Love and Greed at Rail's End

In mid 19th century Upper Canada, the race is on to open the interior and harvest the vast supplies of lumber for export. Samuel Zimmerman, a man with a boundless energy and knowledge is recruited to lead the building of a railway that has been envisioned for decades.

The audacious plan is the brainchild of the unscrupulous entrepreneur George Bolton and his protégé nephew, D’Arcy Bolton. Together, they and a cast of charlatans and civic leaders use their power and influence to push their railway dreams forward, often at the expense of others. Zimmerman deals with challenges of limited resources, a harsh environment and duplicitous investors to push the rail line through the interior. In the process, a bridge that spans the waters of Rice Lake over three miles long is hailed as a triumph, but also becomes the Achilles heel that might well topple Zimmerman, and in the process destroy his engagement to the charming and independent minded Emmaline Dunn.

Emmaline and Samuel are in love, but the encroachment of Victorian morality coupled with Samuel’s obsession to complete the railway is almost too much to bear. Emmaline becomes more than Samuel’s lover. She is his confidant and social conscience. Her need to not be sidelined plunges her into local causes. She leads the efforts to assist German migrant workers to overcome the harsh realities of the Canadian winter. In the process, she immerses herself in the community at the expense of unwanted scrutiny. Her interest in the indigenous people that are impacted by the railway also provides her with a unique vantage point and highlights the parallels between those people’s uncertain fate and that of herself and other women in this turbulent time.

This novel is based on the true story of the building and demise of the Cobourg and Peterborough Railway. The railway build is the backdrop for the broader story of how men with wealth and influence wield their power and in the process manipulate others to their advantage. It’s also a story of people who are in danger of being marginalized (women, indigenous people and migrate workers) can adapt through ingenuity and perseverance.