Another view of the case back and presentation engravings.

Revelstoke, British Columbia is a CPR divisional point. 246 miles west of Calgary, Alberta. Calgary crews of locomotive engineers, conductors, and trainman would work westward over the Continental divide of the Rocky Mountains and down to Field, British Columbia there, we would change off with Revelstoke crews who would work westward over the Selkirk Mountains and the Rogers Pass. On April 30, 1993, I was working as a East Pool locomotive engineer on the Brooks Subdivision that ran that ran 172 miles east from Alyth yard (Calgary), to Medicine Hat, Alberta. I had made a trip down to the "Hat" the previous night and was waiting for my call to go westward, at 05:00, the crew clerk gave me my call slip for an Extra West, this was no drag of freight, it was to move a dead CPR 5468 steam locomotive across the Brooks subdivision. The 5468 is a Mikado P-2k class locomotive with the wheel classification of 2-8-2. It was built as an oil burner by the Montréal Locomotive Works in 1948 specifically for this area. Retired in 1954, the locomotive was stored in Delson, Québec, until brought home to Revelstoke in 1993 to be the feature exhibit of the Railway Museum built there.

A photo of me on our lead locomotive CP 3127.

Our train consisted of CP 3127 diesel locomotive, a railway passenger coach that was the moved to Lake Louise, Alberta, to be used for a restaurant, the CP 5468, a flat car with one of the trucks from the steam locomotive, and four cabooses that the crew from Revelstoke stayed in. It was a pretty slow trip starting out at 5 mph for 5 miles to warm up the lubrication on the 5468, after careful monitoring we would increase the speed to 10 mph, the fastest we reached was about 12 miles an hour, it was a long trip, and I was on duty over 16 hours. That didn't bother me at all as I have always been a steam locomotive buff.

A photo of our train when we arrived at Shephard, Alberta 7 miles East of Alyth yard.

A photo of me and Ernie Ottewell retired CPR locomotive engineer who was the driving force for repatriating the CP 5468. This photo was taken in front of the locomotive in their museum at Revelstoke

A view of the smoke box and stack inside the Revelstoke Railway Museum. She is displaying green flags, so must be running as a section.

Inside the cab of the CP 5468

Two weeks ago on Sunday I went to Calgary's Heritage Park for their Railway Days theme weekend. There were many displays in the roundhouse. The Revelstoke Railway Museum had a table and I saw one of my old friends from the time we moved the CP 5468, I also met Jennifer the museum's Executive Director, I have emailed her photos of the Howard Presentation pocket watch, and hopefully she might be able to shed a little light on the presentation.

After the CPR finished its route from Montréal Québec to Vancouver British Columbia in 1885, if faced one other seasonal operating problem east of the port of Montréal. The St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence would freeze up during the winter months, from December to May this was before the days of icebreakers and limited the CPR to using the port of Halifax, Nova Scotia which couldn't handle all the traffic. The solution to this problem was to build an all land route from Megantic across the state of Maine to Vanceboro and McAdam Junction, New Brunswick then on to St. John a port open year round. It was a more direct, and shorter, route 460 miles East of Montréal. Another advantage of the route was that it was less mountainous making it easier to build.

The CPR owned the railway right-of-way's from Montréal through Farnam, Sherbrooke to Megantic, and from Vanceboro to St. John, New Brunswick. All it needed to build to connect them was a 165 mile gap between Megantic, Québec and Mattawamkeag, Maine. CPR's Chief Engineer James Ross began construction in 1886 – 1987 and built from both directions on parts of the route. In June 1889 the new line opened. The CPR obtained trackage rights from the Maine Central Railroad between Mattawakeag, and Vanceboro, Maine. The railway line across Maine created a transcontinental railway for the CPR, although the Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro Maine section was operated under trackage rights. In 1974 the CPR purchased the Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro section from the Maine Central Railroad finally owning the entire route for the operation of the transcontinental network.

Map of the International of Maine Railway from Montréal, Québec to St. John, New Brunswick to St. John, New Brunswick

The map above shows Canada seventh province to enter Confederation in 1873, the 2011 Census shows its population as 140,204 residents. Charlottetown is the provincial capital situated centrally on the island's southern shore. Summerside and its harbor is situated 25 miles West of Charlottetown, its primary incomes are from the fisheries, and agriculture that grows potatoes. The island is 125 miles long and it had 145 miles of railways, the Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) that was originally a narrow gauge railway, and the Intercolonial Railway of Canada (ICR) that ran from Québec through New Brunswick to Nova Scotia it was originally broad gauge. These railways became part of the Canadian National Railways after World War I in 1918, PEIR was converted to standard gauge in 1930 and was abandoned in 1989, a map of Prince Edward Island

Omega 16 size, 15 jewel, Canadian private-label Roman numeral dial marked H.R. Crockett Summerside PEI.

Dial with bezel opened

Dial close-up

Movement marked "CROCKETT'S SPECIAL" 15 Jewels Serial No. 3082074.

Movement close-up

Yellow Gold Filled hinged front and double hinged back AWC Co. "Cashier" case.

Summerside Railway Station

The HR Crockett house on 365 Beaver Street in Summerside, Prince Edward Island has been declared a Historic Place as it was the home of Herbert R Crockett who founded Crockett Jewelers, which has been operated by for generation on Water Street, Summerside. The Crockett family lived in the house for 45 years.

The dwelling was originally built for fox rancher Frank Hall in 1914. He apparently had made a profitable start in the fox breeding business, and was able to afford a substantial residence on the new Street opened up by Harry T Holman in 1910 Mr. Hall had grown up in Sherbrooke and in 1913 married Helen Marriott Howatt, daughter of Hubert Howatt, a prominent farmer and fox rancher in St. Eleanors. A year after the house was built, Mr. and Mrs. Hall departed for Alberta

Herbert R Crockett moved into the house and rented it until 1920 when he bought it for $7500. Mr. Crockett was well known in the community as the owner of Crockett Jewelers. A native of Little York, Prince Edward Island he had started in business in Summerside in 1889 and was well-established as a jeweler and optician. When he bought the house he had four children from his first marriage to Annie Huestis and a son Carl (born 1902) from his second marriage to Maud Arbing.

Mr. Crockett's success as a businessman became evident when he and J Edward Gallant, a local druggist, jointly constructed the Crockett-Gallant building in 1919. Situated on the northwest corner of Water and Summer Streets, the two-story edifice was divided into two retail sections one for Crockett Jewelers and the other for Gallant's Drugstore. After Mr. Crockett's sudden death in 1927, the business was taken over by his sons Harold and Carl, who both retired in the 1960s, leaving the business to Carl's son, Parker Crockett

Herbert Read Crockett is also known as Herbert Reid Crockett. He was born 13 January 1868 in Little York, Queens County, Prince Edward Island. He was the son of George Crockett and Elisa

Obituary (Summerside Journal): "Sudden Death of Mr. H.R. Crockett

Citizens of Summerside were profoundly shocked to learn of the very sudden and unexpected death of Mr. Herbert R. Crockett, the well-known jeweler, and one of the leading businessmen of the town. Mr. Crockett left his home on Beaver Street about the usual time this morning and immediately after entering his store on Water Street put his hands up to the said with the words AOh, my head! And fell prostrate to the floor. Dr. Simpson, the nearest physician, was summoned and arrived almost immediately. Mr. Crockett was however beyond medical assistance, death being almost instantaneous.

The sad event is deeply deplored as Mr. Crockett was a man of singularity, fine disposition, honorable to the highest degree in always dealings with his fellow men, and esteemed by all. He was about 60 years of age. He had been a sufferer for some years with stomach trouble, but latterly it is understood this condition had improved. Some time ago however symptoms of high blood pressure developed and it and it is supposed that this was the cause of his death, the long walk from his home through the exceptionally heavy snow this morning bring on the attack, Mr. Crockett in passing a citizen on his way down remarked that he found the walking very hard.

To his family and their hour of sudden bereavement the deepest sympathy is extended. The deceased was twice married, his first wife being the daughter of the late Thomas B Huestis. By this union he had four sons, Roy, of Souris, Standley, inspector of the Bank of Nova Scotia; and Harold R., associated himself with the jewelry business in Summerside; one son Carl, now in Syracuse, NY, by his present wife, formerly Miss Maud Arbing, daughter of the late John Arbing

The property on Beaver Street was retained by Herbert Crockett's widow, who resided there until her death in 1959. Her son, Carl, had moved into the house with his wife, the former Laura Campbell, where they raised two sons. The couple sold the family home in 1961.

Mr. Crockett in front of his store and 281 Water Street Summerside, PEI

Crockett Gallant building in 1919

Crocker-Gallant Building 1948

Crockett-Gallant Building 2013