One of the ongoing concerns of the Toronto Railway Museum now that we’re entering our fourth year of operations is the interpretation of what we call the Railway Village, our collection of four historic wooden buildings located at the centre of Roundhouse Park. We seldom have enough volunteers to open up Cabin D and Don Station is regarded by most visitors as little more than a ticket booth for the mini-rail operation. Beginning on August 17 and extending over the next three weekends through Labour Day, an effort is being made to make these buildings more accessible for visitors.

The newly restored Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo caboose No. 70 has been moved over to Track 40 between Don and Cabin D and it too will be open to visitors. The caboose (some also call it a van, a British term used by some railways in Canada and the U.S.) has proven to be enormously popular with visitors and we felt that its relocation to the village would considerably animate the eastern section of Roundhouse Park.

So, if you haven’t been to the Toronto Railway Museum in a while, consider coming down this weekend or next, after which we will evaluate whether or not this initiative is worth extending or maintaining as a permanent feature.


Posting and photos by Derek Boles, TRHA Historian

Click on each image for a closer look!

TH&B Caboose & Cabin D

Inside the TH&B Caboose

TH&B Caboose

Interpreting the Control Panel in Cabin D

Trying the switch levers in Cabin D