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PARTS & SERVICE:
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Blythe Brooke Orchards & Cold Storage
• Fresh
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• Apple Juice
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• & other in-
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BLYTHE BROOKE ORCHARD
COLD STORAGE AND SALES
WORK MG MTH THE GIFTS OF NATW>S .. „ . .
Stop in at our booth on the
Thre_sher's Grounds
Just north of Blyth on Highway #4 Phone 523-4383
WE EXTEND OUR
Best Wishes
to everyone attending the 34th Reunion
of the
Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association
OUR ELEVATORS ARE
READY TO RECEIVE YOUR
1995
CORN & SOYBEANS
SNELL FEED
AND SUPPLIES LTD.
523-9501 WESTFIELD R.R. 3 BLYTH
PAGE A-14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1995.
Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion 1995
Steam also wrote Blyth history
The only steam Blyth is famous for today
is that produced in the boilers of the steam
engines at the Thresher Reunion, but steam
once provided a major power in the village
with two railways going through.
With the pulling up of the CP Rail line in
1989 Blyth has no rail service but there are
still remnants of that golden age when the
railway station was a focal point of every
town fortunate enough to have one. Blyth
had two and both are still intact though the
old CPR station is now located south of
town at the Old Mill. The London, Huron
and Bruce station that later became the CNR
is still standing on its original site on the
south side of Dinsley St. near the east end of
the village. Once frame, it has been bricked
but still keeps it original charm and serves as
a bed and breakfast home.
It was this railway that first brought steam
trains to Blyth in the 1870s and a colourful
Blyth legend played a huge part in it. Patrick
Kelly, later to be reeve of Blyth, and its
major industrialist with his mill and other
enterprises, pushed- the Great Western
Railway of Hamilton to bring a line north
from London to serve Huron county. Kelly
was tired of trying to compete when he had
to haul his produce to Clinton to get on the
railway.
He worked tirelessly, visiting all the
municipalities along the way to get them to
give a grant to build the railway. When
Lucan, thinking it would get the rail line
without a grant since it seemed natural to go
through the village, refused a grant, Mr.
Kelly and the railway by-passed the village,
creating the village of Clandeboye.
When the railway construction did reach
Blyth in 1875, Susan Street in Blyth, A
Village Portrait quotes news reports, people
complained about the trouble caused by
drunken railway workers on payday.
The ceremonial first train ride to London
took place in December 1875 with Patrick's
17-year-old son John allowed to pull the
whistle cord at roadways and throw
firewood into the fire box.
In the beginning the train made one trip
Continued from A13
Recreation. The government grant was used
to construct a road from the campsite to
County Road 25, thus alleviating the worry
of moving vehicles and campers through any
mud that may be around. There are now
nearly 740 sites. Approximately 540 of
these are regular sites, 300 of which have
each way each day. The arrival of the
railway spurred growth and in 1877 Blyth
was incorporated as a village with a
population of 850 (just slightly less than
today). The railway became something of a
legend as the "Butter and Eggs Special" a
train that carried farmers and their produce
to market in London at its own leisurely
pace not worrying too much about
schedules.
Blyth's second railway came in 1907 when
the Canadian Pacific built a line from
Guelph through Monkton, Walton, Blyth
and Auburn to Goderich. Since the new line
had to pass under the north-bound London,
Huron and Bruce line, Blyth gained a
landmark. An arch to allow the CPR through
a huge earth embankment was built in 1906
at a cost of $30,000. The arch became a part
of Blyth's geography until the fall of '89
when CP had it knocked down.
For many years time in the village could
be told by the arrival of trains at either of the
stations. Train time was a social time when
villagers gathered at the station to watch the
comings and goings of people and freight.
Mail travelled by train in those days too.
But improvements in roads and cars
brought changes in the way people did
things. On Saturday, April 26, 1941 the last
train left Blyth on the old Butter and Eggs
Special and the track was torn up to help the
war effort. Rail passenger service continued
on the CP line until the last full passenger
train on April 25, 1955. For a few more
years a passenger coach was tacked on to the
end of a freight train but this too was
discontinued.
The rail line continued to be busy into the
late 1980s but its service just wasn't efficient
enough for large industries like Howson
Mills which turned to trucks to get its
product to the major market in Toronto
sooner. CP Rail said it was losing money on
the line and received permission to abandon
it. Today the railway is as much a part of the
past of the village as the big steam engines
are part of the past of agriculture.
electricity, while the other 200 are located in
what is called the "overflow" area.
Camping costs are kept quite low. It costs
campers $9 per night, and they are only
charged from Wednesday to Saturday.
Some campers arrive over the Labour Day
weekend, and stay for free until Wednesday.
However, campers must still pay the regular
Reunion admission fee.
Parade of the past
The giants of a bygone era parade through the Blyth fairgrounds during the
Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion.
Majestic and powerful they are still a highlight among the many special
attractions at the annual event.
Organizers keep camping site fees low