I operate a Facebook site known as Chatham History; we have close to 9,000 members. Participants often submit historic photos and information for discussion and sharing.
Recently one of our members, Carol Quinlan, submitted a page from her grandfather’s daybook regarding his work activity in December 1930 in which he noted that he was “driving Mr. Collar for the day.”
Carol’s grandfather was Earnest Moore who was an employee of the Chatham Wallaceburg & Lake Erie Railway and was employed by the company throughout its existence, from 1905 to 1931, spending most of his tenure as a motorman on the “Lake Line.”
So, who was Mr. Collar?
That man was J. Herbert Collar who was a bridge builder and I believe he was an employee of the Canadian Northern Railway, which was the parent company of the CW&LE.
When the lake line was originally built there was a demand for a subway under the Michigan Central Railway (MCR) tracks at Charing Cross; the MCR was a high-speed international line (Wolverine) running through southern Ontario from Michigan to New York State.
The MCR would not permit........