Unique moment in Chapleau railroading occurred as Robert Faught and Wilfred Muske arrive on The Dominion to retire in 1950

When Robert Faught and Wilfred C. Muske stepped off the "Dominion Limited", the Canadian Pacific Railways crack passenger train at the Chapleau station in August, 1950, "something unique in local railroading" was happening, according to the Chapleau Post.

In the case of Mr. Muske, the engineer of the train, "climbed down off the engine to be greeted by a large circle of friends, he was culminating 43 years railroading with the CPR." 

The Chapleau Post reported that a similar scene was being enacted on the station platform where a group of relatives and friends gathered to greet Mr. Faught, an ex-Chapleauite conductor who was now living in North Bay.

In the case of Mr. Faught he set a record in Canadian railroading at the time, according to the Chapleau Post. He was completing 55 years service with the CPR. (I wonder if anyone ever equalled or matched Mr. Faught's 55 years.)

Mr. Muske was completing his service when Number 7 arrived but Mr. Faught left Chapleau on Number 4 that evening for North Bay as the conductor, arriving in the early morning hours.

However, the press was at the Chapleau station for the "double retirement" which was called unique in CPR history -- two on the same run retiring essentially at the same time. Bteween them they had 98 years of service on the CPR.

The newspaper report by Ben Ward in the North Bay Nugget described Mr. Faught's arrival in North Bay. "... just after midnight, the CPR's fast eastbound passenger train roared into the North Bay station. Down off an end car stepped a small, brisk man. clad in the neat blue serge of a train conductor. He waved farewell to a group on the coach platform, turned and entered the station office to report his trip.

"A few minutes later he emerged to to watch the train move off into the darkness."

Mr. Faught had finished his last run.

Here are details of his 55-year career with the CPR. He started as a boy by lighting the switch lamps for the railway at a place called Thorncliffe, a few miles east of North Bay. "A boy of ten and still going to school, he was required to rise at dawn to extinguish the lamps and  to re-light them at dusk. For that he was paid the handsome salary of $3.00 a month."

In the following years he worked as a timekeeper, hatch boy on coal boats, coach lamp lighter, brakeman and conductor all with the CPR.

He liked to recall those occasions when the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII; the Emperor of Japan and Prime Minister Lloyd George of England travelled on his trains.

By 1904, Mr. Faught was working as a brakeman at Chapleau, and by 1908 was a conductor. For the next 26 years, he took freight trains east and west out of Chapleau, "sometimes in winter storms that sent temperatures down to 60 and 70 below (F)"

He reached the "top rung" when he became a passenger train conductor, and for six years worked on trains from Chapleau to Fort William, now Thunder Bay. In 1940 he was transferred to North Bay and by 1947 his runs were to Chapleau on the Dominion Limited.

The Chapleau Post noted that "in his wallet he carries the prize possession of Canadian railroading - a 50-year service pass honoured as passage on Canadian pacific trains and steamships. With him too, are memories of more than half a century of Railroading across Northern Ontario." My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Names in photo: Work train at Ridout in October 1920. 1 Mr. Dumont from Cartier, 2 Fred Charbonneau section foreman from Roberts, 3 a son of Mr. Dumont (No. 1), 4 unknown, 5 Joe Dionne extra gang foreman from Cartier, 6 Tom Burns C.P.R. brakeman, 7 Robert (Bob) Faught C.P.R. conductor, 8 Hill Gagnon C.P.R. engineer, 9 Walter Steed C.P.R. fireman, 10 Hiram Paul C.P.R. brakeman. (Vince Crichton collection)

Bishop Tom Corston agrees to act as interim priest-in-charge of Anglican parishes at Chapleau and Foleyet

Rt Rev Thomas Corston, the ninth bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Moosonee, has agreed to become interim priest in charge for an indefinite period to the parishes of Chapleau and Foleyet,

It will be a homecoming in a way for Bishop Corston who was born and raised in Chapleau and was an active member of St John's Church there. Also Foleyet was his first parish as rector after he was ordained to the priesthood in 1975.

Bishop Corston retired as bishop of Moosonee on Dece 31, 2013, but became assistant bishop to Archbishop Colin Johnson.

The announcement of his appointment was made on the Diocese of Moosonee Facebook page on April 6.


"Bishop Corston has agreed with the Archbishop's request to act as Interim priest-in-charge of the parishes of Chapleau & Foleyet for an indefinite period while the congregations work to define their future as a presence in their communities and, hopefully, the appointment of a new Incumbent. Bishop Corston will begin his ministry to the congregations on Sunday, May 3rd."

BULLETIN Bishop Tom received Doctor of Sacred Theology degree http://michaeljmorrisreports.blogspot.ca/2015/04/bishop-tom-corston-awarded-doctorate-of.html

Finishing the Story of Easter

By Rev. Yme Woensdregt

For many of us, Easter is a time of chocolates and bunnies, a time to welcome the returning warmth of spring. We feel the warmth of the sun on our skin and our thoughts turn naturally to spring projects. We put away most—but not quite all—of our winter clothing, and we watch with pleasure as the green buds on the trees turn to leaves and flowers begin to spring once again from the earth after its long winter nap.
For some of us, it’s a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in church. We sing our alleluias and rejoice that “Christ the Lord is ris’n today.” Easter is a day for joy and celebration and thanksgiving for the renewal of life.
But it was not always so.
It strikes me this year in a new way that the first Easter was marked more by fear and confusion and pain than by joy and celebration. All four gospels in the Bible tell stories about a group of disciples who can’t make sense of what is happening.
There are some common threads in the stories: some of the women who had followed Jesus come to the tomb early Sunday morning after the Sabbath had ended. They discover that the stone sealing the entrance of the tomb has been rolled away and the tomb is empty. They don’t find the body of their friend and teacher. In each story, an angel announces that Jesus has risen.
Beyond those common threads, the stories differ in marked ways.
The last gospel to be written was John. It comes from around 95–105, about 65 years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. John tells a touching story about Mary’s pain. She weeps outside the tomb, wandering in a daze of confusion. When the risen Jesus stands near her, she doesn’t recognize him—until he calls her by name. Then she runs back to tell the others, “I have seen the Lord.”
Luke and Matthew were written about a decade earlier. In Luke’s story, the angel reminds the women that Jesus had told them he would rise again. “They remembered his words,” ran back and “told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.” The apostles didn’t believe them; “these words seemed to them an idle tale.” You can’t believe the women, after all.
Luke continues with a story of a couple of disciples (probably a husband and wife) who travel home to Emmaus the same day, only to encounter the risen Jesus when he breaks bread with them after they’ve reached home.
Matthew tells a story about an earthquake, which explains how the stone had rolled away from the mouth of the tomb. He mentions that Pilate had posted a guard—a story which was likely told to counter later rumours that the disciples had stolen the body and spread a lie that Jesus had been raised.
I want to focus on Mark’s story. Mark was almost certainly the earliest gospel, written sometime around the year 70.
Mark’s gospel ends very strangely. The women come to the tomb and find it empty. They see “young man dressed in a white robe” who tells them that Jesus has risen. “Hh is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”
You would think the story would end with the women returning to the disciples to tell this this news. But it doesn’t. The story ends this way: “And they went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.”
Full stop.
Later copyists thought this was a very strange way to end the story. They might have thought that the ending was lost, or damaged in some way. At least a couple of scribes added their own endings, in which Jesus appeared to the disciples. Modern Bibles include these as a “shorter ending” and a “longer ending.” These endings, however, only appear in very late manuscripts. The earliest manuscripts end with the women being silent and fearful.
I suspect that Mark knew exactly what he was doing, and that he ends the gospel this way deliberately. At the very beginning of his gospel, Mark tells us that his story is “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” This whole story is the beginning of the good news. Mark’s open–ended conclusion invites us into the story.
The resurrection of Jesus isn’t a conclusion. It’s an invitation. We are invited to continue the story of what God is doing in the world. The story which Mark begins continues in us, in all the generations who have come after him, in all those people who have been inspired to continue the story of God’s healing love.
The story of Easter life continues in us as we reach out in love and compassion to the world. I wish for you a happy Easter, and many opportunities to be loving and compassionate people.

Rev Dr Yme Woensdregt is the Incumbent at Christ Church (Anglican) in Cranbrook BC