Omemee - Story of Another Railway Car (2 of 7)
Discovery of the Car in the U.S.A.
During his 1989 trip to Wisconsin to inspect the Curzon, Garry Anderson, executive director of the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, was made aware of this car by friends Francis and Dorothy Weiner. An exterior inspection revealed that the car was relatively intact. Although interior viewing was quite limited, what was seen appeared to be a car whose features had been well preserved. Records also indicated that it was the Soo sleeper Omemee, built in 1906 as # 1220. This car was a prototype for the V-class sleepers (#1221 - 1228), built expressly for the Soo-Spokane Trains Deluxe in 1907.
On a later trip, in 1991, the owners allowed more of the interior to be viewed. They were quite fascinated with the interest the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel was expressing in their car. Both Wally and Betty were extremely attached to this heirloom, and had not given thought to parting with the car. They did agree, however, that if the were to part with the car, the Museum would be the recipient.
After Betty's premature death in 1994, Wally made a trip to Cranbrook to see the museum for himself. Satisfied with its standards, and its stability, he agreed to sell the car, much on the same terms as the Curzon a few years earlier in 1992. The value was determined by comparison to a new replacement modern house of equal square footage being located where the car had been.
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