Jack E. Work fonds [textual record, graphic material]. -- [ca. 1890 - 1994].
8 cm of textual records
ca. 200 photographs : b&w
Jack E. Work's ancestors arrived on Vancouver Island in 1851. Work worked in Nanaimo as a wholesale parts salesman and was a keen model rail hobbyist. He wrote articles for "Model Railroader" magazine and in 1956 he won a prize for one of these articles.
Fonds consists of photographs, memorabilia and reference material predominantly related to Mr. Work's model railroad work. Fonds is arranged in three series: 1) Photographs; 2) Memorabilia and 3) Reference.
Title based on the contents of the fonds.
Series descriptions available.
Item level descriptions of select photographs also available.
Family history available in reference section.
Series 1.
Photographs [graphic material]
ca. 200 photographs : b&w, col., prints & negatives
Series consists of photographs created and collected by Jack Work from the BC Archives and Records Service, the Cowie family and [Paull?]. The predominant subject matter is locomotives and railways but there are also images of mines, people, Wellington, Departure Bay and Union Bay. Most of the photographs are annotated; Mr. Work identified many of the images when he donated the material.
Title based on the contents of the series.
Item level descriptions of selected photographs available.
Digital restoration of Photographs P62-66 (panorama of downtown wharves, ca. 1865) available on top of map cabinet.
Series 2.
Memorabilia [textual record]. -- 1879-[1920].
1 cm of textual records
Series consists predominantly of memorial cards but also includes Christmas cards, a programme for the 1931 Empire Day celebration and railway memorabilia. The memorial cards are for the following individuals: John Renwick, Katherine Dunn, John Davidson, Rosannah Wall, Reuben Gough, Laird Johnston Cowie and Archibald Cowie. It is unclear why Work collected these items and how they came into his possession.
Title based on the contents of the series.
Series 3.
Reference [textual record] [196-].
2 cm of textual records
Series consists of reproduced and published materials collected by Jack Work as reference for his model railroad hobby. Includes a booklet on the History of Railroad Logging and photocopied excerpts from The Engineering and Mining Journal and other publications.