18 September 2008
Mystery Evening to Support Heritage Preservation
Ex-CPR South Simcoe locomotive
1057.
Tottenham Ontario - When the South Simcoe Railway's
passengers depart the station 20 Sep 2008, they may not know what is going to happen, but they will be helping to preserve
Canada's unique railway heritage.
The Saturday evening dinner and murder mystery package evening will raise funds to support the Railway's efforts to preserve the
flavour of the branch-line railways that helped make the country possible. For more than 100 years, steam locomotive
powered trains built this country, and yet there are now only a few left in North America.
The volunteers who operate the South Simcoe Railway have spent the past year restoring steam engine No. 136 to operating condition.
Built in 1883, the locomotive was instrumental in linking the east and west of Canada together when the Canadian Pacific Railway was
built, and the dinner will help raise the funds needed to complete the work on the venerable steam engine.
The 20 Sep 2008 event will start at 5 p.m., with a catered dinner. The diners will have the choice of an entree of prime
rib, cedar plank salmon, or penne, all cooked by Chef Gilles Roche and his culinary team from Gourmandissimo in Caledon East. The
mystery begins during dinner, and guests will discover that some of the diners are there specifically to play a part in the evening's
mystery. Passengers board the train, and travel on a onehour journey through the scenic Beeton Creek Valley as the plot thickens and
the mystery continues.
When the train returns to the station, the passengers must help solve the mystery over dessert and coffee to conclude their night out.
Advance reservations for this event are required, and may be made by calling the Railway office at (905) 936-5815 weekday
afternoons, or on the Railway's Web site at www.southSimcoeRailway.ca prior to 18 Sep 2008. Tickets are
$90 each, which includes dinner, the mystery play, train trip, and all taxes and gratuities. A cash bar will also be available during
the dinner, featuring Ontario wine and beer selections. Seats are limited, so patrons are advised to book early.
The Railway is owned and operated by a group of volunteers, who perform all tasks and functions, ranging from equipment and track
maintenance to operating excursions. The volunteers are committed to preserving and interpreting railway heritage, so future
generations can experience and understand how the railways played their pivotal role in Canadian history.
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