THUNDER BAY -- The Thunder Bay Railway Historical Society has struck a deal with the city that will restore the historical CN caboose at the waterfront.
The agreement resulting from meetings that have been underway since May commits the municipality to a $30,000 investment toward stripping lead paint and rotting wood from the caboose, as those processes carry health and safety implications beyond the expertise of most volunteers.
“The city is going to do the demolition work on the caboose, which isn’t very much,” said society president Craig Symington.
“They’re going to do structural repairs to the caboose, then our group is going to come in and we’re going to rebuild it. We’re going to put new siding on it, we’re going to paint it, we’re going to restore it back to its former glory.”
Once rebuilt, the caboose will be painted as it was in the 1950s, orange and brown with gray handles. The society also intends to restore the interior and open it to public viewing during waterfront events in the summer.
The society is still working toward restoring the VIA train cars in Kaministiqua Park. Although Symington said the interiors of some of the train cars are in pristine condition, the exterior metal has rusted and needs serious work. An assessment is underway to determine restoration costs.
Looking to the distant future, Symington said a transportation museum would be an ideal location to open both restored train projects to the public.
“Thunder Bay is a transportation hub for Canada, basically. The first spike for the tans-continental railway was here,” he said.
“Railway history has been a very important part of Thunder Bay’s history. We think it’s important to preserve that.”
