Trevor Marshall's query in the previous post (sugar beets) has prompted me to informally poll readers of this blog, the website, and the series of hardcover books on CNR operations during the 1950s in Ontario.

As readers of the books realize, the time is growing short for producing volumes such as Steam at Allandale and its successors. In preparing a 192-page book detailing the intricacies of railway operation more than half a century ago, I depend on living memories of the men who worked on the CNR in the specific territory. Each time I put together a book, it becomes more difficult to recreate those wonderful details of operation which are not otherwise recorded anywhere but in human memory banks. In that regard, I am engaging on a hellbent quest to cover as many CNR division points as possible before the sources are gone. When it comes to portraying railway operations I refuse to speculate--so the possibility of accurately describing such details will disappear forever in the near future (read this Topic for more).

My intention with the present series is to cover the rest of the CNR territory in Ontario. Beyond the Northern Ontario book which will emerge later this year, that only leaves the Toronto and Hamilton areas and the Belleville Division (including the Lindsay area and most of the Toronto-Montreal mainline, possibly broken into two books). The Ottawa area (and anything east of Brockville) was technically part of the Montreal District. Whether or not I get that far is unknown, but it is safe to say that any attempt in the present format will likely not prove fruitful for lack of living sources.

With respect to the previous post, Trevor posed a reasonable request: do I have any more information on operations which I would care to share? My answer at the present time is that no, I don't, beyond what has been published in the books (time and budgetary constraints dictate that I research elements to the degree which is necessary for the publication at hand). However, I would like to do in-depth studies of various industries and traffic patterns over the 1945-59 era in Ontario as they related to CNR, and possibly other resident railway, operations. For that matter, general topics such as railway express services, trucking companies, postwar vehicles, the St. Lawrence Seaway, dieselization and the like may be fair game. As an author and publisher, I enjoy serving an appreciative audience with a successful series of books while supporting my family at the same time. My question to those loyal and prospective readers is this: aside from the current series on CNR operations in Ontario during the 1950s, what would you like to see explored in publication form? Please click on "Comments" at the bottom of this post to offer your input.