Thank you for your ongoing support of the Canada Science and Technology Museum's railway collection. I am appealing to you today to help in the preservation of a very special locomotive - the Shay.

The Shay, initially conceived by a lumber merchant in 1880, was a commercially successful geared steam locomotive used in the mining and forestry industries in Canada. The Museum's Shay, dating from the 1920s, was retired in 1974 and subsequently donated to the Canada Science and Technology Museum in operational, but tired, condition. Weighing 50 tonnes, it is a two-truck, four-axle engine measuring over 12 metres in length. It is small compared with mainline steam locomotives from the same period; however, with its three cylinders and four powered axles, it has enough power to haul tonnes of lumber along steep grades.

Kept in operating condition, our Shay allows us to offer our summer visitors an experience no static display could provide: the sight, sound and feel of a historic steam locomotive in action. Memorable in itself, watching and riding our Shay-driven train also greatly enriches the visitor's appreciation of our other rail exhibits. It is with this in mind that we have worked so hard over the past year to bring the Shay into conformity with new provincial safety standards.

To continue to operate the Shay locomotive, the Museum will have to undertake the engine's next major boiler inspection in five years. Early estimates indicate that more than $60,000 will be required to help finance the work and material needed to refurbish the antique boiler. This level of funding goes beyond what is available to the Museum for its ongoing conservation activities. I am therefore making this appeal to you, so that not only you, but future generations of Canadians, can benefit from the interpretation of this unique piece of Canadian history. It is always gratifying to watch the excited response of the Museum's young visitors as the Shay makes its way along the tracks. This is a truly unique example of how Canada's railway heritage can come to life.

You can make a secure online donation today by clicking on the following button. If you prefer to make a donation by mail, you may send a cheque payable to the Canada Science and Technology Museum to:

Fundraising Office
Canada Science and Technology Museum
P.O. Box 9724, Station T
Ottawa, Ontario K1G 5A3

Your support will make a difference.

Yours sincerely, Claude Faubert
Director General
Canada Science and Technology Museum