Page 45 - ESCARPMENT MAGAZINE | Winter 2013
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Passenger trains on the Hamilton line ceased to operate in 1955 and
in 1960 on the Barrie line. Some freight service continued but in 1989
tracks were finally lifted. Although the trains have been shunted into
history, there are several local residents who have fond remembrances
of the lines.
Peter Coates’ vitality is reflected in his friendly eyes. His energetic
voice is a metaphor of his eighty-two years of life in and around the
Collingwood area. Born in 1930, in Creemore, Peter refers to himself
as a “depression baby.” His first recollection of the trains of the Hamil-
ton & North Western Railway and the Hog Special, so
named because the trains’ main commodity were pigs
going to market go back almost eighty years, to
the period that marked the end of the railway’s
hey-days.
“The trains went by our property every day
and the line cut through a portion of our fam-
ily’s land that had been sold to the railway
company for a few dollars. In fact, my grand-
father Peter Coates made some of his first
money at age 17 by leading a team of oxen
that pulled the graders during the construction
of the new line.”
“Nineteen thirty-nine was a really big deal.
We were taken from the public school to
Midhurst to see the Royal Train.” The brand
new, shinning locomotives of the Canadian
Pacific Railway that had been recently des-
ignated, The Royal Hudson, carried Queen
Elizabeth and King George VI across the
country. Even though the might of motive
power was impressive, the train was still two
hours late. “It was supposed to stop in Mid-
hurst but it didn’t”, Coates recalls. “The en-
gineer just blew the whistle as the train flew
went by. It didn’t matter; nobody hated the Royals be-
cause they didn’t stop.”
Living close to the tracks created a special fascination for Coates. “I
remember watching the train go by in the morning and waiting to see
the lights at night. It was wonderful and people used to say, ‘There’s
that Peter Coates kid. He just loves to watch the trains, to see the
wheels go ‘round.”
“I was fortunate that I was old enough to see the last days of the steam
glory and witness the changeover to diesel locomotives,” says David
Vukson. He was born in 1947 and lived in Collingwood until 1977
when he moved to Victoria B.C. where he has lived and worked as a
piano tuner for more than half of his life.
As a boy he lived at 639 St. Marie Street, at the corner of Victory Drive
and was able to watch the daily way-freights pass by every morning.
“Fortunately we lived on the east side of the street and when I was
quite small there were no houses between us and the railway tracks.
So I was able to see the trains every day when I left for school. Your
first clue that the train was coming was when they would whistle for
the Poplar Sideroad.”
*
45
Winter 2013
Escarpment Magazine
Whether you want to dress up, down or sporty, Collingwood
downtown is the place to outfit your lifestyle. A huge
selection of casual, dress and sport clothing and fashion
accessories for women, children and men can be found in
the historic downtown core. Supporting your community has
never been more fashionable!
Visit
for all the details.
SHOP
THIS
WAY
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