As indicated by the verso inscription, this fine E.J. Hughes drawing was completed in 1955 but is based on an earlier sketch from the 1930s. Its title, Old Railway, reinforces this retrospective viewpoint, likely referencing the early Pacific Great Eastern Railway line that once ran between West and North Vancouver along the North Shore. Portions of this route, initially developed in the early twentieth century, saw limited use and periods of decline prior to mid-century expansion. E.J. Hughes also produced a 1955 oil painting entitled Abandoned Railroad.

The drawing itself is very finely executed, with careful, expert linework and shading. Particularly notable is the charmingly detailed vegetation emerging from the tracks, suggesting both the passage of time and the quiet encroachment of nature upon this once-active industrial corridor.