Virtual train tour in the works for Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre

The Northern Ontario Railroad Museum and Heritage Centre is working on new technology that will allow visitors to take a tour on their own.

The facility in Capreol, Ont.,is in the early stages of creating a mobile app for interactive, self-guided tours.

Operations manager Derek Young saysthe technology would add to the visitor experience by incorporating storytelling.

"There would probably be a beacon idea that would be attached to various different exhibits and components to the museum tour. And as they're walkingthrough the tour, that beacon [would be]triggered on their smartphone and they'dlistening to the tour on their earbuds."

The app will be developed by North Bay's David Merleau, anindependent media artist. He developed the Forest Talk Radio app for the Laurier Woods Conservation Area in North Bay.

Young says the technology will bring a new dimension to the traditional bricks-and-mortar tourist attraction.

"It's one thing to come to the museum and get the historical tour of the 6077 Locomotive, as an example," he said.

"But through this technology, it adds a different element to the tour where you might get the story behind the people that work on the 6077, and bring that whole exhibit to life, right in the palm of somebody's hand."

Young says the technology will cost about $32,000, but half will be paid for through a federal funding grant.

The app should be ready to roll out for next summer's tourism season.