In Search of the K & P

Les Harding is author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail Sketches
in Canadian Exploration.

Carol Bennett is a former newspaper reporter. D.W. McCuaig is a former newspaper publisher. They both have a keen interest in the history of eastern Ontario and live within a whistle toot of the K & P in Renfrew, Ontario.

The Kingston and Pembroke Railway, known affectionately to its many fans as the Kick and Push, was born in Kingston in 1871. It was 112 miles long and took twelve years to construct. The K & P existed until 1913, when it was absorbed by the C.P. system. Throughout its 42 years the K & P stubbornly retained its original name, though it never did reach Pembroke.

This book is written in a breezy colloquial style with lots and lots of period photographs. As might be expected, considering that the authors are both newspaper veterans, there are numerous intriguing, sometimes quirky, excerpts from the newspapers of the day. The book is packed with tidbits of information on legal problems, construction, fires, derailments, washouts, strikes, etc. Most of the material is arranged around the K & P’s 26 stations. Unfortunately, there is no index.

In addition to searching the printed record, the authors carried out extensive interviews with old-timers and their descendants. The anecdotes thus unearthed give the story of the Kingston and Pembroke Railway a flavour and intimacy that could not be duplicated.

This is a second edition of the book. A section of photographs and stories has been added at the back. Readers are invited to submit more.