9 August 2007
Volunteers On Board to Refurbish Spirit of Sir John A.
The Spirit of Sir John A. has been a fixture in
Confederation Park in
downtown Kingston for the past four decades.
Kingston Ontario - When the locomotive, Engine 1095 from
the Canadian Pacific fleet, settled into its home in Confederation Park four decades ago, it carried a brilliant shine.
Now, it is a hulking black mass, speckled with moss, cobwebs, bird droppings, and being fed on by rust's appetite.
"I've seen these come through in worse [shape] than this, but we had equipment. There's no equipment here," said Don Ford,
speaking of his younger days that saw about 20 years working for Canadian National's main shop in Stratford.
The locomotive has existed for nearly a century, although without work, the Spirit of Sir John A. may be destined for the scrap yard
in a few decades.
"If we want to have this around 40 years from now when most of us are long gone... we should do a job that meets that
requirement," said David Page. "The best we can do is restore and preserve."
Page said the city will have to decide what it wants done to the engine, such as restoring it for public visits or just cleaning up
its outside appearance.
The 84-year-old Ford leaned against the black fence around the locomotive yesterday morning under a grey sky. Behind him,
tourists snapped photos.
He and four other men climbed the fence and boarded the engine for the first time to see how much work it needed.
The trip through the small area inside the locomotive took no longer than 20 minutes, but the findings astounded the group of
volunteers who have stepped forward to refurbish, restore, and preserve the locomotive and fundraise for the project.
The area where the conductor would have sat is closed off. It is missing pieces, including chairs. The spot where there would have
been tonnes of coal ready to fuel the fire of the locomotive is open with the sight of rotting wood and rust creeping through a silver
paint job done years ago.
The floor is covered in dirt, rust, and moss. But the green moss is not the only sign of life. Volunteer George Dillon tossed out a
couple empty bottles of alcohol and two water bottles.
Douglas Smith was asked if the locomotive is as bad as he thought it would be: "It's worse, very much worse," he
said.
"This is more than a cosmetic paint job," added Bill Thomson.
Work on the engine would consist of replacing missing parts and "a heck of a lot of body work," Page said. Some work
volunteers may be able to do, but the majority will have to go to professionals, which will carry a cost.
"With time and money, the damn thing is totally restorable," Dillon said.
Time is the easy part. Money is harder. Before they walked onto the locomotive yesterday, it was estimated the whole thing might cost
about $250,000. After walking around, the estimate doubled to approximately $500,000.
When the volunteers first approached the city last year about the project, city staff did some digging into the locomotive's past.
The locomotive came to life in 1913, built in Kingston at the site of the former Canadian Locomotive Company, which today is better
known as Block D on Ontario Street.
The engine criss-crossed the country for Canadian Pacific Railway, spending most of its time in Winnipeg before coming to
the end of its line in Montreal.
The Canadian Junior Chamber of Commerce, known as the Jaycees, fundraised and paid $10,000 for the locomotive as a gift to the city in
1966.
That was known. What wasn't known was how much the city spent on repairs since accepting the artifact.
"I didn't unfortunately locate any files on past cost," said culture and heritage manager Robin Etherington.
The city's budget has some money set aside for memorials. Etherington said the capital budget has $10,000 for maintenance work every
two years on memorials, which includes those in city parks.
"Right now that's what we have," Etherington said. "But this is a unique... project. We'll have to look at grant writing
as well as helping out with fundraising."
Armed with information from yesterday's tour through the engine, the restorers will now go to experts in Ottawa and elsewhere and
present the city with a work plan by the fall.
Want to help?
Anyone interested in helping in the restoration effort can contact the restorers via e-mail at
engine1095restorers@sympatico.ca or by calling
613-542-6519.
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