In Search of the K and P - The story of the Kingston & Pembroke Railway

By Carol Bennett-McCuaig & D. W. McCuaig (photographs)

This book is a history of the Kingston & Pembroke Railway, the people who were part of that enterprise, and the stories of many people who lived along the line. A worthwhile read for railway buffs, historians, family historians, as well as the casual reader who is interested in how a railway affected the lives of so many in the backwoods of Eastern Ontario. The book is lavishly illustrated with period photos of places, equipment and people. This edition includes additional reader contributed stories that were included in the second printing of the book.

The entrepreneurs who promoted and built the Kingston & Pembroke Railway hoped for handsome profits from the railway, the mines and the lumber mills in the backwoods of Eastern Ontario. The people who lived beside the line, who affectionately called it the Kick & Push, found that it opened up a wider world for them and they adopted the K & P as their own.

Carol Bennett has recorded the saga of the K & P in this book. The trials and tribulations of the promoters, the hilarious experiences of the passengers, and the dedication with which the men of the line carried out their duties, are all remembered here.

The K & P has gone now, but this little railroad remains in the hearts and minds of many people.

Towns, villages, hamlets and stations served by the K & P (from north to south) include:

• Renfrew; Renfrew Junction; Opeongo; Ashdad; Calabogie; Barrydale; Flower Station; Clyde Forks; Folger; Lavant; Wilbur; Snow Road; Mississippi; Robertsville; Clarendon; Oso; Sharbot Lake; Olden; Tichborne; Hinchinbrooke; Godfrey; Verona; Hartington; Hoarrowsmith; Murvale; Glenvale; Kingston

Contents include:

• Introduction - In Search of the K & P
• Why the K& P? [building the K & P]
  • Meetings
  • Shareholders
  • Building the railroad
  • Problems, Problems
  • A race against time
  • K & P Completed
  • The K& P and the Canadian Pacific Railway
• All aboard the K & P!
• Kingston [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Glenvale [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Murvale [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Harrowsmith [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Hartington [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Verona [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Godfrey [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Hinchinbrooke [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Tichborne & Parham [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Oconto [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Sharbot Lake [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Oso [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Clarendon [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Robertsville [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Mississippi [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Snow Road [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Wilbur [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Lavant [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Folger [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Clyde Forks [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Flower Station [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Barryvale [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Calabogie [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Ashdad [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Opeongo [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Renfrew Junction [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Renfrew [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Pembroke [Historical sketch related to K & P]
• Whither the K & P? [the closure of the railline and future use]
• Life on the K & P [stories]
• Stormy weather
• The excursion train
• Sir John A. Macdonald - most distinguished traveller
• He wanted a private car - story of Arthur Cavanagh
• Rolling stock
• Men of the K & P
• John A. Geddes
• K & P Freight
• Conductors
• The Boyds and the Praskeys
• A railroad Man's watch
• Magnates on holiday
• The Manion family
• They were the K & P
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgements
• The K & P, II [additional stories added to the second printing]
• The tale of Chancey Benton
• MAP - The K& P [route and stations]
• Unfortunately this book does not have an Index. However the pdf version is completely searchable by any name or word/s.

The story of the K & P, after being long out-of-print, is available once again in its complete original format.

Details:

124 Pages
8-1/2 x 11"
B & W Photos
Bibliography
Originally published by Juniper Books, Renfrew, 1981
This edition by Global Heritage Press, Milton, 2022
ISBN 978-1-77240-195-0