Re – new railway plan

Nelda Whan | Aug 26, 2020

As a taxpayer and resident of Frontenac Central Frontenac, I was concerned when I read the article in the August 20, 2020, vol. 20, no.33 paper, entitled “Sharbot Lake group floating new railway plan.”

I felt it was necessary to voice my thoughts and opinions.

I have lived in Sharbot Lake my entire life (80 years to be exact). My dad worked on the railroad for 40 years, most of that time in the Sharbot Lake area. I can name numerous other men from the village who also made their living and supported their families by working for the CPR.

As children, depending on the time of year, we watched the cattle being loaded into railcars, pulpwood also being loaded into railcars. We watched the trains taking on water from the huge water tank that was there. As young teens, we gathered on the station platform to watch the campers as they arrived by train for their summer at Camp Oconto (girls camp). From the station they boarded Cecil Duffy’s bus, which took them to camp.

The Sharbot Lake Hotel, owned and operated by Herb and Milie Moyst, was a very successful and popular spot for fishermen as we as passengers from the trains. Un fortunately the hotel burned, I believe it was in 1974. There was also a store owned by Buells, it was located very near the current township parking lot, also a busy place. A can only assume that both of these businesses profited from some of the train passengers. My brothers occasionally travelled on the train to Clarendon Station, on their way to visiting my grandparents at Coxvale. If they were fortunate enough to have 5 or 10 cents to spend, they could buy a couple of cookies for a treat on the train.

These were, of course, bought at Buell’s store. Mail arrived by train and was taken to the post office for sorting and delivery. The railroad was the backbone of Sharbot Lake, and for many years it played a vital role in the daily life of our village. The same trains transported my mother, when she was very ill, to KGH in Kingston. There was no other means of transportation at that time. Our children grew up with the trains, ad were never kept awake by whistles, horns, or shunting of rail cars. Our family spent summers at our cottage on the upper end of Sharbot Lake, the train tracks were only abut 50 feet from the cottage, and we all enjoyed the trains, both day and night.

I realise many homes are near the tracks, most of those homes were there at that time as well. I had friends in some of those homes. I never, ever heard any complaints about noise.

Re – access to the beach. There was always access to the beach – actually there were three cottages o the beach area at that time – people continued to rent those cottages, so obviously noise was not a problem for them. Yes, there would be a flat crossing at each end of the beach, but I am sure there would be lights and gates there.

Medical Centre? I feel we have an excellent mayor and council, and we can trust them to reach a viable solution. That is why we elected these officials. We need to trust them to do their job.

I noticed as I read the names on the “Business tourism group activists” committee, that they are people who are fairly new to the community. Only one name on that committee would have possibly lived within a 20km. radius of Sharbot Lake when the railroad was active here. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way, but these people have no idea of the history of the railroad here. Personally, I cannot foresee VIA spending billions of dollars building a new track bed along the Hwy. 7 corridor, when we already have a good one here, and, are the businesses that are working successfully along Hwy. 7 going to be destroyed by the committee’s choice of a route?

Personally, I feel is VIA passenger service wants to come through Sharbot Lake, it should remain in the village where it began, many years ago.

Regardless of which route is taken, people will oppose it, and lives will be affected. To quote an old proverb, “there are no simple solutions, only intelligent choices.

Nelda Whan