Since its official opening on July 29, 1994, the Heritage Railway Company has been making memories for visitors young and old, and from near and far, at the North Bay waterfront.
The “miniature” railway was the dream of former North Bay Mayor Stan Lawlor, and Dr. Rod Johnston, who set out to find a fun way to preserve North Bay’s rail heritage.
A steam and diesel engine and two coaches were purchased in Cleveland, Ohio in October 1993, arriving in North Bay in February, 1994.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, people gathered at the North Bay Railway and Carousel Company, celebrating some of the many volunteers who were instrumental in making the dream a reality.
See: Heritage Railway celebrates 30th anniversary and two millionth rider
Many original volunteers who stepped forward to provide the manual labour needed to refurbish engines, refurbish coaches, and build the rail line were retired railway workers from the CNR, CPR, and ONR (over 50 in total).
“Those volunteers that we are celebrating today had, in total, over 900 years of rail experience,” explained Ralph Celentano, 30th-anniversary committee chair.
The day celebrated the “founding volunteers and community partners who engaged in the vision of the mini-train and our two carousels.”
The first carousel featuring 33 horses was opened in July 2002, on the suggestion of Heritage Railway volunteer Barry Jacobs with the assistance of Edna Scott and the efforts of the North Bay Wood Carvers Club and local painters.
Three years later, the Winter Wonderland Carousel was officially opened.
This year’s guest book alone indicates people from 28 countries made the attraction a stop while visiting the city.
So, it seemed appropriate that the celebrations included recognizing the two-millionth rider.
The winner, two-year-old Emma Courvoisier of North Bay, was presented with a swag bag filled with gift shop souvenirs, along with her own plaque and free rides for the day to make even more memories.
Mom, Kayla Courvoisier is very familiar with the attraction.
“We usually come a couple of times a summer, but living here my whole life, it has been a childhood memory coming here with my grandparents as well, riding the trains,” explained the happy mom.
Some people may be familiar with her grandfather, Peppy Pavone, owner of Peppy’s Donut and Bakery Shop on Lakeshore Drive.
“It was a nice surprise being honoured. It is an activity to do with your young ones at our beautiful waterfront. Having this little train for them to ride, I know my daughter just loves it. Driving down the waterfront she points to it, and we usually have to stop for her to have a ride. It is just a fun activity for the family.”
Courvoisier had this message for the many volunteers.
“Thank you for all your work over the years, making it an enjoyable activity for all the kids.”
Teamwork makes the dream work.
One of the oldest living original volunteers at 97 years of age, Orval Sullivan, was surrounded by family as he was recognized for his contribution to the success of the waterfront attraction.
Sullivan received a plaque along with a thirty-year commemorative lapel pin.
“I started out here a long time ago. There was no track, no nothing. Stan Lawlor and Rod Johnston elected me to the job. I have lots of memories here, both good and bad, “laughed Sullivan.
Another original volunteer in attendance was Tony Saini.
“I was on the construction part of everything. We constructed the carousel, the small carousel and we installed where they used to sell the tickets. We brought that in from the CPR station,” explained Saini.
He is not surprised by the appeal of the rides, 30 years later.
“Mainly because the first day that we opened up, there were a lot of people here, a lot from out of town and out of province. They all came here and enjoyed themselves,” recalled Saini.
“As a volunteer, I am most proud of all the friends I made here. It is unbelievable the people that you meet, and they come back year after year after year. The little children are now older and bringing their children and grandchildren. My kids, when they come home to visit, the first thing they want to do is go to the train or carousel with their kids. So, yes, they come and enjoy themselves.”
Also recognized for his involvement from the ground up was co-founder Dr. Rod Johnston, who was given the privilege of driving one of the trains, with local dignitaries and guests on board.
“It is remarkable. It is kind of surprising. I think when we started all we wanted was a little train for people to ride on, and it’s hard to imagine that it has evolved into something that the value is somewhere around $2.5 to $ 3 million now. We started with $150 thousand to get the train done,” Johnston pointed out.
“And then to see it running still with volunteers is something I didn’t expect either. I thought we would have to hire students through the summer but there are still volunteers. They’re great ambassadors for North Bay because they have time to chat with people, and they’re all having fun. Everybody enjoys it, so it is not hard to keep the volunteers here.”
Every year, volunteers continue to give back by selecting local charities and other initiatives to support in the city.
The attraction is open from May to October.
And it is not hard to keep the riders coming to see the Heritage Railway and Carousel Company, a beacon for fun, making memories for generations to come.
Here is to looking forward to the three-millionth rider.
Video courtesy DaveDalesSmallTownTimes
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