“Provenance” is everything, according to antiques enthusiasts, and the FOFS TH&B railway inspection car certainly has an amazing story to tell, as reported last week by Tim Miller, writing in the Hamilton Spectator, (Thursday, March 10, Wheels Section, page WH2)
(http://thespec.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx?noredirect=true)

The President of the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway had his staff customize the car so it could run on the TH&B tracks, and he took it out often on inspection runs. Now it resides in the FOFS collection of railway memorabilia for all to see and enjoy.

Known nostalgically as “Sputnik” by old-time railway enthusiasts, the car is a 1951 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe four door sedan with a set of specially-constructed steel wheels for rail travel, a six-cylinder in-line gasoline engine and an automatic transmission. Sorry, folks, no air conditioning, but yes it does have a heater! It was in service from June 24, 1957 to June 24, 1977, after which it was sold to the Ontario Rail Foundation. Then eventually passed into the hands of Rod Wilson, who donated it to FOFS.

If you’d like to see “Sputnik” up close, she’s in the “round house” at Freeman Station, and we’ll be bringing her to car shows in Burlington this Summer.
For more information, email us at info@freemanstation.ca