Cochrane Ontario, late July 1959. I was brought home from the hospital to a house very close
in proximity to the railway. The address was 261 Railway Street. It seems mandatory for small railroad
towns to have a Railway Street. I was raised for the next fourteen years
in an upstairs apartment that my maternal grandfather built onto his house
for us seven years earlier.
My paternal grandfather was a pumpman for the CNR. By the time I was old
enough to remember much, they had moved away. However, living virtually
in the same house with my mother's parents was a different story. We were
all very close.
Across the street from us was both the CNR and ONR yards, an
administration building, bunkhouse and icehouse. Just up a bit was
the station, and to the east was the CNR shops. Very convenient for my
grandfather, for he was a master mechanic and machinist for CNR. He later
became motive power foreman and held the position until his retirement in
1968 after some thirty years of service.
My grandfather was a very busy man. Cochrane was a division point on CN
for quite a while and lots of traffic and dispatches took place in the early
days. He knew both steam and diesel like the back of his hand and had no
difficulty satisfying my curiosity for the subject . . . in great detail. I can
remember when he worked afternoon shift, going with my dad to bring him
a fresh lunch my nana made for him. I would sit on his knee while he ate his
lunch in a GP9 and he'd let me run it up and down the shop track. I have not
forgotten all he taught me about the details of motive power and I still have all
his books and manuals in my possession.
I only wish I could have recorded the endless stories he told of his experiences,
including coming over from Italy with his father in 1911 when he was eight years
old. His father traveled the world building railways and had found work with the
Temiskaming & Northern Ontario. It was merely old age that caught up with my
grandfather at the age of 87. He is gone now, and missed very much by all
who had the pleasure of knowing him.
In my youth, I spent many hours around those tracks and gained a healthy
respect for the potential dangers, and for the people who work in the
business. Being attentive became second nature. I had the opportunity to
ride yard engines. I mingled with the likes of ONR FP7As, CNR GP9s and FPA4s. The
fragrance of diesel, dust, creosote and the taste of home made pie at the station
restraunt bring back memories of some of the best times of my life.
Life changed when I was fourteen years old. My father was promoted and we moved to Sudbury,
Ontario. It didn't take long to find some tracks.
Mile 77 of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Cartier subdivision is one of my favorite locations along
the tracks which run along the north shore of Lake Ramsey. Sudbury yard is just a mile or so to the
west and Romford is about fives mile to the east. Fortunately, being on CP's core, a lot
of traffic passes by!
Wayne Regaudie
VE3THN
In AC4400CW CP 9621 at Sudbury.