A Visit to the South Simcoe Railway in Ontario

Coming into the station . . . 

A late June visit to Ontario provided an opportunity to visit the South SimcoeRailway at Tottenham (north of Toronto).

The visit was arranged by my friend Jeff Loach, pastor of St. Paul’s PresbyterianChurch in Nobleton—and a fellow model railroader. (In the book of Isaiah, we read that God’s “train filled the temple;” Jeff’s layout fills half of the basement of the manse.)

Waiting for the train to arrive; that's Jeff on the right.

The South Simcoe Railway operates an excursion train on the old CNR Beeton Subdivision between Tottenham and Beeton, Ont.

Climbing into the cab; photo by Diana Loach.

Pride of the Railway’s collection is historic CPR 4-4-0 #136. Built in 1883, the locomotive helped build Canada's transcontinental railway; it served the CPR right up until the end of steam operations in 1960. It is the second-oldest operating steam locomotive in Canada. (Prairie Dog Central #3, built in 1882, is the oldest—but not by much!)

Some of the other equipment in the collection.

The Railway also owns CPR D-10 4-6-0 #1057, built in 1912, and two diesels (GE 70-tonner #703, built in 1948 and Canadian Locomotive Works 44-tonner #22, built in 1960). 

Passenger equipment includes four 1920s-era heavyweight passenger coaches formerly belonging to the CNR, CPR, TH&B and L&N.

More equipment.

Two of the passenger cars.

If you want to see and ride behind steam on the South Simcoe Railway, you should visit on Sundays and holiday Mondays; otherwise, the railway uses diesels to pull the trains.

From the South Simcoe Railway website.