Caption: This photograph of the train running near Cheltenham shows the entire train of three locomotives and 14 cars! A quarter mile long and nearly 1000 tons. The lightweight baggage car with electric generator for tape recorders and gated doorways typical for railfan excursions as well as food and drink supplies for the vendors who went though the cars. Two lightweight air conditioned coaches with reclining seats are next. Two more were substituted for higher seating capacity heavyweight coaches more typical for a train of the steam era. Even more seating would have been of benefit to the hundreds of people turned away. It would however have spoiled the appearance of the train so I stopped there. Two ancient wooden coaches (1595 and 1596) brought up the tailend to represent earlier years. These cars were brought to Toronto from The Glen Yard in Montreal along with a spare protect coach 1583. A dining car was placed in the train to provide full meal service complete with a special souvenir menu. The CPR wanted to add a second dining car to handle the anticipated demand however; they wanted to reduce a coach stating they didn’t feel the engines could not handle 15 cars. I refused because the loss of about 80 tickets would have meant the loss of any profit. This was a very expensive event. Had a third D10 (1087) been used the second diner and perhaps another coach could have been handled however the 136 was already committed to. Besides, it would not have been the big drawing card without the little 4-4-0.

Note the new white classification flags and white canvas curtains applied to the engines as the CPR went all out dressing up the engines in passenger special trim including white tyres, silver armoured cable to head and class lights as well as builders plates. Red paint inside the bells! Even new bell ropes. Engines and tenders were cleaned and painted, cab interiors painted CPR standard green with red trim. Too much paint in fact. All the valves etc. were freshly repainted black BUT the CPR wanted Passenger Special trim which meant polished brass everywhere! I recall checking on the engines a day or two in advance at Lambton roundhouse where I worked and found a labourer with a big file hand filing the fresh paint off the brass valve nuts! What a job! I quickly left the cab without saying anything before he blamed me!

Raymond L. Kennedy CPR Retired