley St. to the previous terminus.

[14] In 1951, passenger train service ceased, leaving only Auto Interurban (assumedly in association with Greyhound) bus travel via Trail, which followed a completely different route.

[28] In the 1890s, the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway was involved in a court case which resulted in a significant ruling on Canadian constitutional law.

Although the owner of the horses was successful at trial, the British Columbia Supreme Court overturned the decision, ruling that the provincial statute did not apply to the railway, which was under federal jurisdiction.

That ruling was upheld by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, at that time the highest appellate body in the British Empire: Madden v Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway Co.[29]