The story continues – about a dream that came true

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Earlier… The story of the Transcontinental Motor Car Journey Across Canada

In 1912, writer and traveller Thomas Wilby intended to complete the first automobile trip across Canada, travelling completely within the Canadian boundaries. That is, following an “All-Red” route on the map. The car selected for the journey was a 1912 REO Special, built in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Along with the car, the company supplied American driver/mechanic Jack Haney, without whom the trip would not have been possible.

The pair completed the trip in 53 days, arriving in Victoria B.C. on October 18, 1912. The next day Thomas Wilby returned to New York by rail and Haney returned to St. Catharines a few days later where he received some much-overdue recognition for his role in the cross-Canada trip. The REO was shipped by rail to St. Catharines and was displayed at a subsequent car show. It is thought that the car was eventually converted to a truck and served the rest of its days at the REO factory.

The story continues – and a dream came true

Peter Findlay commented on the article we published earlier and told us about his father's retirement dream to re-create this trip in his own 1912 REO. And this dream came true!

In 1997, Lorne and Irene Findlay re-created the historic 1912 trip along with their son Peter and writer John Nicol. They followed the original route as closely as possible and travelled on the same dates. Lorne’s car was also a 1912 REO, his being built in Lansing, Michigan, USA. The foursome completed the 5000-mile journey with no serious problems.

In the book "The All-Red Route", John Nicol documented their wonderful adventure. It was published in 1999 and also provides much information about Wilby's 1912 trip. To compare the two trips, they took many "then and now" pictures along the way. Attached is a juxtaposition of the two trips with a short description.

Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful story and the amazing pictures Peter!

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