Don's Rail Photos
London & Port Stanley Railway
The L&PS was built as a steam railroad which completed the line in 1856. It was operated under lease for many years, first by the Grand Trunk, and later by the Pere Marquette. In 1914, the lease was not renewed, and the City of London, who controlled the railroad, decided to electrify. This was completed on July 22, 1915. In 1957, a change to 60-cycle power caused the line to drop passenger service and dieselize the freight service. In 1965, the line was sold to the Canadian National. For further history see the Ontario Railway History Page or William Miller's L&PS page.
Motor cars were given even numbers and trailers got odd numbers. Control trailers 1, 3, and 5 were built by Preston Car in 1915. They were wood with clerestory roofs. 5 was "modernized" by covering the upper sash windows.
Combine motor cars 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 were built by Jewett Car in 1915. These cars were steel with a modified roof similar to those used on the New York Westchester & Boston.
Trailers 7, 9, and 11 were reported to have been built by St. Louis in 1917. But Roy King gives us additional information regarding these cars:
In 1908, the St Louis Monte Sano and Southern ordered 8 cars from St Louis and then went bankrupt, and of course, the line never materialized. The car bodies stayed at St Louis until 1916, when the L&PS, desperate because of the war, for cars for the newly electrified line bought the car bodies. Ultimately they only used three which became their 7, 9 & 11. The other five, eventually, again because of the War, became Washington Baltimore &Annapolis 88-92. All this to suggest you might want to change the built date of these cars.
12 and 14 were straight coach motor cars built by Jewett in 1917 and were somewhat longer than the combines.
13, 15, 17, and 19 were old steam railroad coaches from pre-electric days rebuilt to train with the electric cars.
In 1941, the L&PS purchased 4 surplus cars from The Milwaukee Electric Ry & Transport Co. These included one coach and three parlor cars. Two cars were used as motors and two as trailers. More information on three of the cars can be found on my site covering Milwaukee's Kuhlman built cars.
16 and 18 were Kuhlman built in 1909. They were rebuilt as parlor cars in 1924, but were seldom used after 1929. 16 was returned to Milwaukee on its way to North Chicago and the Illinois Railway Museum in 1955. 18 was scrapped about the same time.
21 was also a Kuhlman car, but it had been rebuilt as coach 1129 in 1924. When it was acquired by the L&PS it was used as a control trailer. It went to the IRM with the 16 (1135) in 1955.
23 was built by St. Louis Car Co in 1907 as TMER&L 1110. In 1924 it was rebuilt as parlor car 3 and named "Waubeesee". In 1927 the car was renumbered 1134 and was used only occassionaly afterwards. In 1941 it was sold to the L&PS as 23. It was a control trailer and had an extra baggage door cut into the left side. It was scrapped in 1955.
Express motor E1 was built by St. Louis in 1915.
Extra baggage capacity was obtained by using modified box cars B1 and B2.
Freight and occasional passenger specials were handled by box cab locomotives L1 thru L3, which were built by General Electric in March, April, and May, 1915, #5000 thru 5002.
Work Equipment was simple and straight-forward. The Line Car was rebuilt from a caboose.
Snow was fought using snow plow SP1 and auxiliary flanger AF1.
WebWork by Trinity Technology Co.
AMDG
1/27/2000
