When Harry Brown started driving an engine he did so under quite humble circumstances. His engineering start was on a small tank engine which ran from Deseronto to the G.T.R. station (junction) about a mile and a half back of Deseronto. At that time the Rathbun Lumber Co. owned pretty much everything at Deseronto. The company owned the little railway line. The train crew on the Rathbun train consisted of an engineer and a conductor. The engineer ran the train and fired as well, and the conductor collected fares, and also braked the train. Hand brakes were use. This "short-line" train made six trips per day between Deseronto and the G.T.R. station. In the eighties the Rathbun firm had great holdings. It also owned a three and a half mile railway line out from Gananoque to the Grand Trunk Railway junction, and a 20 miles line between Napanee and Tamworth.
After serving several years and gaining experience on these miniature railways, young Brown began to aspire for higher railway activities, In 1886 he came to Ottawa, attracted by the possibilities of the then almost new Canada Atlantic Railway. There was no engine opening when he came to Ottawa, so he accepted a job as cleaner in the C.P.R. shops. Two days later they (presumaby the CAR) called the newcomer out of the cleaning job and put him on a freight engine as fireman.
He retired by 1931 as an engineer.
(Ottawa Citizen 10 January 1931 - Thanks to Colin Churcher)