Field Trip: Northern Ontario Railroad Museum & Heritage Centre - Capreol, Ontario

Click on each image for a closer look!

Dave Lawrence is a member of the TRHA Simulations team who developed the Toronto Rail Lands Simulation featured in our Railway Simulations Centre exhibit. On June 11th, 2011 Dave visited the Northern Ontario Railroad Museum & Heritage Centre. Located about 40 kilometres north of Sudbury, Capreol developed around the Capreol Railway Station as Capreol was a major divisional point on the CNR. The town has established this museum in a large house plus an exhibit in Prescott Park. Several featured items in the park are:

CNR 4-8-2 Muntain Type U-1-F steam locomotive:

In 1967, Harold Prescott, then the Capreol mayor, accepted from CNR the donation of this engine as a momento of Capreol's history as a railroading town. Mr. Prescott, a CNR engineer, had operated this same engine. Because of their distinctive noses, these engines were affectionately known as "Bullet-Nosed Betties”.

CNR Caboose #77562:

This was originally built of wood in 1899 likely as a box car. It is distinctive in that it is approximately 4 feet longer than the standard CNR wood-sheathed caboose. It is painted "Morency Orange" and has a green leaf with the "Serves All Canada" slogan. One of the accompanying images shows the coal-fired stove in the caboose.

CNR Rules Instruction Car #15019:

This car was originally built by Pullman Standard in 1912 for the Inter Colonial Railway of Canada and named "Stratacona." Originally it was built as 10-2 sleeper and operated in passenger service. It was later configured as a rules instruction car which traveled along the line updating the knowledge of CNR employees about the rules and testing them on their mastery of the rules.

For more about the museum, visit their website by clicking here.

Posting by Russ Milland; Images by Dave Lawrence