About the Author |
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Who Am I…?
To describe me in a flash, I am a train fanatic. Growing up as a little boy in England, I have always had trains handy to play with. For the longest time these were always steam and a couple of diesels. I have ridden on the Intercity 125 train a number of times and always loved the train ride. In 1988, My dad returned from Canada with a Bachmann CN train Set, my first Canadian train. It was not long until it was out of the box and running after a switch of the plug. In June of 1989, it was moving time for the family. My train layout that never got finished had to stay, but the rest came along. While living in Nova Scotia, the trains we not around where I lived, in Goshen, and trains slowly became less in my life. Two years later, it was time to move again. This time it was across two provinces to Ontario. Once at the new house, trains still laid quiet, only to come about a year later when my Dad and I were looking to build a layout. Due to certain circumstances, this never really got off the ground from the planning stage. Three years had passed
and yet another move to South Porcupine, the trains finally came back.
It was at this point where I was planning and building a new layout.
There had been a few times before that I wish I could go back with a camera
and get pictures again where the track around South Porcupine are, my first
PBX ride with my grandparents, and a few other opportunities I had. I finally got to
laying track on my layout, which now took up half of my small bedroom, and
got all the track down and started on doing the wiring. It was then
again stop on the train stuff, as another move was ahead to College |
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Once in Sudbury, to
attend college, all my train stuff stayed in boxes for a couple of
years. During my first year of college I found
a couple of hobby stores in Sudbury, and everything came back once
more. Although modelling the ONR had not occurred to me, I went ahead
and brought myself a new CN engine. When college was
finally done, I had everything sent by boxes to where I would be
living off Res, and begin with a small set-up on the carpet. As time
grew so did my collection of trains. It was at this
point that I had moved yet again not once but twice to where I lived in
Sudbury, and had learned that CN was trying to pick-up Ontario
Northland. It was at this point I became more involved on a different
level. At this point, my only way back North was by ON bus-it was that
type of thinking that if the ONR was sold, this bus
may be gone for good. So being that I had family in Timmins the blocks
begin to fall into place I started modeling
and getting what I could train wise of the ONR, I traded a CN engine for an
ONR engine, and started buying more ONR stuff. It was then I started
taking trips, and then came across a very good friend’s site in 2000.
After seeing Mike Robin’s look into the ONR, I was hooked,
with all that was going on, I decided to show what train trips I take and
create a site showing the ONR and what it offers to people in Northern
Ontario and if sold what we, as community would lose. So since I had
more of a reason to travel up to the ONR and back again, it was time to show
the ONR through my eyes, give the viewer a first hand look at the ONR, and
what it is like to travel by train from Sudbury. Hence
this site. This is the first of two sites that I have put
together over the last couple of years, things change, and an award won for
this site. |
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Time changes and new things happen.
I was yet to make another move from Sudbury to home in Timmins. I met my now fiancé Jennifer through work
and decided after meeting her Last December that I was going to move back
home to be with my family as I did not get a chance to see them often and to
start my new family with her and her daughter. So from this point
onward, I shall be covering the ONR from my home base in Timmins, and getting
out to all the points on the ONR. I am happy to be back
home.
I have never really made a personal
dedication for this site, but it only seems fitting that I do to my wonderful
and beautiful Fiancé…you make me happy and I look forward to spending my life
with you and showing the other side of me…the trains! Love you always Jennifer.
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Why I am Devoted to ONR?
I became more devoted to Ontario Northland
Railway when the issue surfaced that the line was going to be
sold. In the North, Ontario Northland is our only mode of
transportation (trains or buses). We stand to lose a lot by selling the
ONR and we hope that this site will make people understand and see the ONR
for what it really is a great legacy. Being that the ONR is a
short-line railway, you tend to see and enjoy more when you are dealing with
a small line. Over the last 2 years, I have met a number of people that
also model and photograph the ONR and have become friends with those I have
met. I am always learning new things
on the ONR from these people, like passing on history from one to another
like some cultures do, to make people aware that this company doesn’t just represent Ontario but to connect those of us
in the North as a community. Contacting Me…
If you would
like to pass on your comments, feel free to e-mail me @ onrfanatic@yahoo.ca
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