Old Time Trains

D10 1086 being coaled up, while 886 waits its turn at Woodstock, July 6, 1957 Don Mc.Cartney

The London Division had numerous branch lines all built under various charters including between Woodstock and St. Mary's, Woodstock and Port Burwell, Woodstock and St.Thomas. This latter line became a branch early when the main line was extended west to London and Windsor. Also, Goderich to Guelph and Hamilton.

Branchline railroading was a different way than on the main line, far fewer trains meant a more casual and easy going leisurely pace with a lack of officials around to bother the men. Schedules were relaxed especially freight and mixed trains. Even passenger train delays were less likely to result in being "called up on the carpet" for. Service, was another thing. Branchline passengers and freight customers were accommodated in a way not seen on the main line. It was not uncommon for a passenger or mixed train to stop where it was not scheduled to or, in between stations to let a passenger on or off. This was handled locally by the station agent or conductor without benefit of approval from higher ups. Regulars were known like family and conductors often worked the same job for many years.

The Berlin & Canadian Pacific Junction was chartered in 1891 to build from Dumfries to Berlin (Kitchener) and Waterloo (14 miles) and Elmira (10 miles) there to connect with the Guelph & Goderich line of the CPR; and 9 miles to Elora to connect with the CPR. The railway was to be leased to the CPR with ownership remaining with the municipalities, similar to the Guelph Junction Railway. Nothing was built.

The Preston & Berlin was leased October 11, 1903 by the Galt, Preston & Hespeler. In 1905 it was extended to Waterloo. January 1, 1908 the GP&H and the P&B were amalgamated and re-named Berlin, Waterloo, Wellesley & Lake Huron. On June 1st it was leased to the CPR for 99 years. July 7, 1914 it was again re-named, this time, Grand River. Read more about these electric railways at ELSO.

St. Mary's and Western Railway was incorporated in 1905, and plans were approved by the Department of Railways and Canals to build from Woodstock to St.Mary's, and later to Exeter and Sarnia. In 1907 the line was re-surveyed from St.Mary's back 15.9 miles through a half dozen communities to Embro, 5 miles short of the CPR mainline. The first construction train was in St.Mary's May 29,1908, the line opened July 9th., meanwhile, the CPR had taken control July 1st. On February 25,1909, the St.M&W was leased to the CPR for 99 years. They obviously liked it, for on October 2,1912 the lease was altered to 999 years! It didn't last that long however, not only was the company dissolved in a 1958 mass clean up of leased railways, but the line itself was later abandoned, leaving St.Mary's to the CNR.

Three routes were surveyed through Stratford to Exeter and Sarnia, but nothing came of this. Again in 1911-12 it was proposed to build from Embro through Stratford to Linwood, and from the G&G south to St.Mary's, but none were ever to see CPR tracks, they were to remain CNR towns forever.

An "armstrong" turntable and a small enginehouse was once located at St.Mary's. In April 1930, a 70' table was installed, and in September, a 40,000 gallon water tank. St.Marys Cement was a major customer for many years, but otherwise there was not a lot of traffic on this short branch. A daily except Sunday Mixed train was sufficient until its last run on Saturday, April 27,1957, when M682 departed St.Mary's at 5:20 P.M. with D10 steam engine 1086 and an eleven car train that included combine 3288 and a van, one last time. Freight service continued until the last train left St.Marys 9.20 pm February 7, 1995 with engine 8242 a rebuilt GP9, and one car of cement. The line was abandoned March 5, 1995, between Mile 5.5 and 23.6. (A short 1.45 mile piece beyond here was abandoned August 13,1988.) The track still remains as a Spur, from the Galt Sub. at Mile 94.92 running from Mile 4.3 to Mile 5.5 for 5590 feet.

Tillsonburg, Lake Erie and Pacific Railway was incorporated March 26,1890 to build from Port Burwell to Tillsonburg and Ingersoll or Woodstock connecting to the CVR (CPR). May 23,1891 an agreement was made with the GTR to construct and operate the line as an extension of the Brantford, Norfolk and Port Burwell (GWR). By October 1892 the GTR had reneged on the agreement and the project was stalled and seemed doomed like an earlier effort when the Port Burwell and Ingersoll was granted a Provincial charter in 1871. Finally, in May 1894 survey work began and construction followed on July 1,1895. In 1896 it owned one locomotive (and leased another), two passenger cars and a few freight cars. On January 2,1896, 16 miles of 56 pound rail with a maximum 1% grade opened. It did not its own station in Tillsonburg, rather it gained the use of the GTR's station over 3 miles of their track.

D10 839, Port Burwell, 24 September 1955. This loco was assigned to the port for switching the car ferry "Ashtabula" whose smoke is behind the water tank. The rotating racks on the right are for drying fish. Port B's fish industry was waning at this time, in favour of Pt.Dover, so the racks are disused. Photo © Bob Sandusky

D10 892, off the Woodstock mixed, is turning for its return trip, Port Burwell, 24 Sept. 1955, looking north. 839 is poking half out of the 2-stall engine house while Note the coal bucket loader & 2 coal gons, 347051 empty, 347052 full. The rotating racks on the left used to be for drying fish nets. Photo © Bob Sandusky

No. 839, Port Burwell, 24 Sept. 1955, looking south. No.892 has cleared the turntable and is moving down past the station to pick up its loads for the northbound mixed. No. 839 is pulling out engine coal gons to get one filled up at the coal piles down the yard. Photo © Bob Sandusky

A contract was let October 21,1897 for the 3.75 mile (3.4 final) Loop Line to CASO. April 1898 it was under construction, and opened, with 65lb. rail on December 31st. The TLE&P now totaled 19.41 miles.
May 1899 saw Ingersoll entice the railway to build to their town instead of Woodstock. July 25,1901 a contract was let for 15.33 miles of line to serve four villages and Woodstock. It opened December 13,1902. Also in 1902 application was made for an extension via Embro and Stratford all the way to Collingwood! January 1903, approval was given for an extension to Woodstock and Berlin (Kitchener) or, Ingersoll to Stratford.

October 6,1904 the TLE&P was leased to the CPR for a mere 999 years! August 28,1905 approval was given to build 25.4 miles from Ingersoll towards Collingwood. This work was delayed and changed to go through Zorra to Embro instead and connect with the St.Mary's and Western Ontario, which the CPR also took control of. The line between Zorra and Embro opened June 30,1908, and Ingersoll June 11,1911.

In 1912 the CPR facilities at Port Burwell included a 4-stall engine house with a 70' turntable and a 40,000 gal. water tank. By the late 1950's there was only a 2-stall engine house with turntable, along with a 20,000 gal. water tank, along with the station and freight shed The railway eventually owned four elevators. It was here too, that a dock was built to handle ships that would bring freight cars of coal from Ashtabula, Ohio. This would be the main traffic for decades, much of it for the CPR!

Ingersoll received a 70' turntable in April 1930, and a 40,000 gal. water tank in September.

Ingersoll North received a second-hand 70' turntable to replace its 55' one which was so small the D-10 working the St.Mary's job had to backup in one direction.

Ingersoll to Zorra was abandoned May 30,1987; Port Burwell to Tillsonburg, December 25,1987.
Diamond at Mileage 15.2 in Tillsonburg with CNR Tillsonburg North Spur removed July 1993. (This 15.3 mile spur was what was left of the CNR Burford Subdivision running from Tillsonburg Junction east towards Burford and abandoned in 1987.)

Eventually, declining traffic led to a decision to contract out operation of the remaining portion of the Port Burwell Sub. between Tillsonburg and Ingersoll in February 1999 to Ontario Southland.

Pennsylvania-Ontario Transportation Company was formed February 16, 1906 under US law, with 50/50 ownership by the CPR and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Its purpose was to operate a car ferry operation between Ashtabula, Ohio, a major coal and ore port, and the fishing village of Port Burwell. Great Lakes Engineering Works of St.Clair, Michigan built a steel car ferry, ASHTABULA, capable of carrying 26 freight cars on four tracks. Primary traffic was coal from mines in Ohio and Pennsylvania, much of it OCS (On Company Service) for the CPR itself. In fact, this was very nearly all the traffic carried, along with a small amount of southbound forest products. Coal traffic in 1929 totaled 361,000 tons, while southbound freight was just 10% of that figure. Of course, the service did not operate during three months of winter, so the daily average of coal well exceeded 1000 tons! In the depths of the Depression it was reduced 60%, while World War II brought it partially back up. By the 1950's dieselization and a general decline in coal reduced the car ferry to an irregular service. The end came abruptly on September 18,1958 when the ASHTABULA collided with the freighter Ben Moreel in Ashtabula, Ohio which resulted in its sinking. Although it was re-floated, it went back to where it had been built, for scrapping. Its purpose and time were over, from now on coal would come to Ontario all-rail via Buffalo.

For many years a D10 4-6-0 was regular power on the Port Burwell coal trains. The climb out of the harbour resulted in doubling the grade. A D10 could handle 1040 tons to Ingersoll, but only 800 out of Port Burwell. Port Burwell to Ostrander (21 miles), was officially considered a Helper Grade, (and Port Burwell to Vienna, 2 miles a Doubling Grade), but in fact they doubled to Ostrander. A D10 could take double the tonnage from that point 12 miles to Ingersoll as well as the rest of the way to Lambton. Total elevation gain was 300 feet. Normal practice was for the regular job to start out before the ferry arrived, taking 10-12 cars up the grade to Ostrander, then return to Port Burwell, switch the ferry and take another 10-12 cars north, lifting the first cars and continuing with a maximum of 20-24 cars. Another D10 handled the regular Mixed train, referred to as "The Plug", it was limited to 8 cars due to the heavy passenger equipment.

CP 888 Port Burwell 6 July 1957 S.S. "Ashtabula" (sunk 1958)
Photo © Bob Sandusky

CP 882 climbing out of Pt.Burwell with train M659, 19 May 1956.
Photo © Bob Sandusky

CP 882 train M660 Woodstock-Pt.Burwell Mile 24.0 Port Burwell Sub. Highway 19, 19 May 1956. Photo © Bob Sandusky

South Ontario Pacific Railway was incorporated in 1887 to build from the West Ontario Pacific at Woodstock 53 miles through Brantford to Hamilton. This would require 16 miles of 1% grade from Hamilton to Copetown , and include a 600' tunnel. From Woodstock the line was to run 76 miles to Goderich, and in the opposite direction would run 42 miles to the Niagara River where a ferry or bridge would carry the line into the USA. Yet another line would run via the Burlington Beach strip to Cooksville or Toronto. This totaled 200 miles of railway. It also had power to build from Embro (near Woodstock), via St.Mary's to Lake Huron in the area between Bayfield and Kincardine. Nothing was built.

The Brantford, Waterloo & Lake Erie, soon to become the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo, began building through Brantford to Hamilton, negating the need for one part of the main line. The TH&B line to the Niagara frontier owned and controlled by the NYC and CPR eliminated another segment of the proposed main line.

Meanwhile, in 1906 the Hamilton & Guelph Jct. Railway was Provincially incorporated to build from the CPR at Guelph Jct. to the GTR at Bayview Jct. It died without ever doing anything.

Finally, in November 1910 the SOP (CPR) announces it will build from Hamilton to Guelph Junction. February 21,1911 the CPR files plans for this line as well as onward through Georgetown or Acton to Georgian Bay. May 1911 construction was started at Guelph Jct. via Waterdown to Hamilton. 16.3 miles of 85 pound rail and a steep grade of approximately 1.9% - the steepest in S. Ont. climbing 586' in only 5.4 miles - northward to Waterdown that restricted tonnage severely, a D-10 being limited to only 515 tons but 1315 afterwards. The line opened July 1, 1912 after having been leased to the CPR effective January 1,1912 for 999 years! This was to be the only piece of railway built using the SOP charter.

Guelph Junction Railway The Town of Guelph has had a railway since July 1856 when the Grand Trunk Railway went through from Toronto enroute to Sarnia. They also had a Great Western Railway branch from Harrisburg (near Paris), on the Niagara-Windsor mainline. It ran to Galt, where the Galt & Guelph (GWR) continued into Guelph to connect with another GWR line, the Wellington, Grey and Bruce which set out to build from Guelph to Southampton and to Owen Sound. Unfortunately, in 1882 the Great Western was taken over by the Grand Trunk, so now they had only one railway to serve the growing traffic of Guelph.

Eager to be free of this monopoly, in 1884 Guelph incorporated the Guelph Junction Railway, to build 15 miles south to the CPR main line and onward to Burlington. In May 1887, it was leased to the CPR and construction began in November. The line opened August 20,1888, with 56 lb. rails and a maximum of 1% grade. Once again Guelph had competition! A two-stall engine house was located on the tail of the wye, (it was still there in 1976!) A passenger station and freight shed were also built at Priory Square. The line ended at Goldie's Mill at Norwich Street.

September 11,1888, the lease was revised to 99 years, with expiry in 1987. The lease provided for twice-daily passenger service. It also prohibited disposal of any of the GJR's property, something that would cause great legal difficulties many years later with another CPR leased railway, the Ontario & Quebec. The City held two-thirds of the stock and received a generous 40% of the GROSS of all freight, passenger, and express revenues! This has paid off handsomely over the years. In November 1910, the City of Guelph acquired all of the common stock of the GJR, making it a unique municipal-owned railway, one of only two in all of Canada. Winnipeg's Great Winnipeg Water District Railway is the other one, but it is not a common carrier.

The original ten shareholders were all Guelph businessmen and included the GJR's first president, William Bell, founder of the Bell Organ Company, Charles Raymond, of the Raymond sewing machine factory and George Sleeman of brewery fame.

A new brick station was built in 1911 on CPR property at Eramosa Road (Mile 31.6), about one and a half blocks south of the end of the GJR and beginning of the G&G. In 1935 the CPR tried to substitute a bus to Puslinch for the self-propelled car, but was thwarted by the GJR's directors. The self-propelled car was at one time CP 9002, a unique battery-electric car, and in later years 9004 a more common gas-electric car. The Guelph-Guelph Junction service connecting with CPR trains on the Toronto-Windsor mainline ended April 29,1961.

Renewal of the GJR lease in 1987 was under much less favourable terms to the City in recognition of the declined business on the line. Exempt was an ancient, c.1860 arena, once Royal Skate Company, which the CPR had used as a freight shed and at the time being used as a performing arts centre.

In 1989 under a strange organizational revamp, the CPR turned the GJR, and a short 3.1 mile stub of the old G&G, over to the TH&B which it also owned! It then came under the St.Lawrence & Hudson Railway! This was not to last for long as the CPR served notice to the GJR/City that it would not be renewing the lease expiring in December 31,1997. The Guelph Junction Railway would have to go it alone! The City undertook to take over its railway and contracted with Ontario Southland Railway a small contract switching operator to provide service.

Guelph and Goderich Railway In 1886 the GJR charter was revised to allow for an Extension to Goderich as a sought after source of traffic at the harbour. The CPR delayed undertaking this work for years while Guelph hounded them to get on with it. By December 1903 the CPR finished three surveys; first via Linwood, Atwood, Brussels and Listowel; second via Conestogo, Linwood, Atwood, Brussels; and third via Seaforth and Clinton. Finally, in 1904 the Guelph Junction Railway announced it would be applying to Parliament seeking a charter to incorporate the Goderich & Guelph Railway, between Guelph and Goderich along with branches to Listowel, St.Mary's Stratford and Clinton. The CPR caved in and agreed to honour their intention to build the long-sought after 80 mile Extension, with work beginning in 1904. It began at Norwich Street (Mile 31.75 Goderich Sub.) The line was opened between Guelph and Elmira on June 1906; to Millbank by the end of August; Milverton November 15th. And finally, Goderich to Blyth on August 26,1907, this section delayed by a dispute with the GTR over use of the harbour area. At the same time the GJR was re-laid with 80lb. rail to match the G&G. The first passenger train left Goderich August 28, 1907.

This view of the Goderich Sub. outside Elmira, looking west shows how straight the line was. April 1986. Eugene D. Burles

Long-abandoned CNR (Lake Huron & Bruce) right-of-way overhead. Note Al's children!

The grade was mild (.75%), for the most part with the major exception of the climb out of the harbour at Goderich to Blyth which cut tonnage to less than half. (855 tons vs 1770 for a D10). A spectacular 695' steel bridge over the Maitland River in Goderich has survived abandonment to become part of a hiking trail. A 4-stall enginehouse with 70' turntable was located right on the waterfront along with a fine, large brick station and a traditional enclosed octagonal water tank. Grain, and salt mined at Goderich was the main traffic handled.

October 6,1904 the G&G was leased to the CPR for 999 years! By 1913, control of the common stock was in the CPR's hands. But, it could only reach the rest of the CPR's vast network over the GJR! And, here once again the City of Guelph proved astute in securing good revenue for this traffic along with a prohibition against diverting G&G traffic off the GJR! In other words if the CPR were to build another line connecting to the G&G somewhere else, they could not re-route traffic over it. Very astute indeed!

Goderich and Guelph were B class yards, one of the few on the Ontario District and as such operated with only a two-man ground crew.

On a very hot summer's day in August 1958 6275 simmers quietly in Goderich Yard.
Then, the crew comes back to work and smokes up the area a little as they shove
back towards the elevator. Note the yardman "decorating" as they pass the beach.
R.L.Kennedy

Note: In July 1960 the old wooden three stall enginehouse was replaced by a small metal engine house
located near the north end of the yard, built in 1951 and relocated from Chatham.

Declining traffic on a line that ran 80 miles to serve Goderich brought about its demise, the last run being made on December 16, 1988. (Abandoned December 31st) The CNR served Goderich from Stratford via a shorter distance and the small villages in between held little remaining agricultural traffic for the CPR across the flat open land that was difficult to plow in winter. Grain traffic died at Goderich the same as at Owen Sound with changes to grain rates, when the "At and East" subsidy was eliminated which very quickly killed off all grain traffic from Western Canada. Road salt, was a major commodity, but it was both seasonal and offered only a low freight rate, while at the same time the covered hopper cars were corroding out at an alarming pace, faster than they were being written-off! It was a dead loss!

The station in Goderich has been preserved, although it is little used. The viaduct was saved for a hiking path.

Eventually, even the CNR got out of Goderich, when for the first time in Ontario, a new railway was created by Railtex, a US outfit based in Texas, well known for its non-union status, which owned many such short lines created from cast-offs of the major railroads. Goderich-Exeter Railway began April 3, 1992.

Bruce Branches. Although the Bruce Branches were administered by the London Division for a time they are not included here since they historically belong to the Bruce Division.