The Toronto Railway Museum has the opportunity to acquire a number of rare BGR models, but we need your help!
The Toronto Railway Museum (TRM) collects, preserves, raises funds, and interprets Toronto’s railway history for citizens and visitors. The TRM is open year-round and presents exhibits, tours, educational programs, and publications that broaden the understanding and appreciation of the railways in Toronto. We’re proud to bring people together through sharing stories of Toronto’s rich railway heritage.
John Newland operated BGR and retained prototypes of the models that were to be sold by his business BGR. The John Newland Collection is currently up for sale, and the Museum is interested in acquiring the BGR models. These models include CP Heavyweight passenger car pilot models and are essential in telling the story of Toronto’s John Street Roundhouse. They will be used to demonstrate the types of passenger cars used by the railways in Toronto through interpretive display and panels and in future model railroad display projects. These exhibits will provide visitors with an understanding and appreciation of a bygone era.
The John Street Roundhouse, home of the Toronto Railway Museum, has a rich connection to these BGR cars. When the John Street Roundhouse opened in October 1929, it was officially known as the Canadian Pacific Railway Toronto Locomotive and Car Facilities. When the facilities were completed in 1931, they were the largest passenger car yard in Canada, with a capacity of 450 cars. Coupled together, those cars would have comprised a train seven miles long. Although the John Street Roundhouse is primarily remembered as a locomotive facility, almost 80% of the real estate was devoted to the storage and maintenance of passenger cars. BGR has done an excellent job creating accurate models of this astonishing variety of CPR passenger cars. Today, the majority of Toronto’s rail lands have been completely redeveloped and the cars scrapped. To keep this heritage alive, the best way to interpret John Street’s history is through having these models as part of the Toronto Railway Museum collection to be used in the Museum’s displays and interpretation.
Help us illustrate the bustle of John Street’s busy passenger yard with a donation to this campaign. Your $100 donation will help the Museum save these BGR cars and preserve their stories. With your contribution, museum visitors will be able to discover the excitement and luxury of passenger train travel in Toronto. All donations made through CanadaHelps are eligible for a tax receipt.
To contribute to this project, please visit our CanadaHelps page or contact us for more information. Thank you for your support!
