It’s all aboard at the Exporail Museum with a one-way ticket to behind the silver screen.
Until the end of April, visitors can get a front-row seat on trains used in iconic films, while getting a glimpse into Canadian railway history.
“The stories that we can tell about Canada through these vehicles, that’s what really interests me,” says programming and education coordinator Matthew Gauthier.
From passenger cars to steam locomotives, the famous trains are on view as part of the Trains in the Movies exhibit in Saint-Constant.
Pieces from the museum’s collection have been featured in hits like “Transformers” and “The Words,” starring Bradley Cooper. Passenger cars have also appeared in the biopic on Habs Hall-of-Famer Maurice “Rocket” Richard.
“We see Julie Le Breton who’s playing Maurice Richard’s wife. So she’s like, traveling in the streets of Montreal and she’s overhearing a conversation between two men who are kind of criticizing her husband,” says Gauthier.
Filming aside, Gauthier says the streetcar from 1902 is full of historical nuggets and signage.
One favourite is a notice that indicates a $40 fine for spitting inside the streetcar.
“Forty back in the day, back in early 1900s was a pretty hefty fine,” he says.
Fines were historically used to limit the spread of Spanish Flu. It was considered necessary given the common close quarters of the 1900s. An example of those quarters can be seen on the Intercolonial Sleeper Car 531.
“The curtain would come all the way down and that would create basically like a little private bedroom. [...] It was very, very simple. You slept with the person sitting next to you,” Gauthier told CTV.
That was the case even if seated by a stranger.
Visitors can get on track with the facts through the museum’s French immersion and francisation programs.
“It becomes very transversal, right? Not only are you learning French, but you’re learning more about the history of Canada.” says Gauthier.
