Caption: Looking out from the gangway is L. L. O’Brien Master Mechanic London Division a dour looking Official. The Bruce branches were under the jurisdiction of London Division at the time but were later restored to their traditional Bruce Division. Also in the cab besides engineer Charlie Waters and fireman Peter Fairfull was Nels Perkins General Locomotive Foreman Lambton and Dow Alexander Air Brake Instructor. The ancient A1 air brake was what brought him up from the Falls (Smiths Falls). Five men in a tiny cab and only three seats!

This close up look as the engines round a sharp curve shows the simplicity of engine 136 a small 4-4-0 built in 1883 by Rogers Locomotive in Paterson New Jersey. Heavily rebuilt in Angus Shops in 1914 with a superheated boiler and piston valves it had little original content and was in fact newer than the two D10’s built in 1908 and 1912! It retained the Stephenson valve gear still in use on about 5% of the roster in the 1950’s. It definitely did not have any “mod cons” with its Daylight injector, chain operated manual firebox door, “Johnson” bar manual reverser, A1 air brake. A hidden feature is a damper! Never heard of such a thing. Word was sent from the regular man in New Brunswick about this however, it is not known if it was ever passed along to the engine crew. Its original wooden cab was long ago replaced by a steel one off a U3 class 0-6-0 switcher adding to its ungainly appearance along with the high steam dome. One good feature is its melodic whistle, much nicer than the standard CPR whistle which is a little harsh. If you have heard it you will know what I mean. Listen to it on Sentimental Journey “The Last Run” the first Canadian made LP record of railway sounds. A very few original unopened copies are still available!

Raymond L. Kennedy