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Track to Discovery
A Museum in Motion for 60 Years
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SAINT-CONSTANT, May 17, 2021 - This year, Exporail is celebrating its 60th anniversary and will offer visitors a few new features during the summer. The permanent exhibition considers the discovery of the railway past from the point of view of current issues in our society, which is more than ever a society on the move, allowing visitors to better understand the present and envisage the future. With its immersive space and 400 railway artifacts, archival images projected on screens as well as the enhancement of 50 vehicles with new lighting, the permanent exhibition has already attracted several thousand visitors during the last year.
With special exhibitions, rides, thematic activities, vehicle presentations and the opening of the outdoor site, Exporail meets the need for escape and creates a unique railway experience. For this 2021 season, the public is invited to Track to Discovery in a safe environment, accessible to all, with new digital tools allowing the visit to be extended, on site or at home!
The Summer Railway Experience
To complete the visit, the rides on the miniature railway allow young and old to live a memorable experience with their family. The 5-minute tour takes visitors overthree bridges and through a tunnel.
On weekends, visitors can board the Exporail passenger train for a 15-minute ride. Boarding is done on site, near Hays Station. During the season, there will be a number of in-person and virtual presentations of vehicles selected specifically to mark the 60th anniversary of Exporail: - Streetcar 274, the first vehicle acquired for the collection;
- The Maritime Locomotive 5, donated to the Museum in 1961;
- Locomotive CN 4100, declared a "National Historic Site" by the Canadian government.
At the controls of a virtual locomotive: those age 10 and over will be able to test their train driving skills on the museum's simulator. The activity must be booked in advance once on site.
Our annual summer event A Great Passion for Model trains will take place on August 21st and 22nd, 2021: exhibitors from Quebec will present their moving model trains and share their passion with visitors.
Special Exhibitions
Two exhibitions will be presented this summer:
Imagine the Train of the Future
To mark the 60th anniversary of Exporail, the Museum is inviting the young public to participate in an art exhibition about the vision of the future of rail transportation. This is across-disciplinary exhibition with a main theme that sparks the creativity of young people by combining art and science. The imagination of our young audience is boundless!
The works should have two elements:
- to represent the train of the future from the vision of young people;
- to highlight the 60th anniversary of Exporail (e.g.: the number 60).
More information
60 Years, from Dream to Reality
Highlights from the museum's past 60 years, featuring a number of archival photos and videos, will be on display starting July 21 for visitors to appreciate the evolution of the museum's life over the past few decades.
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Useful Information for a safe and pleasant visit
Like last summer, visitors will enter the museum through a new entrance with about 50 additional parking spaces. As one of the objectives is to minimize waiting time at the entrance and to control traffic on the site, all Exporail visitors will be required to reserve their ticket(s) for a predetermined date and time via the museum’s electronic ticket booth, available on the museum's website.
For the health and well-being of all, visitors with symptoms of COVID-19 must postpone their visit. Exporail counts on the cooperation of its visitors and reminds them of the importance of following these preventative measures: - Respect the hygiene measures posted on site: hand-washing, electronic payment, sneezing and coughing into one’s elbow, no gathering;
- Respect signs and the social distancing of 2 metres;
- Respect one-way traffic;
- Wearing a mask or face shield covering the nose and mouth is required inside the Angus Pavilion for ages 10 years and over.
The animation team is looking forward to welcoming visitors and invite you to consult more information.
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About Exporail
Exporail’s regular activities are funded in part by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications of Québec and receives support from the cities of Saint-Constant and Delson.
Special projects of Exporail are supported by the Department of Canadian Heritage and Employment and Social Development Canada.
Exporail also receives support from Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the Canadian Railroad Historical Association Foundation, CN, CP, VIA Rail Canada, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Emploi-Québec Montérégie, Municipalité régionale de comté (MRC) de Roussillon, exo, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), the YMCA of Greater Toronto, the Société des musées du Québec and the Canadian Museums Association.
| | | | Photos : Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum
Contact :
Bruno Cordellier, Communications Officer
Tel. : 450 638-1522, ext. 249
email : bruno.cordellier@exporail.org
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