May I ask what photograph everyone is referring to?
Ontario is very likely, probably opening up one of the branches on the Bruce
Peninsula in the snowbelt. Cuts were notorious for drifting in, and continued
to be challenging right through the diesel era. Running plough trains was an
expensive headache for both railways and may have accelerated abandonment.
It is a coal fired engine, which while not conclusive, is also very compatible
with southern Ontario.
John Sutherland