Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario

Established	1914 (station) 1985 (1985) (museum)
Location	Russell & William Sts, Smiths Falls, Ontario
Type	railway museum
Owner	Smiths Falls Railway Museum Association
National Historic Site of Canada
Designated:	1983

The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario (RMEO) is a cool place to learn about trains! It's a rail museum located in an old train station in Smiths Falls, Ontario. This station used to be part of the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) line.

The museum opened in 1985. Back then, it was called the Smiths Falls Railway Museum. Its main goal is to keep the old 1913 CNoR station safe. They also collect and show off historic trains, railway tools, and other cool items from the past.

The Museum's History

The station building in summer 2015

The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a big railway company. It started in 1899 and tried to build a railway all the way across Canada. This kind of railway is called a "transcontinental" line.

However, CNoR ran into money problems and couldn't finish its big dream. Another railway company, Canadian National Railway (CN), took over CNoR's tracks and trains. Over time, CN stopped using many of these lines because they weren't making money or because CN already had similar tracks.

The Smiths Falls Train Line

One of the CNoR lines went through Smiths Falls. This line also connected to the Bay of Quinte Railway. The tracks split near the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway Federal Bridge over the Rideau River.

Part of the CNoR line between Smiths Falls and Ottawa is still used today by Via Rail for passenger trains. But the line that went past Smiths Falls was closed in 1979. This meant trains stopped using it, and the old station was left empty.

Saving the Station

The old CNoR station in Smiths Falls was in bad shape by 1981. It had been boarded up for about 15 years. By 1982, there was a risk that CN would tear it down. People in Smiths Falls wanted to save this historic building.

In January 1983, a group called the Smiths Falls Railway Museum Association was formed. They started collecting money, old trains, and railway items for a museum. People from nearby towns like Perth and Brockville also helped out.

On November 18, 1983, the station was officially recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada. This helped protect the building. The museum group also tried to save a railway bridge over the Rideau Canal as a historic site.

Trying to Save the Tracks

The museum group also tried to save the railway tracks themselves. They hoped to use them for a special tourist train that would go to Kingston. But their efforts didn't work out.

In 1986, CN sold a long section of the track to the government. The government then moved the tracks to Western Canada. The museum group even tried to buy back a small part of the track that CN had sold to a scrap metal dealer. They raised $13,000 in just a few days!

Today, the old railway path from Smiths Falls to Strathcona (near Napanee) is a 104 kilometres (65 mi) long trail. It's called the Cataraqui Trail. People use it for walking, biking, and other outdoor activities.