So you're going to trash Stevens' landmark work because of that and declare it
completely worthless? Where else do you plan on getting the bulletproof facts
that you want about the first 75 years of CNR history? Are you actually going
to do some primary research other than quote some online author (without
attribution) who pointed it out? What has he published and what are his
qualifications? How do you know the track gauge is wrong and how do you know
that?
I'm not arguing with your interpretation of the facts but these are just some
of the questions you need to answer before you take it upon yourself to
pontificate on a Yahoo list and denigrate a respected historical work written
by a deceased author with unprecedented access to CNR archives.
The assertion made in another email that oral history is more to be relied upon
is fine and dandy if what you're writing about happened after 1960. Otherwise I
guess you're just plumb out of luck. I've interviewed a number of people "who
were there," many of them elderly, and some of their assertions often
contradict photographic evidence.
Of course written histories contain errors. Few of us would argue that there
was anyone more qualified to write the book "Canadian Pacific Steam
Locomotives" than Omer Lavallee. And yes, there were a few pages of errors that
were generated after the book came out. I don't know how he felt about them,
but I know that I welcome corrections to my own pieces and I consider them an
ongoing addition to the historical narrative.
There are those of us who actually write history for publication, and I
acknowledge that there are others of you on this list who do as well, and have
contributed to this thread.
We do what we can with the information we have available in order to create a
permanent record that future researchers will be able to refer to. No one gets
paid for writing railway history in Canada except maybe a handful of authors
who have made writing a full time occupation. In fact, most of us spend a lot
of our own money researching these books and articles that we will never get
back.
I understand that some are annoyed about the media's handling of the VIA Rail
tragedy but I don't buy how that thread morphed into a trashing of respected
railway historians.
Derek Boles
--- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Steve Lucas" <stevelucas3@...> wrote:
This book is now over 50 years old; it should be a good source, right?
Wrong, and the author of this online piece tells us why.
G.R.Stevens' two volumes on CN's history were published in 1960 and 1962, and
contain a reference to the Champlain and St. Lawrence having a track gauge of
5'-6". Which was introduced in the 1850's, certainly after the opening date
of the C&StL or 1836.
Caution is warranted when citing "facts" for the historical record.
Steve Lucas.
