Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68FOCUS - DECEMBER 2016 21 The “Nip ‘n Tuck” was the nickname given to the rail- way that used to run from Whitby to Port Perry. The first train ran in 1871 and the line was extended to Lindsay in 1876. The local residents and those who used the train gave the name “Nip ‘n Tuck,” as they considered it “nip and tuck” as to whether or not the train would succeed in climbing the steep grade when running northward on the Oak Ridges moraine from Myrtle to High Point, south- west of Manchester. This phenomenon was particularly noticeable when the early locomotives pulled their maxi- mum compliment of three passenger cars with most seats taken. The story of Port Whitby, Port Perry and Lindsay Railway involves all the pathos, drama and excitement of well-written fiction. It has bribery and corruption, in- trigue, humour and tragedy. Promoters and developers for the railway took it on an incredible journey through grandiose and sometimes overly ambitious and unrealistic objectives to an eventu- ally quiet and relatively humble existence before it faded into obscurity. Initial railway proposals called for a rail- way to start at Whitby and travel north to Lake Huron. There was even one plan to extend the railway line all the way to the Pacific! These ambitious plans were quickly abandoned and the proposal for a more realistic route was realized, a simple local route that began at Whitby and passed through the communities of Brooklin, Myrtle, High Point, Manchester, Prince Albert and terminated at Port Perry. This was the Port Whitby and Port Perry Railway (PWPPR). The railway was first proposed and charter granted in 1853. For a variety of interesting reasons, work didn’t begin on the line until 1868 and the first train from Whitby reached Port Perry in November 1871. The “Nip ’n Tuck” holds a notable place in the his- tory of the communities that it served. It shaped their early growth and provided a livelihood for many of their inhabitants and it propelled the communities along its route into success and growth in the twentieth century, or, as in the case of Prince Albert, it brought about their sad demise. The failures of the railway and the causes of those fail- ures can teach us many lessons as our generation moves forward and explores new systems of transportation and communication. Local historian Paul Arculus is writing a book on the history of the Nip ‘N Tuck. He has completed the docu- mented research in the history of the line but is looking for comments from people who have specific memories of the railway. The last train ran in 1939 when young people from Port Perry boarded a special train to Toronto to see King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the present Queen’s par- ents, during their visit to Canada. If you have any memories of that ride or of other aspects of the PWPPR itself, contact Paul at arculusp@sympatico.ca or give him a call at 905-985-3658. Paul hopes to have the book published next year during Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. The “Nip ‘n Tuck” H H H Merry Christmas