Grand Trunk Railway Civil Engineers

Description
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Media Type
Image
Item Type
Photographs
Description
This is an image of four men who were civil engineers that worked for the Grand Trunk Railway. They are all dressed up and posed for this photo.

Each man in this photo was responsible for their own section during the construction of the railway. John Robinson was in charge of the Western District; R.P. Yorke was responsible for the Central Division; D. Stark was in charge of the Eastern Division; and A.L. Trembiski was the Managing Director. The railway was built from Portland, Maine, through Montreal and Toronto, to Sarnia in the 1850s.

The most significant man to St. Marys in this image is John Robinson, as the section to Sarnia was a part of the Western District, which included passing through St. Marys. Robinson was responsible for surveying the route and overseeing the construction. One challenge with this route was the need to cross the Thames River, so a high viaduct was built, called the Sarnia Bridge. The Sarnia Bridge served the Grand Trunk Railway for 130 years. In 1857, the Grand Trunk Railway announced that they would be opening two lines to St. Marys: one from Sarnia and one from London. The first train crossed the Sarnia Bridge in 1859. The London Bridge still serves the Grand Trunk Railway today, but the last train crossed the Sarnia line in 1989. In 1996, a committee was formed to redevelop the railway line through St. Marys into a walking trail. Since its inception, the Sarnia Bridge has been a landmark and image for tourists, photographers, and artists.

John Robinson was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, in December, 1819 and was in Canada by the 1840s. He married Mary Talbot Harding from London, Ontario, on January 3, 1849 and together they shared a son and four daughters. They lived on the West River Road just north of St. Marys, and then they moved to the east side of the Thames River along Emily Street. This house gave them a magnificent view of a special section of Robinson's work, the Sarnia Bridge.

In February of 1863, Robinson retired from the Grand Trunk Railway at the age of 44. In 1872, only nine years later, he passed away at the age of 53.

This photo was sent from John and Mary's grandson, James E. Leslie of Vancouver, to the St. Marys Journal Argus in the 1970s.

Left to right: John Robinson; R.P. Yorke; D. Stark; A.L. Trembiski
Inscriptions
Back top: "Engineers of Grand Trunk Railway / John Robinson engineer Western ---- / RP York " Central " / D Stark " Eastern " / A.L. Trembiski Managing director --"

Back middle: "From J. Leslie / Vancouver / (sent 2 pictures)"

Back bottom: "LOOKING BACK NEARLY / 120 YEARS / 4 --- X 7""
Date of Original
Ca. 1860
Subject(s)
Civil engineering
Men
Grand Trunk Railway
Civil engineers
Personal Name(s)
John Robinson ; R.P. Yorke ; D. Stark ; A.L. Trembinski
Local identifier
eedy133
Collection
Eedy Collection
Language of Item
English
Donor
Lorne Eedy
Copyright Statement
Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
Recommended Citation
Eedy Collection. "Grand Trunk Railway Civil Engineers." St. Marys Museum, eedy133.
Location of Original
St. Marys Museum Archives
Terms of Use
Reproduction of digital objects is restricted to fair use for personal study or research; any other use must be done with permission of copyright holder.
Reproduction Notes
This image is a watermarked low resolution reproduction.
High resolution images are available at the St. Marys Museum for a fee.
Contact
St. Marys Museum
Email:museum@town.stmarys.on.ca
Website:
https://www.stmarysmuseum.ca/

Agency street/mail address:

177 Church Street South,

P.O. Box 998,

St. Marys, Ontario.

N4X 1B6

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