rfmcdonald | [PHOTO] The Lindsay Locomotive

The trip that Jerry and I took back on the 5th took us to the small community of Lindsay, a pleasant small town home to some sixteen thousand people that seems to derive its income from the tourist trade. One notable landmark for us, located on the main road into town, was an old CN Train donated to the community some time ago.

After two decades of sitting in storage, the Stelco 40 locomotive has found a permanent home in Lindsay.

And its guardians couldn't be happier since the Tuesday relocation of the steam engine is the first step in creating what is quickly becoming known as Lindsay's railway heritage centre.

The ambition is that the display in Memorial Park on Lindsay Street South will not only pay homage to Lindsay's proud railroad history, but become a key tourism attraction.

"The potential at this point is awesome," said Russ Moore of the Lindsay and District Model Railroaders, who have long lobbied for action to preserve parts of the area's rail legacy.

The Stelco 40, which came to Lindsay in 1989 from the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, has sat in a wooden enclosure at Old Mill Park for nearly a decade.

On Tuesday, Pollard the Mover crews moved the 83-ton engine up Kent Street East and down Lindsay Street South to its new home on a set of tracks beside the existing CN diesel engine and boxcar.
The entire event was like "Christmas in July," Moore said, adding how he was "pleasantly surprised" at the number of spectators.

It's quite photogenic, of course. You really don't need proof of this, but if you really need it just look below.