The conductor of the last steam train through Lindsay and a train historian reflect on the last days of the rail in Lindsay Read the article
Last steam train through Lindsay
barbara-ann maceachern/this week – Tom Pasquino of Lindsay was the conductor on the last steam train into Lindsay on May 21, 1978. Here he stands in front of a similar steam engine at Memorial Park.
Tom Pasquino of Lindsay was the conductor on the last steam train into Lindsay on May 21, 1978. Here he stands in front of a similar steam engine at Memorial Park.Kawartha Lakes This WeekByBarbara-Ann MacEachern (LINDSAY) It was a Sunday afternoon 35 years ago that the last steam engine rolled through Lindsay.
On May 21, 1978, the CN steam locomotive 6060, nicknamed a “Bullet Nose Betty” for their cone-shape smokebox door cover, stopped in Lindsay on its way from Toronto to Belleville.
Lindsay conductor Tom Pasquino oversaw the trip, alongside Toronto engineer Bob Olson. The train had been hired out for the special trip by a group of Toronto Railway Clubs.
“They would like to have the steam locomotive to pull the train,” says Mr. Pasquino of the 300 or so enthusiasts on that final ride.
“The steam locomotive was almost a living, breathing thing as it stood in the station, snorting away at you.” Continue reading »
