Lending a Hand for Local Heritage: A Community Partnership with PoMo Museum and the Railway Museum of BC

At Phoenix Truck & Crane, community isn’t just a buzzword, it’s something we live and breathe.

When a request asking for our help landed in our inbox from local Tri-Cities organizations, we paid attention.

Laura Dick, a board member with the Port Moody Station Museum (PoMo Museum), reached out with a heartfelt request.

“We have a track crane that weighs about 1 tonne. We are gifting it to the Railway Museum of BC in Squamish, and I thought of Phoenix right away. I remember the first time I learned of your team was when Ruben’s Shoes was starting up and collecting thousands of shoes to ship to the Dominican. Phoenix stepped up to help with space to sort and store, and I’m hoping you’ll be able to help out again”.

How could we say no to that?

The PoMo Museum, a long-standing non-profit in our community, had some vintage railway equipment on hand, including a MOW boom crane, that no longer served their interpretive mission. Rather than let these pieces deteriorate, they chose to gift them to the Railway Museum of BC (RMBC) in Squamish, where they’ll be restored, maintained, and appreciated by future generations.

The Museum in Squamish secured a flatbed truck and a picker to offload the gears in Squamish, so our role was on the Port Moody side, safely hoisting three pieces of vintage railway equipment onto the flatbed, preparing them for the scenic journey up the Sea-to-Sky highway.

The day after the move, we received a warm message from the team, praising our crane operator for the care and professionalism shown throughout the process, and even sharing photos and videos.

We love when our work connects with a greater cause, especially when it celebrates local history and supports heritage preservation. Thank you to Laura, Dianna, Singh and Kyle, and everyone else who helped coordinate this move. A special shoutout to our crane operator Trevor, for representing Phoenix with professionalism and heart.

Helping the past move forward, literally. That’s what community partnerships are all about, and we were proud to have been a part of this collaboration.