Letters

To CRO,

As many of you have already known, on February 9th, 2019 ex-CP S-2 No. 7020 rolled out of the roundhouse at the Toronto Railway Museum and onto the turntable. 7020 has just concluded a cosmetic restoration which included repainting the locomotive back to the as-delivered 1940s colour scheme. Although pretty much everything about 7020 is in working order, and she could be started up again with a little bit of work, the museum has been asked not to start the engine due to concerns over the amount of smoke that would result. As a result, she has to be hauled around by the museum’s CLC-Whitcomb switcher No. 1. (Both photos are courtesy of Stephen Gardiner.

Regards,
Andrew Jeanes

Hi William,

A $100K campaign has been launched to help fund streetcar's enclosure: As the painstaking restoration on Windsor’s Streetcar No. 351 nears completion, a 351-day fundraising campaign has been launched to help pay for an enclosure to protect it from the elements. The $100,000 “Preserve and Protect” campaign has only just been announced but already has raised $20,000, according to a City of Windsor news release. Local realtor and community booster Bob Pedler is the honourary chairman of the campaign and was the first to make a donation. Council approved the restoration, at a cost of up to $750,000, in October of 2017, after the streetcar became suddenly available from Penalty Box restaurant owner Van Niforos. It was one of three known streetcars in existence — the other two were essentially unavailable — out of 220 that operated in Windsor in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The streetcar is nearing completion at RM Auto Restoration in Blenheim. It will be located along the riverfront near the University of Windsor, becoming the focal point of the Celestial Beacon, one of five beacons planned along the riverfront. No date has been announced for when streetcar No. 351 will be finished and then installed.

From the Editor

Hi All,

Here is a very interesting GMD GMD1 “WHAT IF?” paint scheme. From the technical drawing board of Mr. Michael Eby, with thanks

For anyone that has not yet seen this fun Canadian made Train film with comedian Buster Keaton, it is now available to view on YouTube. It shows Montreal CN scenes from back in the day near Wellington Tower, and a great scene arriving at the old Ottawa Station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYmcN12M97o

A tip of the hat to our team for outstanding help creating CRO each month: Earl Roberts, Brian Peters. Paul Donovan, Malcolm Kenton, John Jeffrey, Michael Berry Ken Reiss, Pat McKie, Mike Robin, Sean Graham-White, The BLHS, Exporail and thanks to all the CRO Consultants, advertisers and Loco Gurus!

Sincerely,
WHB

Submitting Photos to CRO

We have new guidelines in place for those of you submitting photos to CRO. The size should be no larger than an image width of 800, and a height of 500. We can no longer accept over sized photos. Always include the date, location, train number (if known), and other pertinent information in the photo caption. We need to have the photos and complete captions two weeks before the deadline, which is always month end. If used, VIP Free access to CRO is granted to all who provide their photos and news. As our “Vignette” segments are very popular with our readers, please continue to submit railroad photos from the past, and send along suggestions for future Vignette subjects, and ideas for CRO Special Reports. editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com

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WILLIAM H. BAIRD
Managing Editor - CRO
3359 Rue Ste-Catherine East #14
Montreal, QC
H1W 2C7
CANADA
editor@canadianrailwayobservations.com

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