President’s Message

D E C E M B E 2 0 1 1R

The steam engine, John Molson, made an impress i ve ent ry in to the commemorative ceremonies of last July 21. On board were Richard Desmarais, fireman, James Scott, engineer, Lucie F. Roussel, Mayor of La Prairie, Yvan Berthelot, Pro-Mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and C. Stephen Cheasley, President of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association and Exporail.

50 years of passion for the restoration and presentation of Canada’s railway heritage! It was with this theme that the members, volunteers and employees of Exporail had a 50th anniversary reunion dinner on September 17, 2011. A photographic mural was mounted in the Molson Foundation Hall in the Angus Pavilion.

Exporail News - CRHA Communications

Published by the Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA)

110 Saint Pierre St.Saint Constant, QuebecCanada J5A 1G7Tel: 450-638-1522 Fax: 450-638-1563

Exporail E-mail info@exporail.org

Web site www.exporail.org

CRHA Secretary: james.bouchard@exporail.org

ISSN 1493-6089

Membership in the CRHA includes a subscription to Canadian Rail.

Editor: Marie-Claude Reid

Layout: Gary McMinn

Translation: Diana BouchardC. Stephen Cheasley

Revision: C. Stephen CheasleyHélène Larue

Contributors: Maurice BinetteJames BouchardC. Stephen CheasleyMarie-Claude ReidJosée VallerandMaria Vieira

Membership processing : Gérald Bouchard

Disponible en français

I would like to thank the members, volunteers and staff who worked so hard to make the summer such a success and the companies who supported us

through-out this period.

I would like to wish you all h a p p y h o l i d a y s a n d a prosperous New Year.

Regards,

C. Stephen CheasleyPresident

The summer months have been very active for celebrations by the Canad ian Ra i l road H i s tor i ca l Association and its wholly owned and operated railway museum, Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum.

To mark the 50th anniversary of its founding, Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, inaugurated From everywhere to you, a new permanent, multimedia exhibition installed in the completely renovated Hays Station. The exhibition takes the visitor into the myster ious wor ld of ra i lway marshalling yards and traffic control centers.

Also in June, a new exhibition, Railway Witnesses: Memory of a Nation was opened by Exporail to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the start of Canada’s railways. This exhibition will run until 2012, when it will be shown in other parts of Canada.

In July, we marked the 175th anniversary of the opening of Canada’s first railway and the 50th anniversary of the start of Exporail, with a four day celebration.

In August, we held our very popular model railway weekend with an expanded number of exhibitors.

NewsTogether, let us put our shoulders to the wheel!

E X P O R A I L

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The dedication of phase B of the permanent exhibition and the reopening of the Hays Station, took place on June 9, 2011, with more than 120 guests in attendance. The project involved in part, the reconfiguration of the Hays Station as an interpretation centre with a panoramic observation window overlooking the yard to provide a better understanding of railway yard operations.. Hays Station also showcases equipment recovered from the CN’s now closed Wellington tower on the banks of the Lachine Canal, the first modern railway switching tower in Canada.

Overview of our summer activitiesOpening of the permanent exhibition

The opening ceremony took place in the presence of three generations of the family of the late Charles M Hays, former President of the Grand Trunk Railway, after whom the station is named. Present in the photo were Marie-Claude Reid, Executive Director of Exporail, Annie Gaudreault, Director of the regional office of the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine, Gilles Meloche, Mayor of Delson, C. Stephen Cheasley, President of Exporail and Ginette Bourget, municipal councilor of Saint-Constant.

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A new dimension has been added to the visitor’s experience at Exporail with the opportunity to enjoy viewing some station gardens. The gardens were designed and installed by teachers and students from the Centre de formation professionnelle des Moissons and by Exporail volunteers. They are intended to illustrate some of the roles assigned by the railways to these gardens, such as the promotion of agriculture, support of the war effort, and development of gardening as a national activity.

Other improvements carried out were the paving of the Discovery path, the addition of three thematic displays illustrating the railway trades and their impact on the community, the upgrading of the open reserve in Building No. 5, the creation of station gardens, and the restoration of various items of rolling stock in the collections. These investments, amounting to more than $1.1 million, were made possible by the generous financial support of partners and donors. Exporail would like to thank them all and to draw particular attention to the contribution of its major partners, the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec, the North American Railway Foundation, the Frederick Forbes Angus Estate, the CLD de Roussillon (local development commission), and the CRÉ Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent (regional conference of elected representatives).

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thCommemoration of the 175 anniversary of the first public railway in Canada

On the occasion of the official 50th anniversary day, the President of the Railway Association of Canada, Cliff Mackay, awarded the 2010 Prize for Sector Achievement of the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame to Exporail. This a w a r d w a s g i v e n i n recognition of Exporail’s extraordinary accomplish-ments in the Canadian railway industry and its outstanding initiatives to preserve railway heritage. The award was presented to the President of Exporail, C. Stephen Cheasley.

Several dignitaries were present for the official ceremony, and some spoke to the assembled guests. From left to right, seated in the first row: the MNA for Chomedey and parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transport, Guy Ouellette; the MNA for La Prairie, François Rebello; the MP for Châteauguay-Saint-Constant, Sylvain Chicoine; the Mayor of Saint-Constant, Gilles Pepin; the Pro-mayor of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Yvan Berthelot; the Mayor of La Prairie, Lucie F. Roussel; the President of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association and of Exporail, C. Stephen Cheasley. From left to right, standing in the second row: the MNA for Saint-Jean, Dave Tu r c o t t e ; t h e M P f o r Outremont and then Leader of the Official Opposition, Thomas Mulcair; the Vice-President for Planning and Innovations of the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) (metropolitan rail transportation commission), Michel Veilleux; the President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada, Marc Laliberté; the Executive Vice-President of Corporate Services and Manager of Legal Affairs of Canadian National, Sean Finn; the representative of Canadian Pacific Railways, Michel Spénard; and two members of the Molson family, Andrew Molson and Elspeth Angus.

On July 21, 1836, an event of major historical importance took place: the inaugural run of the first railway in Canada, linking La Prairie with Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

From July 21 to July 24, 2011, more than 4,000 people came to take part in the commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the first public railway in Canada, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the founding of Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum. We had the great honour of welcoming to Exporail on this occasion three generations of the Molson family. The John Molson steam locomotive, named after one of the founders of the first Canadian railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Rail Road, had a full head of steam and all its brass polished.

The Master of Ceremonies, Daniel Laurendeau, the Executive Director of Exporail, Marie-Claude Reid, and the President of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association and of Exporail, C. Stephen Cheasley, unveiling a plaque to commemorate the event.

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Special programming was developed for this event, with a variety of activities highlighting not only the historic importance of railways in Canada, but also the role they continue to play in the nation’s development today. Exceptionally, the interiors of certain vehicles in Exporail’s collection were open to the public, in particular private car No. 1, dating from 1864.

People also had the chance to climb aboard some pieces of modern railway rolling stock, loaned to us for the occasion by Canadian Pacific and VIA Rail Canada. Cab tours of the six-axle diesel electric locomotive No. 9733 from Canadian Pacific, as well as of the brand-new diesel electric locomotive No. 6409 and a visit to the VIA Rail Canada sleeping car “Jarvis Manor” made a strong impression on visitors.

Dramatic presentations, train rides, talks, exhibits, CN booth on railway safety, and a taste of birthday cake topped off an enchant ing few days of programming to the great pleasure of everyone.

Nineteen visual artists from the region displayed works related to railways: Yvon Beaudin, Martin Bédard (Filon), Chantal Béland, Marie-Ange Brassard, Barbara Coydon, Karine Desroches, Ginette Desrochers, Louise Dubois, Louise Emond, Janick Erickson, Manon Genest, Lucille Grenier, Colette Hamel, Raymond Létourneau, Nathalie Migneault, Francine Phénix, Claudette Poirier, Hélène Raymond Amyot, and Gisèle Touzin-Vallée.

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Since the end of June, visitors have been able to enjoy the special exhibition, Railway Witnesses: Memory of a Nation, which tells the story of the first railways in Canada, the impact of successive railway generations, and the prominent role that railways have played in

Canadian history over the last 175 years. This exhibition includes more than 350 archival documents and artifacts from both Exporail and private collections. It was made possible thanks to a grant from the Museums Assistance Program of the Ministry of Canadian Heritage.

Over the last several months, Exporail has been awarded three prizes to honour its contributions in various fields: the Roussillon Grand Prize in Entrepreneurship in the Tourism and Culture category in 2011 from the CLD de Roussillon (local development commission) ; honourable mention from the Montérégie Desjardins 2011 Tourism Excellence Prize from Tourisme Montérégie (regional tourist office); and the 2010 Sector Achievement Award from the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame.

The new Exporail travelling exhibition!

Exporail has been honoured three times!

The organization of the celebrations involved 87 volunteers and 36 Exporail employees. Without their valuable participation, their passion, and their know-how, these festivities could never have been such a success.

We would also like to express our thanks to our partners and sponsors for their support of the commemorative festivities on the 175th anniversary of the first public railway in Canada: the Ministry of Canadian Heritage; the Ministry of Culture, Communications, and the Status of Women; the Agence métropolitaine de transport (metropolitan rail transportation commission); the Canadian Railway Association; CN; Canadian Pacific; the MRC de Roussillon (regional county municipality); VIA Rail Canada; the City of Delson; the City of Saint-Constant; the City of La Prairie; and the City of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

The Curator of Exporail, Jean-Paul Viaud, gave a very interesting and enthusiastic talk about the results of his research into the history of the steam locomotive, Dorchester.

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Our rolling stock collection continues to grow!

The Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) made a large donation to Exporail’s historic collection last September, consisting of three pieces of rolling stock which ended their service on the AMT network in 2010. The first was the GR-418 AMT-1311 diesel locomotive, one of the hundreds of GP9 locomotives built by General Motors in London, Ontario, which contributed greatly to bringing about the end of the age of steam in Canada. The second piece was the AMT-1101 passenger car, an example of the cars which ran in commuter service for almost 40 years for two rail transportation commissions, the AMT in Montreal and GO Transit in Toronto. The third piece was the AMT-603 generator car, which symbolizes the conversion of passenger trains from steam to electric heating. Built by Canadian Car and Foundry in Ville Saint-Pierre in 1956 for CN, this generator car illustrates the solutions that were adopted to ensure even and adequate heating for passengers, as well as providing electricity for passenger cars.

The restoration of MTC streetcar number 3 is now complete. Over the last few years, a number of volunteers as well as George Dow, a private contractor, have worked with enthusiasm to bring No. 3 back into service. Starting with the 2012 season, visitors will, from time to time be able to ride this observation car over our streetcar lines.

MTC number 3, the “Golden Chariot,” is back in service!

Left to right: Olivier Brownrigg, François Gaudette, Bernard Archambault, George Dow, Charles De Jean, and in front, George Dow’s son.

Left to right: Joël Gauthier, President and CEO of AMT; Marie-Claude Reid, Executive Director of Exporail; and C. Stephen Cheasley, President of Canadian Railroad Historical Association and of Exporail, pose proudly before the AMT-1311 locomotive.

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Donations to the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Foundation in 2011

Acheson, Bruce P. Comber, Garry A. Howard, David Perry, Lorne C.Ainlay, Warren Conway, Norman Ross Jack, Colin Poirier, DanielAllen, William G. Cooper, Bradley A. Jackman, Herbert Pottinger, DaveAnewalt, Valerie H. Crête, Donald Jardine, Jim Power, KennethAngus, G. Elspeth Danielsen, Ronald Johnson, David W. Provost, P.M.Angus, John F. Daoust, Mélanie Kennedy, Raymond L. Raiche, JacquesBakhmudov, Rashid Davidson, Howard Kieran, Michael E. Raman, David K.Ballantyne, Keith Davies, David Kirkland, Ian Real, Roderick R.Banks, Gary T. De Jong, Marinus Lafontaine, Douglas W. Reid, Marie-ClaudeBarone, F. Mike De Kovachich, Charles Lanoue, Jérôme Richard, YvesBazinet, Jacques Delisle, Normand Lapointe, Gerald B. Ritchie, RonaldBeaucage, Roger Delogu, Frank Latour, Denis Rivest, GillesBecksted, Robert W. Demers, Gaétan Laurendeau, Daniel Rivest, NorbertBélanger, Suzanne Demirjian, Ari Legris, Bernard Roberts, Earl W.Belford, John Deziel, Claude Les deux Philippe Robertson, Kenneth E.Belhumeur, Michel Dick, Caroline Lewis, James Robinson, RobertBell, A.W. Dick, William D. Lofthouse, Peter Rubin, AnthonyBiehl (Lemieux), Howard F. Dietz, Kenneth Lortie, Michel Ruta, BiaggioBingham, David A. Doubrough, Charles A. Lowry, Hollie Sallie, JimBlackburn, Alan C. Douglas, Robert L. Lunan, W. Eric Shergold, PeterBonin, Hugues W. Drolet, Gaston P. MacDougall, Andrew Smith, David RayBouchard, Gérald Eastman Marsh, Lon Smith, Douglas N. W.Bouchard, James Easton, J. Howard Martin, Robert M. Smith, RickBouthillier, Gilles Edwy, Talia Mason, Wesley G. Soper, Warren Y.Bowes, Edward F. Ellis, Art Matheson, Kenneth Stanley, James N.Bowland, Gerry Ennis, Paul McCoy Douglas, Althea Stefurak, Douglas W.Brown, John H. Ersson, B.J. McHale, Peter Stephens, Gloria L.Brownrigg, Gordon Farley, Edward McInnes, James S. Stevens, Stratton D.Bruton, Ernest Flannelly, Samuel Melvin, Robert T. St-Martin, LaurentBruton, William Fleece, Lawrence J. Miller, Robert C. Thibeault, Léopold J.Bur, Justin B. Fortier, Denis More, Michael J. Valade, AlineBurles, Eugene Gaudette, François Morgan, Bruce E. Veilleux, Jean-PierreCameron, John R. Gauthier, Cédric Motton, Fred A. Veit, TedCampbell, Duncan E. Gawley, David Murphy, Peter Vieira, MariaCaron, Yves Goodfellow, Richard Nadon, Sylvain Vrooman, RansomCarr, Thomas Grumley, J.R. Thomas Nicholls, Eleanor Walkington, Douglas H.Chapman, Paul E. Guénard, Robert Nicholson, Jane Wanless, SarahChatigny, Alain R. Haig, Heather O'Brien, Joan Warren, John R.Cheasley, C. Stephen Harris, James O'Brien, Terry Weiler, William J.Chevrier, Gilles Harris, Richard Palin, Robin R. Westren, MikeChouinard, Jérôme Hatcher, Colin Panko, Andrew W. Wilde, Robert G.Ciccone, Brent Hawryluk, Roman Pâques, Joseph-Jean Wray, Stephen A.Clements, Earl Heard, Ken Paradis, Gilles Zhong, Xiao LiClough, J.P.T. Hetherington, Alexander Richard Patey, Michael

The recently concluded “Golden Opportunity” fundraising campaign raised $324,002 for the endowment fund of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Foundation, which was established to ensure the future of Exporail. This amount consists of $162,001 in donations from individuals and corporations and an equal amount from the Government of Quebec under its Cultural Investment Sponsorship program administered by the Council of Arts and Letters of Quebec.

Annual revenue from the endowment funds will be used for education, preservation, and interpretation activities related to the Exporail collection and Canada’s railway heritage.

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Foundation would like to express their thanks to all of the individuals and corporations that generously supported this fundraising campaign.

Thank You

7BY24 Enterprises Inc. Centraide Ottawa Groupe DPJL Inc.Bytown Railway Society Inc. Commission scolaire New Frontiers L.A. Hébert LtéeCaisse Desjardins des Berges de Roussillon CRHA Kingston Div. The Molson FoundationCanadian Pacific Railway Company CRHA Niagara Div.

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