A local railway history buff and son of a former Pacific Great Eastern (PGE) railway engineer is planning a presentation next week on the role that the railway played in Squamish’s development.

Trevor Mills’ talk, titled “The Importance of the Railway to the Development of Squamish,” is planned next Thursday (Feb. 14) at 7 p.m. at the Brackendale Art Gallery. This is the second in the Squamish Historical Society’s (SHS) 2013 Speaker Series.

Mills, an archivist with the West Coast Railway Association, has presented his popular slideshow about railway operations in Vancouver, Howe Sound and Squamish on numerous occasions. The show is based on photos taken by his father, Bert Mills, a PGE locomotive engineer who came to Squamish in 1954. Trevor Mills is also a steam engine aficionado.

“Trevor’s enthusiasm for all aspects of railroading is contagious and this presentation will reinforce that assertion,” organizers said.

During next week’s event, Mike Wallace plans to present SHS officials with a display titled, “The Last Journey of RCAF Stranraer 946,” a World War II plane that went down on Nov. 4, 1941.

Admission to the event is by donation.