Sunday’s opening of Railway Witnesses: The Memory of a Nation is sure to fascinate you!
The fascinating Railway Witnesses: The Memory of a Nation exhibition jointly presented by the Revelstoke Railway Museum and Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, opens on Sunday. Casting back to the beginning of the Age of Steam and carrying visitors forward to the 21st century, this show is certain to enthral railway fans. Here, volunteers Gary Penner (left) and Rob Mellish work on one of the last exhibits to be erected before the 1 – 3 pm official opening on Sunday at the Revelstoke Railway Museum. David F. Rooney photo
By David F. Rooney
The fascinating Railway Witnesses: The Memory of a Nation exhibition jointly presented by the Revelstoke Railway Museum and Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, opens on Sunday. Casting back to the beginning of the Age of Steam and carrying visitors forward to the 21st century, this show is certain to enthral railway fans.
With an official public opening from 1 until 3 pm on Sunday, June 17, this should be one of the most interesting exhibitions at the museum in some time.
Jennifer Dunkerson, the Railway Museum’s energetic and personable executive director, is very pleased with the joint exhibitiion and has, herself, discovered pieces of railway history that even she didn’t know. We won’t tell you what those may be. You’ll just have to come to the opening on Sunday and find out for yourself!
In the meantime, here are a few photos we hope will whet your appetite:
The Age of Steam arrived rapidly in Canada. Steam power first appeared on ships, but just seven years after the Rocket became the first practical steam locomotive ever and six years after the first inter-city railway was built in England, Canad had its first railway — the Champlain and Saint Lawrence Railroad, which opened outside of Montreal. David F. Rooney photoWhile Canada’s first trains were initially used to carry freight, their use as people movers quickly caught on and, before you know it, they became vehicles for tourism, too. That was something the first national railroad, the Canadian Pacific Railway, excelled at. David F. Rooney photoThis exhibition also includes old black-and-white films that are certain to amuse and inform. David F. Rooney photoRailway Museum Executive Director Jennifer Dunkerson poses beside a Canadian National Railway Poster from the Second World War. Did you know the CPR sent rail workers to Europe during the war to help restore train service? David F. Rooney photoAt first glance this may seem like just a collection of antique brochures. But, hold on! Look again! The document on the left is actually an original copy of the CPR’s first contract with Sir John A MacDonald’s government. David F. Rooney photo
