Second Tuesday Zoom Talk: Driving the Rails with Ford in 1925

Second Tuesday Talk: Driving the Rails with Ford in 1925

In 1925, Ford of Canada organized an epic crossing of Canada by road in celebration of their 21st anniversary, and the launch of a new version of their ubiquitous Model T car. Over the course of 44 days and more than 7,700 kilometers, Ford videographer Ed Flickenger, newspaperman J. L. Scrymgeour, and others, including local car dealers, and occasionally Canadian highway promoter Dr. Perry Doolittle, drove from Halifax to Vancouver. When the roads ran out, they fitted their car with train wheels and drove along the tracks, covering more than 1,300km by rail. Footage of the trip was made into a silent documentary, Across Canada with Ford.

Join Dumaresq de Pencier for a special live screening with commentary of this film, and a snapshot of the grand and often perilous adventure that was Canadian driving and rail travel in the 1920s.

About our speaker:

Dumaresq de Pencier is an award-winning museum researcher, television presenter, exhibit developer and guide, and has had a lifelong interest in the history of vehicular technology. He is currently the Exhibit & Special Project Coordinator for the Canadian Automotive Museum. In his spare time he writes tabletop games and volunteers for the Canadian Tank Museum and Ottawa’s Cold War Collection.

About the series:

The Toronto Railway Museum hosts guest speakers online via the Zoom Webinar platform the Second Tuesday of each month. These talks are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 to support future programming. The Toronto Railway is a registered Canadian charity (838626943RR0001) and charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $25.