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UrbanToronto was back down at the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre in the John Street Roundhouse today for the unveiling of Vicky, an 85 tonne steam engine that will literally be centre stage during this summer's run of The Railway Children, the classic novel turned play, at the specially-built Roundhouse Theatre across from the CN Tower. Vicky departed from Liverpool on March 21 and arrived in Halifax on March 28, at which point she was placed on a flatbed train car and traveled to Toronto. She was unloaded and craned into place at the Roundhouse Theatre, ready to make her North American theatrical debut more than a century after coming into the world. This is the first time Vicky has ever been outside of Britain.
No. 563 was built for the London & South Western Railway in 1893. For many decades she hauled express passenger trains between Waterloo Station (London) and Plymouth, servicing the passenger and parcel trade from the Atlantic steam ships. Vicky was restored for the Waterloo centenary in 1948 and is now in the collection of the National Railway Museum in York, UK.
Above and below, director of The Railway Children Damian Cruden (left, below), and producer Matthew Gale (right, below) of The Touring Consortium
Meanwhile, work continues inside the tent to prepare the venue for the play...
And for those concerned with the miniature steam train that runs around the site, a new loop has been completed in the park which avoids the tent.
If you are interested in The Railway Children, you can find out much more about the production here. Got a comment about The Railway Children or the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre? You can leave one here, or click the link below to join in the discussion in UrbanToronto's thread for the project.
