In Search of the Grand Trunk: Ghost Rail Lines in OntarioExplore Ontario's forgotten rail lines and experience the legacy and lore of this the vital railway era of Ontario's history. At its peak between 1880 and the 1920s, Ontario was criss-crossed by more than 20,000 kilometres of rail trackage. Today , only a fraction remains. Yet trains once hauled everything from strawberries to grain, cans of milk and even eels. Villagers depended on trains to visit friends, attend weddings, to shop, and to go to school. They gathered on station platforms to await their mail or greet a long-lost relative. Holidayers packed their trunks and headed north for an extended summer day at their favorite resorts. Today, these are but a distant memory as most of Ontarioâe(tm)s once essential transportation links lie abandoned and largely forgotten. But perhaps not entirely -- many rights of way have become rail trails, and now witness hikers, cyclists, equestrians, and snowmobilers. Others sadly, lie overgrown and barely visible. Yet regardless of how one follows these early routes, one will find preserved stations, historic bridges, and railway era buildings, all of which recall this bygone era. |
Contents
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The Cobourg and Peterborough Railway | 32 |
The Midland Railway Port Hope to Midland | 36 |
The Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway Toronto to Owen Sound | 133 |
The Buffalo Brantford and Goderich Railway Fort Erie to Stratford | 141 |
The Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Hamilton to Waterford | 147 |
The Brantford Norfolk and Port Burwell Railway Brantford to Port Burwell | 151 |
The Canada Air Line Welland to Glencoe | 155 |
The Port Dover and Huron and the Stratford and Huron Railways Port Dover to Owen Sound | 160 |
The Guelph and Goderich Line Guelph to Goderich | 167 |
The Lake Erie and Northern Railway Galt to Port Dover | 172 |
The Whitby Port Perry and Lindsay Railway | 43 |
The Toronto and Nipissing Railway The Coby Connection | 47 |
The Lindsay Bobcaygeon and Pontypool Railway Burketon to Bobcaygeon | 51 |
The Victoria Railway Into the Haliburton Highlands | 55 |
The Georgian Bay and Seaboard Line Dranoel to Port McNicoll | 61 |
The Hamilton and Northwestern Railway Port Dover to Meaford | 66 |
The Radials and the Belt Line Ontarios Early Commuter Railways | 75 |
The Ghost Rail Lines of Eastern Ontario | 85 |
The Ottawa and New York Railway Cornwall to Ottawa | 87 |
The Thousand Islands Railway Gananoque to the Grand Trunk | 91 |
The Brockville Westport and Sault Ste Marie Railway Brockville to Westport | 95 |
The Kingston and Pembroke Railway Kingston to Renfrew | 99 |
Rathbuns Road the Bay of Quinte Railway Deseronto to Bannockburn | 104 |
The Prince Edward County Railway Picton to Trenton | 109 |
The Central Ontario Railway Trenton to Maynooth | 113 |
The Canadian Northern Railway Ontarios Forgotten Main Linefrom Toronto to Hawkesbury | 119 |
The Ghost Rail Lines of the Southwest | 127 |
The Credit Valley Line Cataract to Elora | 129 |
The Wellington Grey and Bruce Line Harrisburg to Southampton | 177 |
The Canada Southern Railway Fort Erie to Blenheim | 185 |
The Northlands Ghost Rail Lines | 191 |
The Canadian Northern RailwaysAlgonquin Route Pembroke to Capreol | 193 |
The Ottawa Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway the Booth Line Renfrew to Depot Harbour | 199 |
The Lake Huron and Northern Ontario Railway Bruce Mines to Rock Lake | 208 |
The Manitoulin and North Shore Railway Sudbury to Little Current | 211 |
The Port Arthur and Duluth Railway the PeeDee Line Thunder Bay to Rock Lake | 215 |
The Smoky Falls Railway Kapuskasing to Smoky Falls | 218 |
The End of the Line? | 221 |
NOTES | 223 |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR | 243 |
Also by Ron Brown | 245 |
Back Cover | 249 |