WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1976. PAGE l Brian Winter's Historical 'Whitby RAIL WAY WORKSHOP It is unlikely that anyone who passes by this auto body repair shop on Mary Street East today, realizes that it is one of the few remaining l9th century railway workshops in Ontario. This large brick building was constructed 'in 1876 as the engine house and workshop for the Port Whitby and Port Perry Raiiway, which operated under various namnes from December 1871 until July 1941 a period of* nearly 70 years. The engine house and worksiiop was buiit of brick for a good reason. The first workshop built by the raiiway company was a frame building which burned to the ground in October, 1875. The building was valued at $2,000 and its contents at $3,000 at the time of the fine. Besides ail the raiiway comnpany's repairing equipr-nent, the locomotive "James Dryden" was lost in the fine. No wonder the executives of the railway company were wiiiing to spend a lot of money constructing a new brick worksbop, after such a heavy loss! The north end of the- workshop, shown in the above picture, bad three large arched doons through which locomotives and other raiiway roîling stock were shunted for storage and' repairs. Some of the brick work of these massive doorways can stili be seen today, although the south side of the building has been modernized, obliterating auy evidence of these great entrances. Often these engine repair shops were caiied "round- bouses", because they were round in shape, witb entrances around the edge for uîany locomotives. The Wbitby building caunot be called a roundhouse lu its true sense, for the building is rectangulan, and not round. In its beydey, the Port Witby and Port Perry Railways was a vital comi-munications and shipping ink between Whitby Harbor and tlhe hinterland te the north, but this beydey was flot lomg--only 1 5 to 20 years. The first sod for the railway was turued lu October 1869, and the first train made the 22-mnile tnip to Port Perry in one hour, lu Decemnber I1871.I.nl 1877, the raiiway was cxtemîded to Limndsay, anîd becamie knowmi as the Whitby, Port Penny and Lindsay Railway. lunI1881 it becamne part of the Midland Railway system, which was taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway (n.ow the CNR) in 1893. The railway was the chief means of shipping grain from the northern part of Ontario County and lumber from Victoria County, to Port Whitby, then a major shipping centre on Lake Ontario. The prosperity of the grain and lumber trade did flot lit long. By the end of the 1 880s, the forests of Victoria Cc.mnty had been cleared and the McKinley Tariff Act inposed by the United States government killed the grain trade because of the high tariffs placed on Canadian grain shipping across the border. From the 1890s until its end in 1941, the raiiway served mainly as passenger service for children going from Myrtie and Brookiin to high sehlool in Whitby. The Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway had a rather dubious reputation. It was known generally as the "Nip and Tuck", because it was often nip and tuck whether one got to bis destination when he took the train. It was also nip and tuck as to whetber the railway could meet its financiai obligations. Stonies are toid of trains getting stuck in the'-snow drifts north of Brooklin for days, and the. stranded passengers feasting on eggs and sides of bacon piifered fromn the baggage car. The trains also used to lose their brakes on the steep grade soutb of Port Perry and run at high speeds, out of coutrol, ail the way to Whitby Harbor. One runaway train nearly pitched off the end of the dock into Lake Ontario. The date wheu the oid workshop ceased to be used by the railway is not known, but it is likeiy that by the *1890s there was not nuch work available for the crews of the oid "Nip and Tuck". Tbings are shaping up to a great year aItead. You could be on the verge of your best year ever. But first things first -- predictions, -- realis tic ones. Since you started 10 read these lines a baby bas been born. (could be on your street). Watch thîe papers for in-depth reports and pictures. Listen 10 local radio and T.V. for spot announicements. Scads of young cbildren wiIl couac face-to-face witb the person(s) who' in sonime cases xii exercise more influence over their daily ives tban parents -- narnely -- their teachier(s). More ilature students will have thieir final fling iu our halls of learnling and lhelp swell the labour force. A steady flow of' couples aged I 6-up will defy ail statistics against SUICCess and agrce to share thieir lives and wordly goods lu matriînony. Meantimie you will have yet aiother opportunity of becoming a mcembcr of thie eve r increasig 'instant millionaires club' by speuding more of your hiard earned dollars. As a home owner, aliosi certainly the people yuu voted in as regional and provincial goverumiien t -- wîi luVenuyou of a residential tax increase. And apartmleut dwcllers wvill lîe faced witlh highier rent whiile condu owners will share iu disbelie t at an increase iu maintenance. YOLI.11Cuic nd LIS face increased gasoline. hydro. phione and postal rates (sorry, ,adjustmne ilts) and thiese are but a few. But D. B.S. (Dominuion Bureau of Stat iStics) vill nlO doLîbt -.nuounIIce uver news services: "Thle cosi of living lias dropped hiaîf of une percent coiipared witli a sinîllar11 period thîe prevîius yea r". Thiis olf course. \villI igli teîi our burdenl Depeîiding 0on your -SexMaIlrital Stat us andsi t Uatioll you will enjoy mlotliers and fa t her's days. I t cou Id lic your yea r 'or ia rrnage o r divorce. I t ni ay be thlIas t yea r 1br a Ir jeu & or lo.ved une. Your birtiuday wil be remeunbered by some; forgotten by others. A special blessing could be a silver, gold or diamiond anuiversary. Should you be under 19 you'Il probably bc wisbing to be older -- and if you are over 40 you'Il begin to tbink more people are looking younger. Onîe day YOLI wilI bc reading the pape r and your name wili be there like: Tony Emmun, Katliy Henry, Tess and Bill Brant, Stan Miller, Antoimietta Greco -- and you'ii look aglain. It will bc because sonieone nememibers y/ou -- not for what you have -- but whiat you are. The A.I.B. (Anti Inflation Board) wili proclaimn more restraint in youn wage imcrease and spending--but politicians and Joe Mor-ris wilI prescrit us with iron.clad cases in favour f'or their imîîmiuiy. Meantime in Quebec, Rene Levesque wiIl rein fonce his position of strengtb and political clout by conmiuuing tb sîuit the matiom's credibiity. Cleser te [here, winter suows will blow long and bard -- but fitîally give way to thue power of spring sunshine. Il-opefully you wilSurvive nany dilemîîîuas -- and soine rare birds (good frieuîds) wilI bc glad to see you amid yours ---and break bme.d togethien. The year wiil be amother uîilestone in yL)ur lilè -- possibly youn best yet. And you've got my hope amnd vote ou that. Oh, My Lord! The Holy War on Pornography bas been declared once again-this lime, by the Most Rev. Philip F. Pocock, Archbisbop of Toronto. The H-oly aud tle Mighty bas spoken to al of us iucluding sinuers ike nyself who froru timne 10 time picks up a Playboy magazine, leafs through the pages of Peu Ibouse on Qui and somietines drops a quarter in a siot machine to view an odd skiu flick. Archbishop Pocock. as you may already kuow, bas ELECTRIC DRIL HAND SAWS >----«.013 Always'handy to CIRCULAR SAW have around. MITCHELL BROTHERS Building Supplies Ltd. Brooklin, 65-4991, issued a ail to his more than )L)0.000-sti*()ii(, loc k of' Romian ('atlîolics t o boycott se,\ publica tions. lijvc tlieat res aîd theri places of buîsiness ( ves, Si r. inîcl udiîig you r frie ndl y îeigh bou rhood grn ce rv stoLre) w hic h . t o use Pucock's word s. "eîicotu race por-nogra jily'. L) niake SLurc t hal t iiosi of tflie peuopIe in thîe To ruonto a rea -e tl hs miessage ou sm ut . Re v. Pucoc k. a spi rituîa Ilîead ofCaîiada's are st L-tglislî-sp)eakiing RC diocese. ran an iii rcee td pen Let tel O f (i ic1r"a u t I I og ra p)I-lîliii aI I tIi necToront o uiewvspapiers. Th'le cuntent of' his letter. iii imy lhumble opiion, is a waste of-tfiie.and ie ffor t. Thie saine old siiîî U. Plît ases likc: "Constaunt bar rage of' t he Vult ga r a n d ludecenmt ... .ex ploi t ation Of' t1 leseXuaýl... .poruiographly js gravely wrong .... abuse ot' thle gift of* sex, etc." Oh1, My God: thle wLîrld is coinint, Ioan end . Pe rhaps, it's limte for thle Temi ( New) 'ouimiaiidieît s. like ThouI Shaîl Not ReAd Playboy. T[hou S1li INul Va tclî Djrty Movjes. ThuuI Shali Not Loo k at a Na ked Body and su We wish you a New Year filled with wonderful things including goad health and happiness. We look forward ta seeing you in 1977. M & N Motor Sale 100 Victoria St. W. 668-4441 \Vell. lîerc i,, one Christian, \Vhio is flot iïîterested in Ar-ciishlop's Open Letter of Coiicermi simîce the letter is iiotliing more Iluan a clever puiblicity stunt for the Roman Cathiolie church. Pocock's ruew criisade against porno- graliy iii Toronto 0 f on reai value since today's society takes a far more liberal at tituide towards scx whichi juicludes movjes. books, magazines, live performances, etc. Persuiially. I don't -et "ighl" on poruography, but 1 resent very îuuuicli the fact thuat a clergyman is going 10 tell me wvha t books h 'iiiai lowved to read. whiat movies I'uu ,illo\ved b osec and wliat live perfmances l'in a1iowved -to attend. lu otlier wvonds, à direct ce.nsorship is being iiuposed on mue. The censorslîip of a person's thoughits and iimdic is. penliaps, the nîost dangeruuIs kiud onie eau think of iii tLdays Ihjgilly legislated society. 1 don't need people like Pocock wvho are ready and \villing, to infriinge ounuîy Cont'd on P. 15 STU - JENIKINS SPORTS CE NTRE 106 Cotbornle St. E., Whitby announces that Bryan Shaw, Ayr Cnt., Oshawa is the winner of a Raleigh Explorer 3-speed bike Naturally W. go oiong witli Nature ta bing out the best in you and your hair. W. cut it the. waY i grws . .. and shape it ta suit your face. MEN'S HAIRSTYLING Whitby P laz a 668-6992