08-28-2013, 06:29 AM
Hello David---the ex 1954 CNR coach is located at the Eva Rothwell Community Center located on Wentworth St. N. in Hamilton.Here's a copy of a local article.I'll have to make a trip to the center to get some pictures.
Antique rail car acts as literacy centre for community
Scott Gardner,News services
The Eva Rothwell Centre's Literacy Express is a converted rail car dedicated to reading.
ByDavid Churchill
HAMILTON — Every kid needs a couple of good books when they head back to school.
The children in an east-end Hamilton neighbourhood will soon have 1,500 of them.
The Larry Paikin Literacy Express — an antique rail car retrofitted into a literacy centre — will soon be filled with books thanks to the work of Don MacVicar, Horst Streiter and the folks from Random House of Canada.
The publishing house donated the books to help fill the 1954 CN passenger car, which was moved into its permanent home at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre in July.
The rail car, operated at the Eva Rothwell centre as part of the Robert Land Community Association, has been renovated to make it a comfortable place to browse a book. The old seats have been removed, and it will have air conditioning and heating. It just needs a few final touches of electrical work, plumbing and landscaping before it's officially opened.
The reading centre has not been funded by taxpayers' money and all the books available so far have come in by donation, said MacVicar, who founded the Eva Rothwell centre to help residents in one of the city's most economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
"It's astounding to have one of the biggest publishers track you down and say, 'We want to help you out,'" said MacVicar. "We are trying to build an inventory and this helps so much."
He gave the credit to volunteer Streiter, who got in touch with someone he knew at Random House.
MacVicar was thrilled when he got an email from the publisher to say 1,500 books would soon be on their way. He hopes they're delivered next week.
The idea behind the library on wheels was to create an "attraction" that would get children excited about learning, he said.
MacVicar said he's still looking for more sponsors to help sustain the centre as its annual operating costs are expected to run about $20,000 to $30,000.
Antique rail car acts as literacy centre for community
Scott Gardner,News services
The Eva Rothwell Centre's Literacy Express is a converted rail car dedicated to reading.
ByDavid Churchill
HAMILTON — Every kid needs a couple of good books when they head back to school.
The children in an east-end Hamilton neighbourhood will soon have 1,500 of them.
The Larry Paikin Literacy Express — an antique rail car retrofitted into a literacy centre — will soon be filled with books thanks to the work of Don MacVicar, Horst Streiter and the folks from Random House of Canada.
The publishing house donated the books to help fill the 1954 CN passenger car, which was moved into its permanent home at the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre in July.
The rail car, operated at the Eva Rothwell centre as part of the Robert Land Community Association, has been renovated to make it a comfortable place to browse a book. The old seats have been removed, and it will have air conditioning and heating. It just needs a few final touches of electrical work, plumbing and landscaping before it's officially opened.
The reading centre has not been funded by taxpayers' money and all the books available so far have come in by donation, said MacVicar, who founded the Eva Rothwell centre to help residents in one of the city's most economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
"It's astounding to have one of the biggest publishers track you down and say, 'We want to help you out,'" said MacVicar. "We are trying to build an inventory and this helps so much."
He gave the credit to volunteer Streiter, who got in touch with someone he knew at Random House.
MacVicar was thrilled when he got an email from the publisher to say 1,500 books would soon be on their way. He hopes they're delivered next week.
The idea behind the library on wheels was to create an "attraction" that would get children excited about learning, he said.
MacVicar said he's still looking for more sponsors to help sustain the centre as its annual operating costs are expected to run about $20,000 to $30,000.