Re: Toronto Grey & Bruce - Early NA Narrow Gauge Locos Con't...

Avonside was promoting the Fairlie double-ended locomotive, and the TG&B got one - #7 named “Caledon”. Like the “Mountaineer” on the D&RG, it wasn’t a roaring success and crews disliked them. It appears the “Caledon” was used mostly as a helper on the steeply graded Horseshoe Curve climbing the Niagara Escarpment north of Toronto. Despite any real or perceived shortcomings, she was the most powerful locomotive on the line.




I think the TG&B was generally pleased with the Avonside products, although the 4-4-0s may have been a little under-powered. Business boomed as the railway expanded and perhaps Avonside wasn’t able to deliver locomotives in a suitable timeline, so Baldwin was called upon for two classes of beautiful locomotives.

The first were a pair of 2-6-0s delivered in 1871, and here is #9 named “Toronto”. Apparently when the railway was standard-gauged, the “Toronto” was purchased by the Philadelphia & Atlantic City Rly, while her sister #10 named “Amaranth”, went to the Suffolk Lumber Company. Does anyone on the Forum have photos of them there????? Photo courtesy CPR Archives/Exporail – A37460




The last of the line’s twenty locomotives was a set of six 2-8-0s built by Baldwin in 1874. With their American lines, fluted domes and balloon stacks, I’ve always thought they’d look right at home on the South Park. Here is #17, the "Sarawak".





The Fairlie double-ender and all but one of the small 4-4-0s were scrapped soon after standard gauging of the line. Except for the Baldwin Moguls that went to the States, all the other locomotives were converted to standard gauge and eventually taken into the CPR fold, lasting until 1898/99.

Lastly, two good books on the subject – the most thorough being Rod Clarke’s Steam Trains To The Bush, as well as Omer Lavallee’s Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada. Rod Clarke’s book has drawings in full colour, based on accounts in period newspapers. They were very beautifully decorated engines. All photos, other than those noted, are from the City of Toronto Archives.

Cheers,
Ralph

PS - With narrow gaugeTG&B photos so rare, I'm always on the lookout for any new finds in archives or people’s collections. They aren’t always identified properly, as I have discovered, but those polished brass steam domes on otherwise “North American” engines are pretty much a giveaway for the Avonside engines. Let me know if you think you have one.