Last of the Ossawippi Express Railcars leaves Orillia January the 4th 2013
It was a sad day when this video was taken of the rail cars of the Ossawippi Express rolled on out…
On a cold January day the last of the Ossawippi Express rail cars leaves Orillia. The video below shows it leaving it’s home at the Orillia waterfront and making it’s way up Coldwater Road.
Established in 1972 the “Ossawippi Express Dining Cars” Restaurant was a long time fixture at this location.
The Address of Dining Car Restaurant:
210 Mississaga Street East,
Orillia, Ontario CANADA
Well What Happened???
The Ossawippi Express restaurant in Orillia is closed and its assets are in the hands of a bankruptcy trustee.
According to https://www.simcoe.com
Notices posted outside the railroad-themed restaurant state that Paddon + Yorke Inc., trustee in bankruptcy, had been appointed “receiver and manager of the assets” for the business “in accordance with the provisions of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.”
The notices are dated April 1 and the restaurant’s phone number is out of service.
In an interview earlier this year, owner Terry McNaughton said the business had been experiencing “some hard times, which everybody is.”
Housed in a series of historic rail cars overlooking Lake Couchiching, the restaurant opened for business in 1972 under the ownership of Jim Allison.
The name – Ossawippi Express Dining Cars – was inspired by the Train to Mariposa depicted in Stephen Leacock’s “Sunshine Sketches of A Little town.”
McNaughton purchased the business in 1992, and has been its owner ever since.
A portion of the train underwent a dramatic renovation in September 2005 when it was chosen to appear on the Food Network’s Restaurant Makeover.
News of the project generated significant local interest and culminated with a ceremonial unveiling of the finished makeover.
McNaughton – who split the $40,000 renovation cost with the show – was hopeful the publicity generated by the program would spur new interest in the business.
It was rumored that a Local SEO Pro from Arizona was very interested in this establishment – however nothing has been inked as yet.
Somebody PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE – Invest in this Institution, This Amazing Landmark – this Unique Icon in our City.