Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario facts for kids
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| Established | 1914 (station) 1985 (museum) |
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| Location | Russell & William Sts, Smiths Falls, Ontario |
| Type | railway museum |
| Owner | Smiths Falls Railway Museum Association |
| Designated: | 1983 |
The Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario is a cool place where you can learn all about trains! It's located in an old train station in Smiths Falls, Ontario. This station used to be part of the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) line, which was a big railway that went southwest towards Napanee.
The museum started in 1985. Back then, it was called the Smiths Falls Railway Museum. Its main goal is to protect the old 1913 Canadian Northern station. They also keep a collection of historic train cars, equipment, and other cool railway items.
Contents
The Museum's Story
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Early Days of the Railway
The Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) was a railway company that existed from 1899 to 1923. It tried to build a railway line all the way across Canada, from Québec City to Vancouver. However, the company ran into money problems.
Eventually, a bigger company called Canadian National Railway bought CNoR. Over time, Canadian National stopped using many of the old CNoR lines. They either weren't making enough money or were too similar to lines they already had.
Smiths Falls: A Train Hub
West of Ottawa, CNoR had two main lines. One went through Pembroke and Algonquin Park, but it's gone now. The other line went through Smiths Falls. This line included the Bay of Quinte Railway, which went from Sydenham to Napanee.
These lines split just west of the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway Federal Bridge over the Rideau River. Even today, some of the CNoR line between Smiths Falls and Ottawa is still used by Via Rail for passenger trains.
However, the line past Smiths Falls was closed in 1979. This meant the local train station was no longer used. Smiths Falls was a very important railway town. The CPR also had its own station there. This made Smiths Falls a busy crossroads where trains from many directions met.
Saving the Station
By 1981, the old CNoR station was in bad shape. It had been boarded up for 15 years and was falling apart. In 1982, there was a risk that Canadian National Railway would tear it down. People in Smiths Falls didn't want this to happen. They had seen other historic stations torn down in nearby towns.
So, in January 1983, a group called the Smiths Falls Railway Museum Association was formed. They started collecting money, old train cars, and railway items for a museum. At first, the local business group helped. Soon, train history fans from towns like Perth, Brockville, and Merrickville also joined in.
On November 18, 1983, the station was officially recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada. This helped protect it. The museum group also wanted to save a railway bridge over the Rideau Canal as a historic site.
The Cataraqui Trail
The museum group tried to save the old train tracks for a special tourist train. This train would have gone to Kingston. But their efforts didn't work out. In September 1986, Canadian National sold about 104 kilometers (65 miles) of the track. It was moved to Western Canada to be used there.
In December 1986, the museum group quickly raised $13,000. They tried to buy back a small part of the track that had been sold to a scrap metal dealer.
Today, the old railway path from Smiths Falls to Strathcona, near Napanee, is no longer used by trains. Instead, it's a multi-use path called the Cataraqui Trail. People can use it for walking, biking, and other fun activities.
