Engine 17: A Sad Story of Neglect
February 26, 2021
Reading time: 10 min
This report was prepared by Wes Libbey
Locomotive #17 at the corner of Ninth and Brookdale Avenue. Notice the sign on the front side of the train asking people not to climb on the structure (Nick Seebruch/ Seaway News).
Engine 17: Why it matters
Cornwall owes its success, in no small way, to the Cornwall Street Railway Company (CSR). For 134 years, economic growth depended on CSR and its successors. The legacy of CSR today includes the preferential electricity rates from Quebec and the Progress Fund from the sale of Cornwall Electric for $67,000,000. The only tangible remnant remaining is Engine 17—and that it is why it is a meaningful symbol of our history.