Whitby Free Press, 12 Oct 1977, p. 7

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Blan Winter's TY*~la1 I riiuri( Q'h Wtby ca.i MORE "4NIP & TUCK"9 Last week we took a look at Whitby's local railway, the "Nip and Tuck," and somne of its peculiarities. Last week we took a look at Whitby's local railway, the "Nip and Tuek," and somne of its peculiarities. Th.is week we continue with more stories of the "Nip and Tuek." Excursions and outings on tlie railroad between Whitby and Port Perry and Lindsay were big events of tlie local residents in the late l9th century. An outing in those days was really a day out: start- ing early in the morning and ending witli day liglit the next day. Fiat cars would be equipped witli fiat wooden benches and lined around witli ever- green liedges. Behind the snorting old woodburner, billowinig clouds of smoke and sliowers of wood ashes, th.e pienie party would be hauled up the grade to Port Perry. At Port Perry, the outing took to the waters of Lake Scugog wliere several seows equipped with benches and cedar hedges would be hauled around tlie lower end of the lake behind woodburning tugs. As mentioned Iast week, the "Nip and Tuck" was always in financiai difficulties. One time, its pres- ident, Josepli Bigelow, of Port Perry, had to resiga his post so he could lend his railway another $40,000. Tlie directorship and presidency of the railway kept changing, and a list of liabilities of the rail- way in 1873, comprising several pages, is in the Whitby Historical Society's archives. The men behind the railway were men of stature in thc financial world, but the "Nip and1 Ttck" just couldn't pay its ovvn way. Among the presidents of the company were:Joseph Bigelow, the wealthiest inerchant in Port Perry: James Dryden, one of Whitby Township's nost succcssful farmers: and James Austin, the first President of the Dominion Bank, now the Toronto- Dominion Bank. Mr. Austin and Mr. Dryden had locomotives named after thrn. Thc railway's lawyer was a young man namied William Mulock, wvho had an office above the station at Whitby, which was located adjacent to Fi present Beaver lumber dealership. This young solicitor later became Sir William Mulock, chief Justice of Ontario, and lived to the age of'l00. One of the early locomotives was the "Scugog" which was a balloon stack woodburner. lInI1883 the woodburncrs werc replaced by coal burriing locomotives. This particularly annoyed thc ladies of Brooklin who said the coal dust and cinders soul- ed their laundry. In its early'days the "Nip and Tuck" ran three pas- senger trains a day, witli special freiglits as needled. Connections were estlbblishecl with steamuers on the Scugog waterways, and there ,Were plans to extend the Railway to Fort William. It actually got oniy as f'ar as Lindsay, which opened up the grain trade of Ontario Countyi and the ium- ber trade of Victoria County. But by the cnd of the 1 880'& the lumber had ail been cleared from Victoria County, and the McKinley Tariffs stopped the shipment of Canadian grain to the United States. A raiiway to Port Whitby was praeticaily useless by 1900, and served only for excursions and to take children to scliool. The first train to Port Petiy made its rua in Decem- ber 1871, and the last train on July 3, 1941. By coincidence, John Jeffrey, 84, of Prince Albert, was a passenger on the firet and last trains in the rail- WH1ITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1977, PAGE-7 ways 70-year history. After the railway closed, for lack of use in 1941, the rails were taken up and melted down for scrap iron for the Second World War, The "Nip and 1'uck" served a useful pu.rpose ia its day, aithougli it was jhe butt of many jokes. Farmn- ers said its tri-weekly service, should have been eall- cd "tri-weakly service," and even on the last trip, with only four cars,the engine had to mnake three attempts to niake the steep grade to Port Perry. When the railway closed in 1941, a resident of Myr- tie Station commented: "Not many lines, surely have been called such liard names, cussed, discussed and-recussed as lias tliat one." But cussed or flot, tlie "Nip and Tuck" is a part of our history whidli is no more, and played an inter- esting part la the story of Whitby. Hospital redecorates with drapes and walipaper A comnprehensive oedecora- ting programn is under way this year at the Whitby Psychiatrie Hospital 10 attempt to remnove somne of its institutioflal atînosphere. Needs were assessed and a decorating committee estab- lislied in thc spring of 1976. Working in pairs, the mern- bers of the dccorating corn- mittcc have worked out programs for various parts of the hospital. Areas to be redecorated are placed on a priority list according to necd. The redecorating scheme for aIl areas refleci a co-ordi- nated program. lan each area, drapes, paint, wallpaper, furai- turc, larnps, vases, paintil1gs and even bedspreads and privacy curtains are chosca to compliment one another. la the front lobby, wicker furniture hiddeiî away in attics and storage wvas re- stored and re-uphiolstercd by the housekeeping staff. The philosophy of redecor- ating thc administration building and ail public areas of the liospital refleets the hospital's attitude toward-its position in the community and promiotes community involvement, says the Staff- Liner, the hospital's rnonthly magazine. Hallways have been paintcd and wallpapcrcd la warn and vibrant colors and desigps. Ia the administrative area, the large conference roomn is rcfurnished with a contcmn- porary conference table and chairs and coînplimentary drapes, rugs, wallpaper and paintings. Two other confer- ence rooms have been suitably decorated. The administrator' office lias been redecorated in blue, and furnislied. with antique furniture whieh has been la storage for years. The assistant admiistrator's office is rcdecorated in browa and lias an antique telephone table. The administrative reception area is done in gold. Local artists Jan Borst and Charles Moffat donatcd paint- ings which bring beauty and stimulation, to many wards The medical unit have been redecorated, along with Scarborougli A unit and cottage 16 . New drapes have been added in rnany aras. institutional yellow and green paint. The housekeepiflg staff bas been responsible for earrying out -the redecorating program. Bill WÎnter is dfrector of Ontario a.ssociationý Bill Winter, owner of Win-' vallcy Construction, Whitby, was electcd to the Board of Central Construction Associa- tion at its 39th annual meet- ing in Toronto last month. PHONE 668-9454 ~w. 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