Steam engine running

Stratford Beacon-Herald
July 6, 2007

The 1923 locomotive that thrilled riders and spectators when it rolled through southwestern Ontario in 2003 could be back this fall now that repairs have been successfully completed. Roy Broadbear, president of the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society, said the engine has been recertified and was out on Monday for a test run. The engine was in need of bearing repairs. "We're good to go," he said. The not-for-profit organization based in St. Thomas brought the Essex Terminal Railway No. 9 steam locomotive to Stratford in 2003 for trips between St. Marys and Goderich. Broadbear said he expects the engine to be on the tracks in September for passenger trips in the area, but that still depends on agreement with the Goderich Exeter Railway, and he added managers of the company are hard to find. Company employees and staff are very much in support, he said. Meanwhile, a new tourist train operated by the society between Waterloo and St. Jacobs is up and running. An official grand opening of the Waterloo Central Railway, which is owned and operated by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society is planned for early July, the society said in a release.