On Saturday, May 5th, a half dozen of us from the TRHA attended the spring meeting of the Canadian Council for Railway Heritage (CCRH).  Here is what they are “all about” as found on their website:

“The Canadian Council for Railway Heritage (CCRH) is an organization comprised of institutional groups and individual members whose objective is to further the collective interests of the railway heritage and preservation movement.

The CCRH was formed in June 1992 at a Calgary, Alberta meeting of interested railway history groups from the four western provinces. The Council’s principal objective was and is to increase the professional credibility and further the collective objectives of organized railway heritage and preservation groups in Canada. CCRH has been effective in serving as a medium of communication and cooperation among stakeholders and participants.”

The day’s agenda was focused on discussing many issues and opportunities which face the railway museums of today such as the raising of funds; the need for a national focus on what can be preserved and what cannot, the recruitment and management of volunteers and the need to collaborate more easily among us for the common good.  The day resulted in a sound action plan to move forward which the CCRH will champion.

The event was organized and hosted by the Ontario Rail Foundation on the premises of the Halton County Radial Railway (HCRR) near Rockwood, Ontario. They were both wonderful hosts to us all.  Our lunch was enjoyed as we rode their oldest streetcar, a replica of the original two axle open TTC trolley #327.  A great BBQ was then also enjoyed by all and followed by an in-depth tour of their very impressive new museum space and the equipment therein.  The evening concluded with rides on a number of their wonderfully preserved operational streetcars and interurbans. We will share more pictures of the HCRY in subsequent posts.

Posting and photos by Russ Milland