Those lake boats look like a lot of fun, but how'd everyone like a Lake Erie cruise on this old gal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qukAF8QAPSo
Check out these beauties docked at the Great Lakes Exposition of 1937:
If there's any moment of local history I would wish to time travel to visit, this would be it!
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Penny says " Being a Cleveland girl I love the lake steamers. Here's one that docked back in July:"
During my summers in Port Dover on Lake Erie it was always a big deal when the Ferries came in from Cleveland, Ohio and Erie, Pa. Everyone went to the pier to watch. These regular scheduled runs dwindled and were pretty much gone by 1960. Too bad because it's a loooonnnng way around to drive but a short hop across the lake. They still run the occasional, maybe twice a year, for events, but not Ferries. Just a big lake cruise type ship. $4500 starting for today's multi day cruises...yeesh.
The CNR also had coal delivered to them in Port Dover and Port Dalhousie from the Bessemer and Lake Erie. CPR had theirs brought in at Port Burwell by the Pennsy from Ashtabula. Like I say, it's a long way around the lake by rail too! Those days are long gone now but lake freighters from Cleveland and other points still call around, to Port Dalhousie too as it is the water port for St. Catherine'. Industry and Railroading along with the Ferries and general freight lake boats have greatly diminished in the area. Not like it was even up to the 70's.
Ah, the Duke of Windsor and "THAT woman!" as Lady Firestorm's mother used to call her.
Lady F's mom was a proud Newfoundlander, "The SENIOR British colony!" as she used to call it, and told Lady F that when Edward VIII abdicated in 1937 she and her friends were heartbroken. "Why Mom?" Lady F asked.
"Oh, he was so handsome!"
"HIM? That horse-face?"
"Oh, you don't understand..."
As time went on Mom realized the better man got the throne, and was proud to call George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Later the "Queen Mum") her sovereigns.
It took a world war, though.
Clipings from the Toronto Star
Hot off the presses .. this is actually quite interesting ... lots of train action, including the Silver Meteor. Big thanks to Mike for uncovering this.
Wouldn't bother me a bit if we got rid of all the pomp and circumstance and malarkey that goes along with the Monarchy. It's not so ' in your face' as it used to be up here. The French in Quebec gave it lip service and downright disgust at times.
Union Jacks flew everywhere when I was kid. Heck there were more Union Jacks than Red Ensigns flying. I never got that, never.
"I wonder how things are in the colonies today?"
My reply--" Aww, blow it out your ear"
I do enjoy the juicy scandals though.
I'm not a monarchist by any means, when I read of British government and society in the 18th Century, the corruption, the inefficiency, the nepotism, I say thank God for the American Revolution and the men who fought it!
Any of the above that we have here now we can only blame ourselves for.
But the British royals are interesting people, any way you look at it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Davies_Warfield https://ia801200.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/34/items/DukeAndDuchessOfWindsor/windsor1d_jp2.zip&file=windsor1d_jp2/windsor1d_0053.jp2&scale=5&rotate=0 https://ia801200.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/34/items/DukeAndDuchessOfWindsor/windsor1d_jp2.zip&file=windsor1d_jp2/windsor1d_0054.jp2&scale=5&rotate=0 https://ia801200.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/34/items/DukeAndDuchessOfWindsor/windsor1d_jp2.zip&file=windsor1d_jp2/windsor1d_0055.jp2&scale=5&rotate=0 https://ia801200.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/34/items/DukeAndDuchessOfWindsor/windsor1d_jp2.zip&file=windsor1d_jp2/windsor1d_0056.jp2&scale=5&rotate=0 https://ia801200.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/34/items/DukeAndDuchessOfWindsor/windsor1d_jp2.zip&file=windsor1d_jp2/windsor1d_0057.jp2&scale=5&rotate=0 Subject: Duke of Windsor's ranch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWOK4my0Nd4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgG3an8vS6o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekisko,_Alberta
Subject: Duke of Windsor's ranch
Well, Becky, if you trace your family history back farther, you come to the first Plantagenet king, Henry II, who was a great-grandson of William I.
Johnny
Well, I have a book that shows my line back to Edward III and fat lot of good it's done me over the years having Plantagenet blood.
Being a Cleveland girl I love the lake steamers. Here's one that docked back in July:
http://www.rockthelake.com/buzz/2018/06/cleveland-welcomes-great-lakes-cruise-ship/
But... there are repercussions even today.
And then there was Windsor, which was a non-starter given that the last Duke of Windsor was the former King Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry another American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, and had some rather uncomfortable ties to the Nazis.
It's possible Johnny, but we'll never know for certain because it never happened. The Windsors were evacuated from France by the Royal Navy when it was apparant the Germans were going to take the country. Whether Windsor would have agreed to be a German puppet king to begin with is anyone's guess.
But that is the supposition.
Wayne
PS: I just remembered that any doumentation linking the Duke of Windsor with the Nazis is supposedly locked away in the library and archives at Windsor Castle, purportedly not to be seen for at least 100 years, that is, if it's ever seen again to begin with.
I think it was William L. Shirer who, in his The Rise and Fall of the Thrd Reich, wrote that the Duke of Windsor was not against Adoph HItler--and Hitler planned to install the Duke as the puppet head of the English government.
I saw that Churchill movie too, and I'll tell you I was impressed when King George VI came to see Winston to buck him up when he was down. George was a good man, much better than his brother the erstwhile Edward VIII who, as Basil Rathbone said, "Walked away when his country needed him." Basil didn't care for Edward all that much, and said the right man became king after all.
And George was a steam fan, he did enjoy the cab ride on that CPR Royal Hudson! What more can we say?
Well isn't that special! I'm kinda split on the monarchy, I understand their role and to some extent the need for some representation of Head of State but geez, don't they put their pants on like the rest of us?
I'm reminded of the scene in the latest Churchill movie where Sir Winston has to kiss the Kings hand and walk backwards, not turning his back on the Monarch as he exits the room.
It will always be someone anyway, a Dictator, a Tyrant, some super rich person, some celebrity with the brains of a twit. Never ends.
Well, there would be an exception if HM King George V was on board, but somehow I doubt that's the case.
The CPR would not make such an error! Maybe it's a tourist thing but still...
CNR being a ward of the Crown, it doesn't surprise me. The only folks who can screw up regulations would be a government run one!
That's interesting, I didn't know the CNR had a steamship operation.
I took a closer look at SS Dalhousie City and uh-oh! Naughty-naughty! They're flying the Union Jack from the jackstaff! Only the Royal Navy is allowed to do that! They should be using the Merchant Navy jack, which is the Union Jack with a white border.
But I won't say anything to the RN if no-one else does...
Good-looking ships, by the way!
The CPR was famous and celebrated for it's vast Steamship Lines operations but we very seldom if ever recall that the Canadian National also had a steamship operation. In the days when travel, even locally, was an adventure and classy.
Canadian National Railways
Steamships
Canadian National operated passenger boats Dalhousie City and Northumberland between Toronto and Port Dalhousie "da-louse_e" for many years. 1936 Chuckman's Photos
Canadian Railway News post card reverse
Connections with the Interurban Niagara, St Catherine's and Toronto to take you anywhere you needed to go. What a trip that would be and a great days outing.
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter