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July 4, 2018

July Open weekend

Lots going on right now. Our July open weekend is july 7th and 8th from 10am to 4pm both days rain or shine. ?Admission is by donation. Elsewhere we’re about to start our biggest restoration project yet. We now have the boards to redo the exterior of the ex-CN flanger that was donated by Genaire Ltd in December 2016. Really looking forward to seeing this project through. The new timbers for the rear pilot beam for HEPC 46 are also on site, and will be getting installed shortly.

Lots happening, and we can always use help. If you’re looking for something to do, why ?it become a member and volunteer some time to help the museum progress. No experience is necessary. We can also always used financial and material contributions.

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The new tongue in groove boards are all cut and ready at Boardmaster Sawmill on Sodom Rd.

The new tongue in groove boards are all cut and ready at Boardmaster Sawmill on Sodom Rd.

September 17, 2017

Rail Days 2017

A VERY big thank you to everyone who came to Rail Days at the shop this weekend. It was the biggest event we’ve ever held at the shop and it was an overwhelming success. Thanks to the Ontario Northland and Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Historical societies, and our vendors for joining us at this event. Our night photo shoot was small, but there were some great pics from it, and we look forward to holding it again in 2018. The event wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our great group of volunteers who gave up so much of their time this weekend to put together a great event. (Aaron, Adam, Bill, Garry, Ken, JT, Jim, Nolan, Audrey, Wayne G, Colin, Mike, Wayne M, John and Lynn).

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One of the Wainfleet bog cars (converted to a flat car) on display.

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This small diorama was displayed on the bog car, and shows the Wainfleet Bogs original Brookville locomotive.

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The GE and TH&B gondola outside on display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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NRM Member Adam Puchalski was able to get this neat shot of the GE & 46 from above.

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Looking down the lead at dusk.

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The TH&B gon, Flanger and sand tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Sunset at the shop, with the GE & 46 outside before the night shoot.

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HEPC46 with a bit of blue light at the night shoot.

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A simple shot with the phone with the GE & 46.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right after Rail Days, we were able to acquire an old rail siding and turnout from a company in Toronto. The rail was removed by the property developer and we were able to get OWS Rail to pick the rail up on Friday, and deliver it to the Museum site. This track, when combined with the siding we still have to remove from a local industry near the Museum, will go towards rebuilding the north track, and eventually connecting all 3 shop tracks again for the first time in almost 3oyrs.

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OWS Rail Contracting picked up the rail in Toronto.

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Bill from OWS delivered and stacked all the rail at the shop.

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The finished stack of rail.

 

 

 

 

July 14, 2017

July open weekend

We’ve been very busy both at the Museum and off site. Canada Day weekend we had a display in Ridgeway for the Canada 150 celebrations, while being open at the Museum at the same time. A big thanks to our members who stepped up and covered both events.

The Canada Day weekend was followed by our July Open Weekend. Saturday was as usual the busier day, and we were given a Certificate from the Town of Fort Erie, congratulating the Niagara Railway Museum on its 20th Anniversary. Our members BBQ on Saturday night was attended by Mayor Wayne Redekop and Councillor Stephen Passero. Mayor Redekop made the presentation to Museum President Ken Jones, and his father Ken Jones, in front of our invited members and guests. We are very pleased to be recognized for this milestone in Museum history. After the BBQ the Mayor joined Ken in the cab of our 25tonner for a short trip down the Museum track.

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The GE and HEPC 46 outside in the sun.

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Ken Jones, NRM President Ken Jones, Mayor Wayne Redekop and Councillor Stephen Passero during the presentation of the certificate from the Town.

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Our Certificate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The mayor takes his turn at the throttle.

HEPC 46 was even pulled outside for display. Saturday was just for some nortmal photos, but Sunday we were visited by the Antique & Classic Car Club of Canada – Niagara Region Chapter. 2 of the cars were posed with 46 and we were pleased to have them visit the Museum. The weekend was very well attended with the furthest visitors coming from Germany (ok, so they didn’t come from Germany just to visit the Museum).

46car2 46car1There is still so much more to come at the Museum in 2017. We will have new equipment arriving soon, including the last gondola from the Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo Railway. We have had some extra donations come in, including some very much needed track materials from a local industry that no longer has rail service. In less than 2 months the Museum will be holding our biggest event at the site ever, Rail Days. While we’re still working on the event, we do have 5 model train layouts confirmed, and we’re waiting to hear back from a few model train vendors as well. Still so much to see this year. Rail Days will celebrate not just the railway history of the area, but the 20th Anniversary of the Niagara Railway Museum Inc., which strives to preserve and protect that railway heritage. We hope you will join us on September 9/10.

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July 14, 2016

July open weekend

Our second big event of 2016 has come and gone, and everyone was pretty beat at the end of it all. We didn’t have the same advertising as May ,but we still had a decent turnout for the 2 days. Our night photo shoot had one photographer show up, but he was quite pleased with what we had to offer and wants to come back. So with that, we are now planning to hold another one on Saturday, September 10th.? More information will be made available as we get closer to the event.

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The GE 25tonner and HEPC 46 outside.

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HEPC 46 “under steam” and outside.

We did manage to get a bit of work done during the weekend.? Wayne M continued painting the cinderblock walls, with most of that being about 85% complete now. We also took some time to temporarily install one of the couplers on HEPC 46 to make it easier, and safer to move her in and out of the shop. The wood buffer beams will all be part of the cosmetic restoration, which we call Project 46.? Project 46 is the fundraising initiative to help complete the restoration. 46 and the GE were posed outside for the night photo shoot.

The open house itself went very well. A big thanks to Bill and Garry for once again bringing out the Ontario Northland Historical Society display, which includes HO models of ONR equipment, photos and artifacts. Also thanks to our members who came out on both days to take care of our visitors as they toured around the shop. We received lots of great feedback from our guests and everyone understood that the Niagara Railway Museum is a major work in progress. There were? a few new items for display as well.

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Our display cases, custom built by Dave Torbett, were returned and placed back into the display car.

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Running a few new trains on the G scale layout, including this narrow gauge Whitcomb and cars.

The rain managed to hold off except for a short time during the night photo shoot. 46 got a much needed bath thanks to Mother Nature!! Despite a push from our friends at the Welland Historical Museum,? the weather did keep our night photo shoot to a very small affair.? JW Vraets from Grimsby came down and spent about 3hrs with us, taking pics of many of our pieces.? Once the rain let up we were able to get outside to the GE and 46. It was a good time with some neat pictures, and was definitely a learning experience.

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HEPC 46 and the GE 25tonner outside under the quarter moon.

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NRM President Ken Jones at the controls of HEPC 46.

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Inside the cab of CN 9173.

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The last pic of the night, looking towards the east end of the shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to support railway heritage in Niagara. We do this to keep one part of our Regions history alive for the current, and future generations. We will continue to expand and interpret our collection. We try to make changes throughout the year to rotate some of our collection through the display. Our next big event is September 10/11, 10am to 4pm both days, rain or shine. However, we are also open every Saturday from 10am -2pm until the end of September.

July 7, 2016

Open Weekend – July 9th and 10th

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HEPC46 has had some work done, and will soon be undergoing a cosmetic restoration.

This coming weekend is our second big event for the year. We have been working hard on new displays, and to fix some other issues in the shop itself. Some of that work is ongoing, but we’re ready for our visitors this weekend. Saturday night from 8-10pm we will be having a mini night photo shoot at the museum.? We do ask for a $5 donation, with all proceeds going towards the cosmetic restoration of HEPC 46, our steam locomotive. Photographers will be required to bring whatever they need for the shoot. Different angles will be available with both our GE diesel and steam locomotive.

As always, admission to our open weekend, which runs from 10am to 4pm rain or shine both days, is by cash donation. There’s lots to see and do for all ages. 2?operating train layouts, Thomas play table, equipment displays, with some equipment open for visitors. And don’t forget our 2 display cars and our Museum store.

For more information visit www.nfrm.ca or call 905 357 6539.

 

May 21, 2016

Opening Weekend

Sorry for the late posting on Opening Weekend, but here it is.

On May 14/15 the NRM had it’s opening weekend under rather poor weather conditions, experiencing wind, rain, sun, and even snow!? However, the weather didn’t keep the visitors away, with 2 very busy and steady days.

Our guests were treated to a fairly new Niagara Railway Museum.? Inside there were many changes, as we’ve been reporting over the last few months, including the major lighting upgrade inside the office area. Our 3rd boxcar was converted to a second display car, and also had a permanent store added to 1 end.? We are working on increasing our stock, but for now, it’s decent as it is.

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Thanks to Dave Torbett for building us 2 new cabinets for the display car.

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Wayne M got a little painting done on the middle door during the open house.

We had w new display cases made by David Torbett, and they were installed in the new display car in time for the weekend. We have a bit of tweaking to do on them before the next open house, but they were definitely a great addition to the car. They are used to house the Van Alstine and Mills collections.

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The new display on the Van Alstine twins on the CN.

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Tools of the trade for the display about Fred Mills, ex CNR Carman.

The new store is a great addition as well, as it now gives us a semi permanent area to sell Museum goods throughout the season, without having to set it up and take it down every time. We will be adding new items, such as NRM t-shirts and sweatshirts before the July open house. Also inside the display car was a case showing some pieces of railway china from CN & CP, both hotel and railway.

The Cab of CN 9173 was open for visitors, and is undergoing some work as we installed covers over the openings inside the cab? where the windows and such are.? This will receive another coat of paint over the summer, and will hopefully also see the damaged front window replaced.

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The Ontario Northland Historical Society brought their display out once again.

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The HO layout from The Hobby Shop, along with the old trolley coffee bar were a hit as well, as people reminisced about the store. Here a taxi had a bit of an incident.

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Our small G Scale layout was up and running as well.

Bill Woods and Garry Eller brought the Ontario Northland Historical & Technical Society display out to the shop as well. Bill & Garry are both members of the NRM, and have been displaying with us at our train year model railway shows, and our Museum events for 16yrs. The other new displays for this year were the items from the former Niagara Central Hobbies in St. Catharines. People were able to sit at the trolley and see some of the pics that were displayed on the various activities over the last few months, as well as watch the trains run on the layout. Our small G Scale layout was also running with new trains on loan from the Jones family.

 

As far as equipment goes, HEPC 46 was moved forward to allow for some better pictures, as she is usually back beside the work platform.? We will be starting up our Project 46 fundraising campaign again this year as we work to raise funds specifically for the cosmetic restoration of the locomotive, starting with the cab. She will also hopefully receive a new coat of paint. The ex-Atlas Steel Porter Fireless will also receive some new paint this year, once some metal work is done on the body. The plan is to repaint her back to the yellow she wore at the plant and upon initial arrival at Fort Erie.? She currently wears black with white trim, which was only applied to match 6218 when it was at the Town owned museum. The GE 25tonner performed perfectly after having a set of new batteries installed just days before the open weekend. The GE will be getting some front end work at some point, as we believe there is some spring damage.

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HEPC 46 was moved forward for display.

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The GE tucked away for the night.

 

The Niagara Railway Museum would like to extend its thanks to everyone who came out to support us over the weekend.? We had a great time, and hope you all did as well.? We received a lot of very positive comments from new and repeat visitors. We will continue to work hard to improve the visitor experience and hope to be able to announce some good news in the coming weeks.? Thanks also to our dedicated members who came out to help run the event.

Our next big event will be July 9 & 10, 10am to 4pm rain or shine. However, the Museum will also be open Saturdays from Fathers Day weekend to the end of September, 10am to 2pm. Admission for all events is by cash donation with every bit of it going directly towards the Niagara Railway Museum.

August 31, 2015

A Very Busy Summer

I’ve been a bit slow updating the actual news site of the page, as we have been doing a lot on our Facebook and Twitter feeds. It has been a very crazy summer for the NRM. Our Saturday open days have been very well received. We’ve added some great new displays and had 2 busy open weekends.? Our next open weekend is September 12 & 13, 10am to 4pm both days, rain or shine. There will be a few new display items in the display car, and as well as in the office display area. We’ve been working hard to get 2 of our tracks connected to allow us to move the 3rd boxcar inside for the winter. Much of this track work has been made easier with the help of hydraulic track tools that have been loaned to the Museum when needed from Trillium Railway Company in Welland. This has allowed us to progress with the track construction at a much quicker pace as opposed to the alternative way of manually spiking the track. Within the next month we hope to have the tracks connected, with enough room past the temporary turnout to allow 2 pieces of equipment plus the small Plymouth diesel (when restored) or the Trackmobile.

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The Barco speedometer installed in the cab of #9173.

We still have a lot of work to do, but we are making progress. HEPC electric E-7 and the Hydro Plymouth diesel have both had work done on the interior of their cab, with new paint and cleaning to make it?a better visitor experience. The cab of CN F7a 9173 has recently had a replacement Barco speed recorder and air flow meter installed, which were donated to the NRM by Don Brown in Rochesterm NY.? These 2 items bring the cab close to completion. The cab is accessible for viewing, so be sure to climb up the stairs and have a look.

The year isn’t slowing down anytime soon.? Our next open house is September 12/13, and the Museum’s Summer Saturdays will be extended right through to the end of September. October will see the start of the new railway show season, with the Niagara Model Railway Show in St. Catharines on October 25th. There is a lot more going on, so come on out and see the amazing progress we continue to make, as we work towards acquiring the property and creating a fully operational Railway Museum.

 

 

January 16, 2014

NRM Open House Weekends

We have finally set the dates for the Open House displays for 2014.

Our first display weekend will be May 10th & 11th, followed by the second one on July 5th & 6th, with the final show on September ?6th & 7th. ?Displays are open 10am to 4pm on all days, and?3 weekends run rain or shine.

There may be other times the shop is open, and those days/times will be posted on here.

2014 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the NRM. All new displays, and additional equipment displays will kick off the year in May. Returning again will be the Southern Niagara Model Railway Club and Ontario Northland Historical Society.? We also hope to continue our relationship with the Fort Erie LaFrance Association Museum with the display of one of their beautifully restored LaFrance Fire Engines.?It is still early, and more information will be posted as things are finalized.

September 23, 2013

A late update

I know this is a bit late, but work and life sometimes gets in the way.? Anyways, it?s been a very busy couple of weeks.? We had a very successful open house on September 7? & 8, 2013. With all the recent press from Niagara This Week and Cogeco, attendance was excellent. New and repeat visitors were impressed with our facility and the progress we?ve made. The Fort Erie LaFrance Firefighting Museum paid us a very short visit on Saturday. Unfortunately just after they arrived with their 1947 LaFrance Imperial Pumper truck, it started to rain.? Because their equipment is restored to perfect condition, they had to get the truck back to their Museum and out of the weather. However we look forward to working with them and having them at our site next year. We also gained some great donations, including 60+ photos of CN at Niagara Falls, including the visit of the famous Flying Scotsman. Steve Konig donated an HO model of Bridge 17 at Dain City built by the late Wilf Pierson . This model joins the G scale Flanger and Spreader also built by Wilf. The Ontario Northland Historical Society also joined us for the open house with their HO layout and artifact display. Despite the rain on Saturday afternoon, it was still a great turnout, and Sunday was even better.? A big thanks to everyone who came out to support the Museum and Railway history in Niagara.

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The Fort Erie LaFrance Firefighting Museum?s 1947 LaFrance Imperial Pumper on display before the rain came in.

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The Fairmont M19 on it?s first trip to the new end of track, which was extended by 50ft in August.

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Condensed HO Scale model of Welland Canal Bridge #17 at Dain City.

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NRM’s HO scale model of the Niagara Falls Station on Bridge St. Constructed by Brian Vasselsue.

Other work that has been progressing has been the windows, and the Whiting 2TMA Trackmobile.? The transmission is in the pit and ready to be placed into the Trackmobile in the next 2 weeks. We hope to have the machine back in service in the next month. We also picked up a switch stand and a used Racine rail drill, which will be very useful in our continued track construction.? We have also been offered about 30 sticks of 80/85 & 100lb rail, which we are currently looking into moving to the Museum site.

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Racine Model A rail drill.

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CPR style switch stand.

Lots of things happening at the Museum.? We thank everyone for a great 2013, and look forward to seeing you at the Niagara Model Railway Show on October 27th, 2013 at the CAW Hall in St. Catharines. Our next full open house will be in May 2014. However, visitors are always welcome if someone is at the shop on Saturday.? If you?d like to visit the Museum, please contact us to arrange for a tour.

September 2, 2013

Open house less than a week away.

Our final open house is only a few days away. There’s been a significant change in the appearance of the shop.? A lot of the graffiti is gone, and the windows are starting to get covered. The grass has been cut, and the shop prepared for visitors.? The only thing remaining, the visitors.? Come out and see all the work that has been done since July.? Our members have been working hard to improve our guest experience. Come out and support the great railway heritage that Niagara has, and see what we have in store for 2014.

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