C.N.Rys. in Ontario—Newspaper and magazine clippings

December 7th, 1912.

Mr. Howard G. Kelley,
Vice President

Dear Sir;—

Complaint J. H. Thompson / interchange between Grand Trunk and Canadian Northern Ry. / Washago.

Referring to your letter of November 25th, addressed to Vice President J. E. Dalrymple, in connection with the above and returning enclosures.

This complaint is divided into two propositions, the first involving the stopping of train No. 64 at Washago, at which point it is due at 11.29 am for the accommodation of passengers who wish to go northbound on the Canadian Northern Ontario train No. 1 scheduled out of Washago at 11.45 a.m., the stations being one half mile apart.

The Grand Trunk already gives Washago as good service as can be reasonably expected for a place of this size, stopping two of its northbound trains at that point and two southbound trains, and incidentally there are a considerable number of points probably as equally important as Washago at which trains on this division do not now stop.

To make any change in schedule to provide for this top would involve re-adjustment of service at a number of important junction points, and the affect on schedules would be more or less widespread.

The other angle of the complaint is that the Grand Trunk train No. 68 now due at Washago at 3.50 p.m., should run approximately two hours and thirty minutes later, and No. 65 now due at Washago at 4.53 p.m. should run approximately one hour and thirty minutes later in order that passengers arriving at Washago on Canadian Northern train No. 6 at 5.57 p.m. should be able to make sharp connections.

No. 65 now reaches North Bay at 9.45 p.m., is a local train on that end of the line and it seems reasonable that aside from disturbing connections, we would not serve the public as well as at present.

As to train No. 68, this is also adjusted to connections and a later hour of arrival at Toronto would, undoubtedly, inconvenience some of our patrons.

There is also the other angle to this situation, namely,—that it is possible some passengers, who now find it convenient to use these trains connecting with Canadian Northern train No. 6 would is discommoded, in other words, we now feed the Canadian Northern train southbound by the connection we afford, whereas if we reverse the situation and they fed use another set of passengers would, undoubtedly, be inconvenienced.

In view of the above we cannot recommend the stop of train No. 64 at Washago of the adjustment of trains 68 and 65 to make closer connections with Canadian Northern train.

Yours truly,
W. E. Davis
Passenger Traffic Manager.