First Light
26" x 36", Acrylic on Canvas, 2004
Elden Smith Collection
Text by James A. Brown
It’s a crisp late winter day in March, 1935. Since late last night, Canadian Pacific’s Hudson
2815 has been drowsing in the steamy warmth of Toronto’s John Street roundhouse, while
the shop forces deal with the myriad tasks of servicing and light maintenance in preparation
for the H1b’s next passenger service assignment. Both the locomotive and the shop are just
five years old. And despite the Great Depression, railways are the preferred mode of inter-
city travel for Canadians, from coast to coast.
John Street boasts Canada’s first installation of a Direct Steaming system. This means that
locomotives laying over between runs can be maintained under shop steam without a fire on
the grates. When the engine arrived last evening, 2815's fire was dropped completely, a
layer of fresh coal was placed on the grates and the engine rolled into its stall on the steam
pressure remaining in the boiler. Once in the roundhouse, it was connected through its blow-
off valve to the Direct Steaming system.
Now, 2815 is marked up for train 37, due to depart Toronto Union Station at 5:20 pm for
Windsor. The Direct Steaming connection has been removed. Steam sighs from the cylinder
cocks and relief valves. A hostler removes the safety chain from the rear driver and clambers
into the cab. And as a helper swings open the great doors of stall 2, the first light of 2815's
new day glistens off the tender flanks.
Outside the roundhouse, the dry coal on the grates will be ignited, and within literally
minutes 2815 will be working up to full boiler pressure, and awaiting its crew for another
day's work in the service of “The World’s Greatest Travel System”.
26" x 36", Acrylic on Canvas, 2004
Elden Smith Collection
Text by James A. Brown
It’s a crisp late winter day in March, 1935. Since late last night, Canadian Pacific’s Hudson
2815 has been drowsing in the steamy warmth of Toronto’s John Street roundhouse, while
the shop forces deal with the myriad tasks of servicing and light maintenance in preparation
for the H1b’s next passenger service assignment. Both the locomotive and the shop are just
five years old. And despite the Great Depression, railways are the preferred mode of inter-
city travel for Canadians, from coast to coast.
John Street boasts Canada’s first installation of a Direct Steaming system. This means that
locomotives laying over between runs can be maintained under shop steam without a fire on
the grates. When the engine arrived last evening, 2815's fire was dropped completely, a
layer of fresh coal was placed on the grates and the engine rolled into its stall on the steam
pressure remaining in the boiler. Once in the roundhouse, it was connected through its blow-
off valve to the Direct Steaming system.
Now, 2815 is marked up for train 37, due to depart Toronto Union Station at 5:20 pm for
Windsor. The Direct Steaming connection has been removed. Steam sighs from the cylinder
cocks and relief valves. A hostler removes the safety chain from the rear driver and clambers
into the cab. And as a helper swings open the great doors of stall 2, the first light of 2815's
new day glistens off the tender flanks.
Outside the roundhouse, the dry coal on the grates will be ignited, and within literally
minutes 2815 will be working up to full boiler pressure, and awaiting its crew for another
day's work in the service of “The World’s Greatest Travel System”.
First Light
Preliminary colour Sketch
Preliminary colour Sketch
