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Coal to Canada A history of the Ontario Car Ferry Company by Ted Rafuse SC
Coal to Canada A history of the Ontario Car Ferry Company by Ted Rafuse Soft Cover 2000 90 pages 8.5 X 11 inches 105 black and white captioned photographs, several diagrams, 3 maps, more.
This history of the Ontario Car Ferry Company is the product of my diverse interests rather than the result of a preconceived objective. It was not an intention to write this history. It evolved from an interest in model railroading coupled with a desire to learn more regarding the rail-marine connection that once existed at Cobourg's harbour. The encouragement I received from others during the initial research created this novice foray into writing and publishing.
A life long interest in history led to my employment for nearly two decades as a teacher of history at Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East in the town of Cobourg. While in that role several colleagues and I developed a course devoted to local history. That venture allowed for the accumulation of some knowledge of Cobourg's heritage.
A childhood fascination with Lionel model trains eventually developed into an adult activity of model railroading. Dissatisfied with several model railway layouts I turned my historical interest into a desire to model an aspect of Cobourg's railway heritage, the Cobourg & Peterborough Railroad. With modeller's licence, I projected that defunct railway into a 1920s setting. To ensure a degree of historical accuracy I sought to model a connection with the car ferries that operated from Cobourg at that time. That desire led to the search for information related to the car ferries.
As an adolescent I moved with my parents to Cobourg but the car ferries had disappeared from service more than a half decade before our arrival. I witnessed only the forlorn and battered pilings of that service along a portion of the harbour. I had no vision of the ships or of the railway activity associated with the boats.
My first research forays led me to two local repositories. The Cobourg Public Library held some resources. The service and guidance extended to me there by Mary MacLean and Susan Smith proved invaluable. In a similar manner Cathy and Ron Oberholtzer of the Cobourg and District Historical Society provided assistance and time with the Society's archival deposits. The surprising lack of pertinent resources held by these two local institutions merely whetted my curiosity and I determined to expand my research.
Subsequently I communicated with several historical organizations which I believed might assist me in my pursuit of further information. This process was time consuming and disappointing. One organization from which I had anticipated much returned my letter with the statement that I knew far more about the subject than did they.
Computers and the Internet became available and I tentatively commenced to explore its possibilities. Several groups provided information regarding the car ferries: one devotes itself to Canadian National Railways history, a second dedicates itself to Buffalo Rochester & Pittsburgh Railway history, and a third attempts to preserve the shipping history of the Great Lakes.
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