An Old Timey Place

Friday we visited the Canadian Transportation Museum and Heritage Village 20 miles west of us.

They had some beautifully restored old cars.

I liked the odd ones, like this 1893 Shamrock. Its maker only made two and was unable to form a company. The second of his two cars was ruined in a crash on its first outing. This is the sole survivor and probably the first registered gasoline engine vehicle in Canada.

Another unique exhibit was this 1925 American LaFrance Fire Truck. This pumper was still used in 1959 for multiple alarm fires when all equipment was engaged. The fire chief reported that by then it had to run a block behind the other trucks because oil leaked on the brakes making them almost useless. At that time it was donated as an antique.

And of course I liked this 1927 Coachworks Caravan. It had a refrigerator, portable stove, sink, sleeping area and “basic sanitary facilities”. It had a wood frame and plywood and veneer interior. The exterior was covered with airplane canvas.

The heritage village had some pretty buildings…

and some very old cabins.

Unfortunately no one was around and there were few signs to explain things. I figured these were leg braces in the doctor’s office, but there were other things I couldn’t recognize at all.

It was still fun to poke around.

Not all buildings were open, but the train station was.

I thought the waiting room in the train station…

was as beautiful as the inside of the church. By the way, this is run privately and the church is available for weddings and other occasions. It would be a fun venue.