Taking a ride along the Tillsonburg to Port Burwell rail line

Local train enthusiast David Harding took a crowd at the Vienna, Edison and Area Museum along on a 1980 expedition he filmed travelling by pumper car on the former Tillsonburg to Port Burwell railway line, now torn up and a utility corridor, recently.

He noted that he was a founding member of the Port Stanley Terminal Railway and the Elgin County Railway Museum.

He also brought along a “velocipede,” which resembles a bicycle with an outrigger third wheel. It was used by the road master at the Tillsonburg end of the rail line to travel to Port Burwell and back on a regular basis, seeking out needed repairs or rails that should be replaced.

It was powered by the rider, and while it had pedals on the front wheel, the rider would only push forward with his feet on them, while pulling back on a central yoke with his hands.

The vehicle, which Mr. Harding has driven up and down rail lines, could reach speeds of up to 20 or 30 miles per hour, he noted.

For the full story, see the March 4 edition of The Aylmer Express.  (AE/Rob Perry)