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4 Friday, April 9, 2021 brooklintowncrier.com Who greased the tracks? By Jennifer Hudgins On May 22, 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) took the train from Ottawa to Toronto as part of their Canadian tour, with a short stopover at the Whitby station. A group of Brooklin families rode the Nip n Tuck railway south to Whitby to see the Royal couple and some continued to Toronto for more Royal watching. One Brooklin man who liked a good joke, Wes Schell, was not among them. That evening, the Nip n Tuck tracks below Conlin Road were mysteriously greased, rendering it almost impossible for the train to make the grade to return from Whitby. Many didn't get home until quite late. The "greasers" were never discovered. Retirement party Wes Schell was a well known and popular figure in the area for years. At his retirement party, the emcee, Bud Wilson, said, "If any man deserves the title of Mr. Brooklin, it should be Wes Schell. He is a credit to the community, known as more of a friend to his customers than just as the proprietor of a local garage." Another retirement testimonial from an executive of the Gooderham & Worts distillery stated that that the company felt the success of one of its lines over the years, namely 44-B whiskey, was attributed to "the continued and unfailing support of Wes Schell." Schell had moved to Brooklin in 1931 when he and his brother Bill leased the White Rose service station on Baldwin at Highway 7. For 16 years, he repaired vehicles, washed cars and, in the summer, hired local boys to pump gas. It's alleged he once said he'd rather change two truck tires than one bike tire. Yet when kids came to him with their flats, he never turned them away. The service station slogan was 'Service with a Smile' which seemed to aptly describe his attitude. He was a man who forgave debts and went out of his way to provide superior service, and, yes, always with a smile. To the U.S. One of 10 children, Schell left school at age 12 to help his mother on the family farm after his father passed away. A diligent worker, he eventually realized he needed a different job in order to have a family of his own. The Ford Motor plant in Detroit was hiring line workers so he immigrated to the U.S. to build Model A cars. By this time, he was engaged to Nora Jardine, who joined him there and they were married in Detroit, remaining for over two years. Their son John (Jack) was born in 1930, the same year there was a huge layoff at the plant. He brought his family back to Canada and settled briefly in New Lowell, where their second son Norman (Dusty) was born in 1932. Guy Stevenson sold him his Shell service station at 70 Baldwin Street in 1947 where he worked for 29 years until he sold the business to Dave Wilson. It's believed that Stevenson and Schell operated the first Canadian Tire franchise in Canada during World War 2. They weren't officially tied in with the corporation, however they were one of the major retailers of tires, which, at that time, were almost non-existent. Wes Schell was active in the Brooklin community. He volunteered as a fireman for 22 years, sponsored and coached hockey clubs, and supported stock car racing with handouts of gas, oil and car parts. An avid softball fan, he never missed a Brooklin team game. Schell died in 1995 at the age of 91; his wife had passed away in 1984. The couple were buried at Groveside Cemetery. (left to right) Wes Schell, Ray Wagg, Bob Nesbitt (standing) Wes Schell and his wife Nora and his brother Alfred (seated) Another brother Edward and his children