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With our society becoming one that is increasingly mobile, the new exhibition reflects current trends and the growing expectations of our visitors.
Our traditional approach of focusing on the interaction of the political, economic and social fabric of our country are shifted to one dealing with today`s key interrelated issues: ecology, climate change, globalization and the accelerating urbanization of the population, all in the context of new communications technologies and the automation of work.
The themes we deal with bring to light the importance of railway passenger transport, movement of freight and commodities, and operational safety, all without neglecting the world of the railway workers of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
The traditional history-driven approach to exhibitions give way to one which interprets today’s reality and projects visions of the future, but comes back to history to underline the way our predecessors imagined the future, that is to say, our current times.
This allows us to show the direct and sometimes surprising linkage between the 21st Century visitor and the 19th and 20th Century visionaries.
The new not to be missed exhibition add excitement to this retrospective / futuristic view by presenting an extraordinary tableau of exhibits using spectacular lighting effects. There is also an immersive experience for visitors to enjoy in the area between the welcoming desk and the Grand Gallery of the Angus Pavilion at Exporail.
To view Exporail’s promotional video clips and documentary “Creating a Major Exhibition: Behind the Scenes”, CLICK HERE.
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Built in 1882 by the Canada Atlantic Railway, Barrington Station was once located about 1 km north of Barrington, at the junction of the Canada Atlantic Railway line at Cantic and the Grand Trunk Railway line at Hemmingford. Barrington Station was also known as Johnson Station.
Many roads and highways were built after World War II. More and more people began to use cars and buses to get around. Waiting rooms in small country stations were quietly deserted. Finally, in 1951, Barrington Station closed its doors to the public.
The station finally left the small community of Barrington on January 12, 1965, to be preserved in all its splendour in the railway museum! It took two days to transport it to Exporail!
In 1996, the Barrington train station was restored to its original 1882 form and appearance!
This exhibition showcases a 4,87 meter by 12,5 meter HO scale (1/87 or 1 mm = 87 mm) layout, built by the Exporail’s volunteers and members of the Montreal Railroad Modellers Association, in conjunction with Exporail.
It depicts typical Canadian railway operations and scenes with a train servicing terminal, industries, rural settings, a mining operation and a small town.
This exhibition of miniature trains contrast with the huge railway equipment full size on exhibit in our Angus pavilion.
The exhibition is located in Hays Train Station.
This permanent exhibition on railway safety is produced by Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum in collaboration with Operation Lifesaver.
This initiative promoted by CN is intended primarily for children aged 3 to 7 years old and their parents. It aims to encourage families to be vigilant around railway tracks and to teach safe practices near railway facilities to young children.
This project was made possible through financial support from CN as well as other players in the rail industry, including the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT).
The exhibit, presented at Exporail’s Hays train station as an interactive course with railroad-themed decor, facilitates the understanding and application of safety messages. Young visitors take on the role of apprentice locomotive engineer, using their imagination, senses and motor skills to complete eight challenges.
It teaches them to detect danger when approaching train tracks and to recognize the safety signs and devices surrounding them. The whole visit provides an interactive, educational, fun and preventative railway safety experience.
The museological approach was developed by the teams at Exporail and Operation Lifesaver under the museographical direction of Carrier Communication & Design.
Exporail would like to thank the donors who made this project possible: CN, Agence métropolitaine de transport, Cando Rail Services, Montreal Port Authority, Sydney Coal Railway (Logistec Corporation), Ontario Southland Railway, Tshiuetin Rail Transportation and The Canadian Heartland Training Railway Services Inc.
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Following the creation of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association (CRHA) in 1932, its members intensified their efforts to accumulate tens of thousands of documents… in their homes!
It was only in 1970, when the CRHA Archives and Documentation Centre opened in Exporail’s Hays train station that members gathered together the treasures they had accumulated over all these years.
In 2004, the Centre moved to the Museum’s new Angus Pavilion and the archives were transferred there. Four years later, the Centre received its certification from Bibliothèques et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), formalizing the CRHA’s official role as guardian of a large part of our national memory.
This exhibition aim to showcase the CRHA’s archives and the Centre’s role towards you and future generations. What kind of documents are preserved in our specialized storage facilities? Who do they come from Who do they benefit? Why is it important to invest in their preservation? In short, what is the purpose of our Centre?
Enjoy discovering our archives!
The exhibition is located in Hays Train Station.
The exhibition From everywhere to you journeys into the mysterious world of railway yards and railway traffic control centers. This multimedia exhibition allows for, among other things, the understanding of how the railways are able to meet the challenge of managing and monitoring the displacement of thousands of railway cars that cross the country daily.
The most impressive attraction amongst all the artifacts displayed is the material from the first modern interlocking switching station designed in Canada by CN. Once installed in the Wellington Tower, along the Lachine Canal, the light routing board and console will peak both interest and curiosity, especially from the generations that have known only the computer age.
Visitors can enjoy the view from the new panoramic window in the exhibition room. Located upstairs in the Hays Station, it offers a unique look at the turntable and railway yards.
From Exporail’s Angus Pavilion, you can can go by The Discovery Trail. You will find 3 interpretation areas located along the walkway, between the turntable and the Storage building.
These areas presents information about rolling stock maintenance, track maintenance, the railroad and safety at level crossings. Follow the Discovery Trail until you reach the open storage for railway vehicles, in the Storage building.
There, discover 20-plus vehicles from our collection such as the impressive John Molson steam locomotive.
CPR No. 3987, a 1913 Canadian Pacific Railway baggage car, has been transformed to welcome children from 3 to 7 years of age! Now officially renamed the “Little Railroaders’ Car”, this wooden baggage car, usually located at the head of a passenger train, has had its interior redesigned to enable youngsters to learn, through games, how railway workers lived aboard trains. While the original interior has been preserved, areas in the baggage car have been outfitted, thanks to funding from la Caisse Desjardins des Berges de Roussillon, as well as from the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec.
Inside the baggage car, our younger visitors will have access to three coloured areas, especially designed to enable them to identify a means of transportation and spark their curiosity and imagination.
-“passenger trains”, the blue area, contains several introductory stands. “pack your bags” ticket office, “ the little rail workers’ challenge! ” dining-car, sleeping car, “ imagine your trip ” felt wall, showcase no.1 “ find the locomotive engineer “.
– “to each his trade!”, blue and green areas, where children can dress up as a station master, cook, railway worker, locomotive engineer, trackman…
– “freight trains”, the green area, will surely get their wheels turning. showcase no. 2 “find the intruder”, funny train, tunnel, covered car, Duo-Ferro memory game.
The “Little Railroaders’ Car” is open to children with parental supervision.
