The Trail Museum has acquired a Toledo Troy ounce scale once used to weigh gold and silver bars at the smelter.
Museum manager Sarah Benson-Lord said Teck recently donated the scale, which is believed to date to the 1930s. It had been sitting in a corner of the machine shop for decades, having last been used in the late 1940s.
Benson-Lord said it is in “pristine” condition with its original brass weights and operating manuals. “It’s a very unique piece,” she said. “We’ve had to create an interesting way to display it so that it’s protected and folks don’t want to step on it.
“It’s very uniquely calibrated. The Troy ounce scale revolutionized the metallurgy business and the sale of critical minerals and precious metals to a very precise weight. So it’s a valuable scale and it’s an interesting piece of our industrial heritage.”
While Trail’s smelter primarily refines lead and zinc, Benson-Lord noted the first gold bar in Canada was poured there in August 1897.
The scale is expected to go on display at the end of the year, as the area of the museum that features early industrial history is expanded and another wall case is added.
Benson-Lord said Teck has also allowed her access to the former cafeteria where old patters, products, and molds are stored.
“I don’t think people realize the amount of smarts it requires to run an operation like this. Cominco did everything in-house,” she said. “They had patents galore and still do, so they required really smart, talented people. We want to showcase some of that scientific and industrial brilliance in the exhibit.”
