Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
Dated September 1948, this promotional postcard shows a 90-cubic-foot Granby Type Mine Car. It was one of many supplied to the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. for use in their Sullivan Mine at Kimberley, B.C.
The bodies were made from heavy 5/16 corrosion-resistant plate, all welded construction. Cars operated on a 36” track gauge and were fitted with 16” steel cast wheels.
E. Long Ltd. manufactured a variety of mining cars for a large part of the mining industry in Canada.
During a visit to any gold mine in Canada at that time, you would ride underground in a “Long” cage, found “Long” cars transporting ore underground and “Long” skips bringing ore to the surface.
The factory at the corner of West and Queen Streets was built in 1909 and has undergone many expansions and name changes in its 100-year history.
A drive along Queen Street East before the factory was demolished revealed a large painted sign on the side of the building “E. Long Limited Engineering Works” - a faded image from Orillia’s industrial past.
