Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
In the early 1950’s, Hugh Grant installed and operated the Couchiching Park Railway (CPR) at the foot of Jarvis Street, behind the Couchiching Beach Pavilion, known as The Pav.
The CPR Jr. had three passenger cars, with seating for 36 plus the conductor, who operated the electric train engine.
The small-scale track was located behind The Pav near Borland Street. Past the CPR and CN tracks can be seen the homes on Lavallee Crescent.
Behind the small train and sitting on the Canadian Pacific Railway track is a 1939 McLaughlin Buick Century with a CPR logo on the door and the number M235 on the roof.
The M235 was a track inspection car with a customized frame, air brakes and flanged wheels. This car is preserved today at the Exporail Museum in St. Constant, Quebec.
