The notorious The Garnet Valley Gang can be seen robbing the Kettle Valley steam train in Summerland.

Image Credit: Kettle Valley Steam Railway

A gang of bandits has been robbing passengers on the iconic Kettle Valley Steam Train in Summerland since 1996 and they're in need of some new recruits for next season.

The Garnet Valley Gang is a group of volunteer actors on horseback who gallop out of the forest with pistols firing to hold up the steam train and rob the customers of loose change that is donated to charity.

“I have a blast doing this and everyone gets really into the show,” Bryan Slater said, a gang member since 2018. “You have to play the mean guy, you have to play the crowd. It’s an adventure.”

Slater said there are a few skills prospective gang members should have for safety reasons, and there are several steps involved from the start to the end of a shift.

The only thing that's guaranteed, when the gang heads out to rob the train nothing will go as planned.

“It is more like organized chaos,” Slater said. “Every robbery is completely different because you are racing out of a forest with guns firing, everyone shouting and a steam train coming to a stop.”

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The Kettle Valley Steam Railway in Summerland, operates excursion trains on the only remaining section of the historic railway. One of those excursions includes the interactive train robbery show followed by a BBQ afterwards.

The gang members must bring their own horses and and the horses need to be gun trained . Slater said the horse must have a good disposition and the rider must be able to “keep their butt in the saddle.”

“You should be a competent rider, there's a lot that can happen,” he said. “You can be up against the steam trains and if the steam in the boiler goes up it can spill a bunch of steam. We put an acting plan together ahead of time but sometimes a horse have a hissy fit from the commotion.”

Prior to a shift, the gang members haul their horses to the site where they have a safety meeting and go over the acting plan. They gallop out to the train and some climb onboard to rob passengers and have fun with them.

“There is a sheriff and two fancy girls onboard who are part of the show,” Slater said. “At the end, we do a final shootout scene with the sheriff and a leave with a big, noisy ride out.” 

The passengers know ahead of time to bring loose change they want to donate and the funds go to various charities for youth in the Okanagan.

“Someone brought their grandma and didn’t tell her the show was fake and she believed it,” Slater said. “She took off expensive diamond earrings and put them in the bag. We went back and found them and gave them back.”

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The steam train was built in the early 1900s and actors dress appropriately for the era.

Slater said some of the gang members have era specific guns they hand pack while on their horses but of course they are shooting blanks.

The gang was short on riders this last season, Slater guesses there are about 20 of them currently but not everyone is able to do every shift.

“We did some robberies with six riders and it isn’t enough to hold up a train car,” he said. “Lives changed through the pandemic and some people moved, leaving us a bit short.”

The robberies typically take place on Sundays throughout the summer.

For more information on becoming a Garnet Valley Gang member send an email to Bryan Slater at b642slater@gmail.com.

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