Public Relations and Advertising
Department
Windsor Station Montreal Que. H3C 3E4
|
Volume
7 Number 15
|
Nov. 23,
1977
|
Lone Survivor of a Once busy
Route
By
Stephen Morris
Old Line: Conductor John Bolger
and Rear-end Trainman Merle Feero show where the old Shore Line, which
ran from Saint John to St. Andrews, crossed the St. Andrews Subdivision. Built in the
1880s, this section was pulled up in the mid-1930s. Because it is so
isolated many old ties and rails from the original line are still in
place.
| |
Van Horne's Road: Travelling
along the seacoast into St. Andrews the train passes over the same roadbed Sir
William Van Horne used to reach his summer home. A crossing to the president's
home just up the line has a 4 mph speed restriction - set by the late president
and never changed.
|
McAdam - They call it "The
Southbound". It isn't one of our high speed, high priority, "macho"
freight trains but is a modernized version of the wayfreight.
The train, which runs south from McAdam and serves St. Andrews and St. Stephen,
operates daily as a feeder to the Saint John - Montreal main line.
It also passes over some of the oldest railbed in the country as well as an area
rich in Canadian history. But the days of Jubilee locomotives speeding passengers to
their country homes and sidings dotted with private railway cars are gone.
The Southbound is the only survivor on this once busy route.
| |
 Train Orders: Everything looks
fine as John Bolger goes over his train orders with Operator Donny McIntosh at
McAdam.
|
The train's work is simple. Each day it does a 130-mile circuit picking
up, dropping off, and positioning cars at various station and industrial sidings over
two subdivisions.
Residents know the train as a good economic barometer for the area. When business is
good the train will run with up to 60 cars. Rough times can see as few as one car and
the van.
On an average day the train leaves at 06:00 and returns between 16:00-17:00. In the
winter things get tougher and it's not unusual to see a weary crew roll in at 19:00.
Sometimes the train doesn't get back. Last winter, crew and train were stranded for
two days before plows and ice cutters could free them.
| |
Gentle Touch: Too hard a push
and four boxcars will end up in the drink. Today is a light day on the wharf,
picking up only four cars of seafood destined for Quebec and
Ontario.
|
It isn't surprising then that seasoned veterans are on the run. Johnny Bolger, a 47
year veteran and fourth generation railroader and Merle Feero, a second generation 27
year employee ride the tail end.
Brought up in the old school of railroading, they are masters at getting the job done
without
fuss.
"It's a matter of pride", said Johnny Bolger. "Everyone from the
superintendent down works as a team and maybe that's the
secret".
| |
Markers Down: It's the
end of another day with crew and train home safely. One of the last duties will
be to take down the markers and check in - then it's home to put the feet up and
relax.
|
This CP Rail News article is
copyright 1977 by Canadian Pacific Railway and is reprinted here with their
permission. All photographs, logos, and trademarks are the property of the Canadian
Pacific Railway Company.
©
2005 William C. Slim
http://www.okthepk.ca
|
