By Pepper Parr
November 14th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Do you know what a diorama is? We had to check the dictionary on this one – it describes “a model representing a scene with three-dimensional figures, either in miniature or as a large-scale museum exhibit.”
That is what the Friends of the Freeman Station want to put on the lower level of the building that is currently going through extensive refurbishing.
There was a time when the city couldn’t give the station away.
The Friends of Freeman Station convinced the city to give them the building – this was the day it got moved to its new home.
This is a crew that has yet to finish what is a massive under-taking – and here they are moving on to an even bigger task – that’s chutzpah – and a desire to turn a structure that the city was going to sell for kindling into what will become a premier destination for visitors for years to come.
The “diorama” is properly known as the Lower Level Railway Diorama; a unique and special historic model railway diorama on the Lower Level.
When finished, it will recapture the nostalgia of the times, depicting early Twentieth-century bucolic life in the hamlet of Freeman, now a part of the City of Burlington, Ontario.
The Burlington Junction Station was the hub of Freeman community life for almost 100 years. The personal and commercial comings and goings of the community were centered there — the crisscross of railway lines brought goods and people to the area, and they were the primary mode of shipping goods, especially produce, to world markets.
When 40 trains ran through the city – produce was king. Maple Avenue was a prime road to the Burlington Junction; Burlington Mall was farm land and the Orchard was where the apples grew. And box cars took tonnes of produce around the world.
With more than 40 trains a day, the Station was a busy place, punctuated by the roar of the steam locomotives, the wail of their whistles, the clackety clack of the rail cars. Numerous first-hand accounts, first-person interviews, and meticulous record searches have thoroughly documented life in the village.
More than 18 months in research and planning will have gone into the Lower Level Railway Diorama project by 1 July 2017.
Their target (and the Friends of Freeman team reach their targets) is to have the model railway layout running by then, with the project continuing to expand and grow after that.
The model railway in the diorama will be quite unique, unlike anything seen in this part of North America. It will showcase a beautifully crafted 1/24th scale model of the Burlington Junction Station. Matched to the scale of the Station model, the railway rolling stock will feature era-specific Grand Trunk Railway steam locomotives, passenger and freight cars in 1/24th scale (“G” scale).
Just a hint at what the model railroad set up is going to look like.
If you would like to participate in the project, you’re invited to email them, detailing your particular interests and skills. We need painters, miniature modelers, computer and sound technicians, model railway enthusiasts, model railway display builders, and craftsperson’s. Send them an email – they would love to hear from you. info@freemanstation.ca
