Throwback Thursday - Essex Terminal Railway's 100th Anniversary Celebrations.

 

Ex-Essex Terminal Railway number 9 leads its train of St. Thomas Central Railway equipment through Windsor on September 05/02.

by Peter Mumby

Essex Terminal Railway is a short (34 km) switching line operating between Windsor and Amherstburg, Ontario.  Founded in 1902, it celebrated its big anniversary in early September of 2002 by offering train rides along a portion of its route.  Borrowed St. Thomas Central Railway coaches were pulled by ex-ETR steam locomotive number 9.  With the exception of ETR diesel 104, which ran at the opposite end of the train in push/pull mode, all equipment was owned by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS).

Locomotive number 9 was constructed by Montreal Locomotive Works in 1902, and purchased new by the ETR.  It worked for its original owner until 1960.  SOLRS leased the engine in 1986 and eventually purchased it in 2001.  Restoration work spanned the years 1986-1997, beginning in Nanticoke before being transferred to the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas in 1993.  The locomotive and its rolling stock operated out of St. Thomas from 1998-2006.  2007 saw the entire collection move to St. Jacobs, where it has operated as the Waterloo Central Railway since then.

At this point #9 is operating in reverse with ETR locomotive 104 doing the honours on the other end of the train.  The green sign behind the engine reads "Bridge to USA,"  so we are still located in Windsor.