Softcover. Sono Nis Press, reprint, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 186 pages. The history of railroads on Vancouver Island begins in 1863. Turner presents the stories of the lines, the men who built them, and the locomotives and cars that gave them a unique character. Included is the saga of the Dunsmuirs, the coal barons and railroad builders who influenced the entire history of the Island.