The end of the line for one of Canada’s oldest clubs
Redevelopment forces Toronto’s famous O scale club to move/David MacLean
PHOTOS BY CHRIS D’AMATO UNLESS NOTED T
his year marks the 75th anniver- sary of the founding of the Model Railroad Club of Toronto. It also marks the end of the club’s famous O scale layout. The never ending pace of redevelopment in Toronto’s downtown area has finally caught up with the club and its members have been asked to vacate the premises. By the time this article goes to press, arrangements should be in place to secure new space in the city. One might imagine the needs of a large O scale club–5,000 to 7,000 square feet, easy access, and, perhaps, another benevolent landlord who might find the prospect of having a unique tenant complete with a gigantic model railroad tantalizing enough to offer them a long-
60
term lease. Certainly it’s not an impossible task, but challenging none the less. In between planning to dismantle the
layout and move, the Model Railroad Club of Toronto is also celebrating its anniversary with a series of public shows–last runs, you might call them. So, join us for a visit to the Central On- tario Railway and a look back at 75 years of model railroading in an organi- zation where second generation mem- bers are not uncommon.
The present O scale Central Ontario
Railway (CORY) represents a mostly fictitious railway–having borrowed in name only from the real railway.
It
models what might have existed in the industrial Ontario region in late 1950’s.
The 1:1 version of the Central Ontario Railway ran from the shores of Lake Ontario, near Trenton, north into the iron mining district near Bancroft. In 1911 it was acquired by the Canadian Northern, which became part of the Canadian National in 1918. In the mid- 1980’s most of the route was aban- doned. However, in the 1:48 version, the CORY thrived and became the third major railroad in Ontario, after the mighty Canadian National and Canadi- an Pacific. Fast and sleek passenger service continues, as well as frequent freights to serve the many customers. In 1938 the club had an inauspicious start in co-founder Harry Ebert’s base- ment. Outgrowing this space quickly,
FEBRUARY 2013
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