Schreiber Ontario - The Schreiber Rail Array Museum has been relocated and transformed into an interactive and modern roadside attraction along Highway 17 in an effort to entice travellers to stop and take in a bit of the area's history.
 
Renamed the Schreiber Rail Museum and Discovery Centre, the new project boasts multiple interactive train sections including a locomotive, rail car, storage car, a discovery Centre, and a virtual rail car that will simulate what it's like to travel on a train.
 

Canadian Pacific switcher 6539 at the museum - Date? Photographer?

Nathan Dias, the chief administrative officer with the Township of Schreiber, says during the consultations in developing their economic development strategy for the community, a big focus was to take advantage of the potential for visitors along Highway 17 and the tremendous amount of people passing through.
 
"The real challenge was providing some sort of highway presence or attraction to get them to stop," he said.
 
"We're hoping that people will stop along the highway, stroll into the museum, and find out the whole story about Schreiber, its history and its past."
 
Dias said they will be using the museum to advertise and market Schreiber along with local businesses.
 
"That involves training staff and putting in displays that advertise our local businesses, directing people from the museum to explore our downtown business district and encouraging them to go down onto Schreiber beach," he said.
 
"And that's really the goal. Have them stop, and then get them to explore the rest of the town." The plan to improve the museum and relocate it was part of a 20 year revitalization plan for the community.
 
Funding for the project came from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor), and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, while Parks Canada contributed to the interpretive programming.
 
"The biggest challenge has always been getting people on the highway to stop in Schreiber, and we had a lot of consultants tell us, you need something that's big and that's going to get them to stop," said Dias.
 
The Schreiber Rail Museum and Discovery Centre will have a grand opening on 11 Jul 2022.
 
Sandi Krasowski.