durhamregion.com 6 The Citizen October 23, 2014 Nip and Tuck Railway a passing memory fondly recalled by Brooklin resident I can't take the credit for the subject of this month's column. Shortly after my column on the Centre Road appeared in last month's newspaper, I received a phone call from Brooklin resident Rick Batty. He enjoyed reading about the history of the plank road and wondered about the development of the railway in Brooklin and whether or not either influenced the other. After the initial phone call and an e-mail exchange, we decided that transportation infrastructure would be the subject for a second month. The Port Whitby to Port Perry railway, or the Nip and Tuck as it was known locally, was first constructed in 1871. It ran north from Port Whitby through Brooklin and Myrtle Station to Port Perry; the line was extended to Lindsay in 1877. There were stations at Hickory and Dundas streets in Whitby, Winchester Road and St. Thomas Street in Brooklin, and on the east side of Hwy. 12 in Myrtle Station. The railway was originally built with the purpose of transporting lumber and grain from the northern farms of Ontario County and Victoria County down to Port Whitby for shipment to the United States, other parts of Canada and Britain. If you remember from last month, tolls on the Centre Road were no longer collected as of 1871 and shortly thereafter, Ontario Council took over control of the road. While I can't say for certain, I wonder if the early and limited successes of the Nip and Tuck in freight shipping had an effect on the management and development of the Centre Road. By 1890, U.S. tariffs had all but halted the shipment of Canadian grain to that country and most of the lumber in Victoria County had been cleared. With little in the way of natural resources for shipping, the railway became primarily a passenger line, ferrying students to and from the Whitby Collegiate Institute and daytrippers to and from Lake Scugog in Port Perry. This lasted for many years with the odd freight shipment until the rails were taken up in Brooklin in 1941. It seems the railway's demise was the result of a number of issues. It was plagued with constant turnover and an inability to turn a profit, despite being run by some of the area's most prominent and successful men, including but not limited to John Dryden. It seemed no one could make it work for the community. Well before the tracks were even removed, the Centre Road/Hwy. 12 had been paved and was considered the major access point to Brooklin and points further north. Increased dependability on the area's roads combined with the growing prevalence and reliability of cars and trucks made them a popular method of transportation for tourists, excursionists, and farmers, respectively. In addition, by 1939, operating costs for the 27-kilometre railway were nearing $8,000 -- an amount that a country preparing for entry into the Second World War could not sustain. Indeed, when the rails were finally removed, the iron was melted down and used for scrap for the war effort. The citizens of Brooklin may have had mixed feelings about the Nip and Tuck during its lifetime, but if my brief conversations with Mr. Batty and other residents are any evidence, the railway is a passing memory fondly recalled. Sarah Ferencz is the archivist at the Whitby Public Library. Contact her at archives@whitbylibrary.on.ca Sarah Ferencz Whitby Public Library archivist history BROOKLIN -- At one time, it was common to see a train coming down the street. The Nip and Tuck Railway ran from Port Whitby through Brooklin to Port Perry and eventually Lindsay before the rails were torn up in 1941. The top photo shows the train running along its track in Brooklin circa 1915. In the bottom photo is the same street in 2013. Photos courtesy of Whitby Archives