On the Rails: The Experiences of Toronto’s Railway Workers On the Rails: The Experiences of Toronto’s Railway Workers Toronto Railway Museum
Chris working with two members of the Toronto Railway Museum team in 2020.
Chris Fox at work at the Toronto Railway Museum in 2014.
The last red caps were let go from VIA Rail in 2013. At that time, there were 24 red caps employed by the railway.
Stuart during his interview at the Toronto Railway Museum.
Stuart Harvey during his interview.
After working as a porter, Walter Modesty had various jobs. These included running a successful barber shop that was staffed by all female barbers. It soon became a […]
Sleeping Car Porters were introduced to Canada in the 1870s. Privately owned Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began hiring emancipated Black Americans for cheap labour. Soon after, other Canadian […]
Shirley Jackson (far left) was active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP). The Canadian group joined the American Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1939. On […]
Jake Charendoff and Bert Fortune await passengers at Toronto’s Union Station. In 1972, Charendoff claimed the title of Toronto’s oldest Red Cap. He picked up his first piece […]
On August 26, 1966, a national rail strike shut down train services across the country. Red caps at Union Station had little work to do without any passenger […]
Chris describes the challenge of balancing life and work obligations as an engineer. Bob Fallowfield (interviewer): “What would you say is the biggest challenge of your job?” Chris […]
Chris describes all the tasks involved in driving a locomotive. Chris Fox: “But the work-life balance is one of the hardest things,” Bob Fallowfield (interviewer): “It’s tough.” Chris: […]
