07-29-2009, 05:24 PM
Monday I headed home, but with a stop at Memory Junction (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.memoryjunction.netfirms.com/">http://www.memoryjunction.netfirms.com/</a><!-- m -->) in Brighton (near Belleville). A former Grand Trunk station - and the only brick one - this once (and future) beautiful building was saved from the wrecking ball in 1996 by Ralph Bangay and his wife Eugenia. They have amassed an outstanding collection of railway and local area history that is now housed in the station, former outbuildings, and various boxcars and a caboose that have been transported to the site.
The trackwork (with the exception of the connection to the mainline) remains relatively intact, along with one of the local industries across the road to the north (although some others like the cattle pen and coal dealer are gone). However, it is still quite easy to imagine the goings-on at the station in days gone by. The fact that CN, CP, and VIA trains regularly roll by help keep the feeling intact.
While I admit that I focussed on the railway artefacts, one of the more interesting collections in Ralph's vast store is the original survey of Brighton itself. Not only does he have some of the original paperwork, he has the notes, a photo, letters, and maps signed by the man who did the surveying. Ralph even has the original surveyor's chain used to lay out the town...!
While it had the usual assortment of local industries, Brighton was also an important town for apples and associated industries like agricultural chemicals (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.brightononline.ca/community/history.htm">http://www.brightononline.ca/community/history.htm</a><!-- m -->). I purchased a "local history" book that mentioned one of the regular incoming loads was tankers of kerosene - a key ingredient in apple spray manufactured by RexSpray...
So let's look around:
Station
[albumimg]1226[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1227[/albumimg]
Inside is a vast collection of railway history from the 1870s to 1950s, including this operators' bay, complete with Morse Code training machine.
[albumimg]1228[/albumimg]
Apple/Cold storage
I love the InsulBrik siding, which represented the state of the art building upgrade when it was introduced in the 1920s. Many wooden railway stations had this nailed over their siding to increase their weather resistance and insulation.
[albumimg]1217[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1218[/albumimg]
The best thing about Memory Junction though is that they'll let you climb up and over the CNR 2-8-0 parked just down from the station. While time, weather and local teenagers have not been overly kind, the Bangays think that being able to get up close and personal with railway history is one key to preserving it for the future. So here are some shots that you might not get elsewhere...
Engine
[albumimg]1220[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1221[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1222[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1223[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1224[/albumimg]
CPR Auto boxcar (note that the A-end has doors)
[albumimg]1225[/albumimg]
A shot of traffic passing on the main.
[albumimg]1230[/albumimg]
Memory Jct's own consist.
[albumimg]1219[/albumimg]
Finally, yours truly with #2534
[albumimg]1229[/albumimg]
After this 3 hour stop, I headed home. I also visited the Smiths Falls Railway Museum (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sfrmeo.ca/">http://www.sfrmeo.ca/</a><!-- m -->) the next day, but that's another story...!
Hope you enjoyed my southern Ontario railway odyssey!
Andrew
The trackwork (with the exception of the connection to the mainline) remains relatively intact, along with one of the local industries across the road to the north (although some others like the cattle pen and coal dealer are gone). However, it is still quite easy to imagine the goings-on at the station in days gone by. The fact that CN, CP, and VIA trains regularly roll by help keep the feeling intact.
While I admit that I focussed on the railway artefacts, one of the more interesting collections in Ralph's vast store is the original survey of Brighton itself. Not only does he have some of the original paperwork, he has the notes, a photo, letters, and maps signed by the man who did the surveying. Ralph even has the original surveyor's chain used to lay out the town...!
While it had the usual assortment of local industries, Brighton was also an important town for apples and associated industries like agricultural chemicals (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.brightononline.ca/community/history.htm">http://www.brightononline.ca/community/history.htm</a><!-- m -->). I purchased a "local history" book that mentioned one of the regular incoming loads was tankers of kerosene - a key ingredient in apple spray manufactured by RexSpray...
So let's look around:
Station
[albumimg]1226[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1227[/albumimg]
Inside is a vast collection of railway history from the 1870s to 1950s, including this operators' bay, complete with Morse Code training machine.
[albumimg]1228[/albumimg]
Apple/Cold storage
I love the InsulBrik siding, which represented the state of the art building upgrade when it was introduced in the 1920s. Many wooden railway stations had this nailed over their siding to increase their weather resistance and insulation.
[albumimg]1217[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1218[/albumimg]
The best thing about Memory Junction though is that they'll let you climb up and over the CNR 2-8-0 parked just down from the station. While time, weather and local teenagers have not been overly kind, the Bangays think that being able to get up close and personal with railway history is one key to preserving it for the future. So here are some shots that you might not get elsewhere...
Engine
[albumimg]1220[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1221[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1222[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1223[/albumimg]
[albumimg]1224[/albumimg]
CPR Auto boxcar (note that the A-end has doors)
[albumimg]1225[/albumimg]
A shot of traffic passing on the main.
[albumimg]1230[/albumimg]
Memory Jct's own consist.
[albumimg]1219[/albumimg]
Finally, yours truly with #2534
[albumimg]1229[/albumimg]
After this 3 hour stop, I headed home. I also visited the Smiths Falls Railway Museum (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sfrmeo.ca/">http://www.sfrmeo.ca/</a><!-- m -->) the next day, but that's another story...!
Hope you enjoyed my southern Ontario railway odyssey!Andrew