The Museum Proudly Presents: More rare 1960s Ottawa train footage!

I am pleased to be able to share an exciting series of home video footage of trains in and around Ottawa during the mid-late 1960s. Other than within limited railway circles, this is the first time all of this footage is being shared publicly.

My long-time neighbour on Gilchrist Avenue Bruce Chapman is one of the biggest railway aficionados in Ottawa. He worked the rails for many years, but he also had the incredible foresight to take video footage of trains throughout the 1960s. Not only this, but due to his position with CPR, he had the unique and rare opportunity to make several recordings from inside the front of a moving train as it travelled within Ottawa-Hull. So many of these clips start or end at fabled Union Station in downtown Ottawa, and also over the bridges to Hull, at old Ottawa West station (where Bayview station and Tom Brown Arena now stand), and all along the CPR lines.

I've been excited for some time to be able to share this footage, and I'm so happy Bruce has given me the green light to share it through the Kitchissippi Museum.

You may recall that earlier this year I shared a selection of clips that featured Kitchissippi itself - largely around Scott Street and Ottawa West station. Well these clips in some cases do show Kitchissippi, but they are the full clips, showing the trains travelling in and out of Union Station, and around the NCR.

As mentioned in the video details, there is no audio at all, the video was filmed without sound, as was common in the era.

The videos range from short 1 minute clips to as long as 9-10 minutes. I wrestled with the idea of combining them all in to one YouTube video, or splitting them by date and topic, and chose the latter, as I thought it would be less confusing. It's also fairly easy to flip from one video to another.

We are incredibly lucky that this footage was recorded and has survived, and I am happy to be able present it today. Check out my YouTube playlist for the Kitchissippi Museum at Kitchissippi Museum Playlist, or you can view all ten videos individually at the links below:

1967 return train trip Ottawa to Brockville from inside the engine! (24 minutes)
https://youtu.be/pKtn_L5iUJ4

A train ride from Union Station Ottawa to Bayview via Hull 1966 (8 minutes)
https://youtu.be/9S7W-vlB1YE

Another train ride from Union Station Ottawa to Bayview via Hull 1966 (8 minutes)
https://youtu.be/AoaqbE0X5fU

The Canadian & Dominion CPR through Ottawa 1966 (5 minutes)
https://youtu.be/6ZsMXRmpE4U

The Dominion CPR 1965 Ottawa Scott Street and Union Station (3 minutes)
https://youtu.be/hRp2z9nvakQ

CPR 233 arriving at Union Station in Ottawa 1966 (1 minute)
https://youtu.be/UB5DgOVy5UQ

Troop train leaving Ottawa West for Petawawa Feb 1966 after raising of new maple leaf flag (1 minute)
https://youtu.be/HCmyceZYFkA

#1 'The Canadian' CPR train arriving at Ottawa West 1965-66 (1 minute)
https://youtu.be/Wf7o91G6_xU

#4 'The Dominion' 1965-66 along Scott Street to Ottawa West and over Alexandra Bridge (3 minutes)
https://youtu.be/IIjwX0EBe3E

Engine 8796 Maniwaki Wayfreight Ottawa West to Prince of Wales Bridge October 1967 (2 minutes)
https://youtu.be/44eKgip80bQ