John Mills was born in Toronto in 1931, and has lived there all his life. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 1952. Shortly thereafter, John entered the business world, but found that a commercial career was not for him, and soon returned to the University of Toronto as an administrative staff member. Being a compulsive researcher, he found this to be an ideal workplace environment, as it provided him with unrestricted access to the university’s enormous collection of information, books and artifacts.

The author is a founding member of the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association, and is an honourary life member. The OERHA operates the Halton County Radial Railway, featuring historic electric transit vehicles in action at their museum in Milton, Ontario.

John has written several books on electric railway subjects, including Traction on The Grand and Cataract Traction. Several others are in preparation. Besides being interested in railways, John is equally fascinated by steamboats, and is the author of The New Mills List. This is a listing, with statistics and other details, of over 6000 Canadian coastal and inland steamers from the beginning, covering the period from 1809 up to 1930. The definitive edition was published in 1999, to John’s great satisfaction.

In addition to his transportation hobby, John’s great joy in life is travelling the world. He hopes you will enjoy your own travels back to a bygone era, through the fascinating transportation system that was the Niagara St. Catharines & Toronto Railway.