The Presentation

I had a great time giving my presentation today in Saint John. The staff at the West Branch Library were great. They made sure Gary and I had everything we needed. There were about 40 people there, and they were a great crowd.

Gary Hughes went first with his presentation on railway roundhouses. I advanced the slides while he gave his talk. It was fascinating! He talked about the early roundhouses and the different styles of roundhouses. Some like the E&NA roundhouse in Saint John had an interior turntable, and most in North America had the more familiar external turntable. He also showed some cruciform (cross-shaped) roundhouses, which I had never seen before.

Then it was my turn. I was a little nervous at first but I forgot about that soon enough. I think my talk was well received, based on the comments I heard afterward. One lady told me that although she was hard of hearing and didn't hear all of what I said, she figured it was funny because of all the people laughing around her!

I met a lady who had ridden the old Shore Line between Musquash and St. George, and another who took the train to school in Shippagan on the former Caraquet & Gulf Shore Railway. I was pleased to meet Abel Bastarache, one of the founders of the Salem & Hillsborough Railway. Quite a fellow.

Thanks should definitely go to the Saint John Society of Model Railroaders for setting up a great model train display.

I want to give a shout out to the several people who told me they read my blog - I was pleased to meet you and I'm sorry I don't remember all of your names. It was a bit of a whirlwind. :)

I did see and photograph a few trains in Saint John but I'll post about those tomorrow.

If anyone would like me to give a talk on New Brunswick railways, please let me know at steve@theboykos.com. I will do my best to make it work.

Heritage Tea in Saint John

On this coming Friday, February 13, I will be giving a talk about the history of trains in New Brunswick at the West Branch of the Saint John Library. Gary Hughes, curator of History & Technology at the New Brunswick Museum, will talk about railway round houses and sheds. The tea starts at 2:30 PM, and light refreshments will be served. It should last about an hour and my talk should be about 15-20 minutes. All are welcome. The West Branch is in the back of the Lancaster Mall.