Alton V. Johnson was born in St. Thomas, Ontario July 31 1909. He began working at the B&B Department of the Canadian National Railway in St. Thomas in 1927. After attending Queen’s University, he returned to become the B&B superintendent in St. Thomas.

In 1955, he was appointed the Chief Engineer of the CNR based in Montreal. There, he helped organize the International Consulting Division of the Canadian National Railway, in 1971. He was later appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of CANAC Consultants, the leading provider of engineering, rail operation, technology and training and safety for the North American passenger rail industry.

He also served as the President of the American Railway Engineering Association (AREA). He retired from the rails to St. Thomas in 1975. Mr. Johnson died four years later on August 15, 1979.