[2023-09-01] Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
This post could be about the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario or about its volunteer Maintenance Supervisor, Brian. But I'll make it about both, since our enjoyment of the Railway Museum was heavily influenced by Brian.
Mel had long wanted to visit the railway museum in Smiths Falls; today was our chance.
We actually started our day in Merrickville, a picturesque village on the Rideau Canal. We lunched at the Yellow Canoe Café (I recommend their scones with caramelized butter), where I ran into a former colleague—a meeting that was both serendipitous and lovely. We visited the Violets on Main bakery; the customer in front of us had made an extensive order and raved about all the wonderful items at the bakery. And we watched Parks Canada employees operating the locks. We wandered about the village for a bit then decided to return to the city via Smiths Falls, rather than Highway 416.
Our visit to Merrickville was pleasant, and our drive from the village to the town of Smiths Falls was beautiful, but it was our stop at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario that topped our day. The museum—which includes a station and various trains and railway cars—sits on 10.5 acres of land within the town of Smiths Falls. Mel and I started our visit in the beautifully restored station, which was constructed in 1912. We each paid our $10 entrance fee and headed out to explore the collection.
We started with the Dining Car, which reminded me of Agatha Christie's novel Murder on the Orient Express. According to the Museum's website, the dining car was built in 1899. The car includes 10 tables, five on each side. The museum occasionally offers Afternoon Tea in the Dining Car—something Mel and I would love to do in the future.
Next we proceeded down the platform towards the Canadian Northern 1112 Steam Locomotive, where we met Brian. He was touching up the paint on the Canadian National sign on the side of the big, black engine. I struck up a conversation—as I am wont to do—and Brian proceeded to share numerous interesting tidbits about the museum, all while continuing to paint the sign. He told us about the role of the train engineer and the fireman. The engineer controlled the train, including its speed and braking. The fireman kept the furnace fired with coal and watched the water level in the boiler. He also served as an extra set of eyes to ensure no obstructions at railway crossings. Brian paused his work to explain how a steam locomotive worked, pointing to the tender (the rectangular portion of the engine), pistons and rods and wheels, but I would need to hear that explanation many more times before I would attempt to describe it here. Still, it was fascinating to listen to. Brian also told us the history of 1112 itself (supplemented by my later perusal of the museum's website): the engine was built in 1912 as a coal-burning engine, converted to oil in 1952, retired in 1961, and eventually moved to the museum grounds in 1992.
Brian also told us the history of the CN 574493 Automobile Boxcar. The wooden boxcar was used to transport automobiles to western Canada: the chassis of the automobiles were chained to the ceiling of the car using brackets, while the bodies of the cars were carried in a separate boxcar. This enabled more cars to be transported. On the return trip from western Canada, the automobile boxcar was filled with grain, up to a certain height marked on the boxcar's wall. The lower the mark on the wall for a given grain (such as wheat, barley and rye), the denser the grain.
Brian also recommended that we check out the Snowplow 55400. He noted that one man would operate the lower front section of the plow, lowering and raising it to ensure maximum clearing of the tracks while avoiding damage to switches and level crossing planks. A second man would operate the wings of the snowplow, which could be expanded to clear snow on either side of the tracks and contracted to avoid damage to platforms at train stations.
Mel asked Brian about the handcar, which groups of up to three people can ride for $10. Handcars were used by railway personnel to inspect and maintain the tracks. The one we used today had two arms that worked in a seesaw fashion. Brian offered to personally take us on the handcar. We were joined by another visitor, which meant that two people would push down on the arm, followed by the other two people. Brian told us that the maximum speed experienced trolleymen would reach in a handcar was 40 kilometres per hour. He estimated that we reached about 20 kilometres per hour. It was a fun experience, well worth the time and investment.
One of our final stops on the tour was Dental Car CNR 15095—the only remaining dental car in North America. As per the Railway Museum's website: "In the 1930s the Ontario government funded a programme to provide dental care to children in remote Northern Ontario communities. Canadian Pacific donated two old passenger cars and Canadian National donated one. These cars were then converted into dental cars for the dentists to live and work on." The Dental Car included a bedroom for the dentist and his wife, a kitchen, a bathroom (equipped with a toilet, sink and shower), a dark room where the dentist could develop x-rays, a treatment area, a bedroom for the dental nurse, and a waiting room—all in the most compact area you could imagine. It's a fascinating exhibit.
We concluded our visit back in the station, where Cynthia told us the history of the Railway Museum, how long it's open (spring, summer and fall), and how many staff, students and volunteers they have. She was clearly passionate about the Railway Museum, as was Brian.
The Railway Museum website includes an introductory video, which is worth viewing before you visit. And if you or a family member is a Harry Potter fan, you may wish to attend the Railway Museum's next event: The Hallow's Express on September 23 from 2:00 to 8:00 PM. As per the website: "Immerse yourself in the wizarding world of the RMEO station, meet faculty members, get sorted into your houses, buy a chocolate frog from the trolley witch, get your acceptance letter, brew a potion, and snap a pic going through Station 9 3/4."
