Volume 12    Number 10    28 July 1982

Album Reflects Days of Steam

Ed Konig ( left ) carman, and Newton Rossiter have been partners inspecting trains at Toronto yard for the last five years. It's no surprise that Ed was one of the first to see Newton's first book on steam in southern Ontario.

by Stephen Morris
 
Toronto - When Newton Rossiter talks about "the old days of steam"a twinkle comes to his eye. A railroader and rail enthusiast he refers to engines as she or by number.
 
When the last steam engine was withdrawn from service in 1360, ( Publishing error ) Newton Rossiter says a part of him died. "It just wasn't the same", he said.
 
The railway veteran, who works as a carman in Toronto Yard, had watched and taken pictures of the iron horses since his youth in the 1930s.
 
"My uncle, whom I was living with, purchased a small farm in Oakville. The farm bordered the Toronto-Hamilton main line", recalled said Newton in an interview.
 
From this vantage point he was able to take photographs which, in the railway enthusiasts world, are priceless.
 
After the Second World War, Newton joined the railway as a boiler maker at John Street, Toronto, one of the busiest steam terminals on the system.
 
To Newton it was a dream come true.
 
Now, some 30 years later, and with a little coaxing, Newton has published a book titled "Canadian Pacific in Southern Ontario ( Volume One )".
 
Personalized
 
The 26-page book is a personalized - and detailed - look at the steam locomotives that travelled in and around the Toronto area and features exclusive photographs taken by the author.
 
His contacts within the railway during the 40s and 50s enabled him to stake out various locations waiting for the unusual or special trains.
 
Locomotives that were never thought to be captured on film have turned up in the book.
 
One example is the Royal Hudson 2838 working a troop train from Saint John, NB, to London in 1955.
 
Newton had received a tip when and where the locomotive could be seen. He sped off in his '54 Ford to Orr Lake, near Toronto, to catch the 2838 being assisted by Pacific 1260.
 
There he waited until Russ Kane, assistant roadmaster, passed by and told him trains were being rerouted over CN Rail because of a derailment.
 
Newton raced to Bayview Junction and ran down the embankment just in time to catch the line 2838, minus the helper Pacific, flying white flags.
 
The original "Canadian", from Chicago to Toronto is photographed at Guelph Junction headed by F2A 3002 assisting the normally freight locomotive 2410. This is but one example of the rare photographs that Newton selected for the book.
 
The cover of the book says Volume One. When asked when will there be a Volume Two, Newton answered "maybe later".
 
The book, which retails in hobby shops for six dollars, is available to Canadian Pacific employees for five dollars.
 
Those wishing to purchase a copy of "Canadian Pacific in Southern Ontario ( Volume One )" should write to the British Modellers of North America, 5124 33rd Street N.W. Calgary AB T2L 1V4. Please include your employee number with your payment when ordering.