Northern Ontario Railroad Museum
The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre is a rail and local history museum located in the community of Capreol in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
History
In 1967, the Town of Capreol was given steam locomotive CN 6077 by the Canadian National Railway as a monument to the towns history. The locomotive was placed as a static display on a parcel of land next to Bloor Street. The park was named Prescott Park for then-mayor of Capreol Harold Prescott, who was a central figure in having the locomotive donated to the town. Caboose No. 77526 was added to the park in 1969.The Capreol Heritage Committee was founded in 1982, and the following year Rules Instruction Car No. 15019 was added to Prescott Park. In the 1980s Eileen Thompson, who served on the museum's board for many years, set up history displays in the parks caboose during July and August.
In 1993, the museum was incorporated as a non-profit organization. The 1916 Superintendents House, located adjacent to Prescott Park, was purchased by the town in 1997 and became the main building of the museum in 1998. It was designated as a heritage site in 2002.
Prescott Park was expanded in 2006, with Inco locomotives 101 and 116, caboose 77562, and hot metal car No. 5 added to the park the following year. The Garden of Life was installed in association with the Trillium Gift of Life Network in 2010.
In 2012, the former Capreol fire hall was acquired by the museum. The building, constructed in 1929, became the museums Heritage Centre, library, and archives. Temiskaming and Northern Ontario No. 219 was added to Prescott Park in 2014, and cosmetically restored in 2018.
Superintendents House
The main museum building is housed inside the former Canadian Northern Railway Superintendents house, constructed in 1916. The house served as the residence of the superintendent of rail operations in Capreol until the 1950s, and was a private residence until it was acquired by the Town of Capreol in 1997.The house was designated as a heritage site under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2002. The house includes architectural elements such as eyebrow-shaped roof arches, original oak flooring, baseboards, french doors and window frames.