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The Brantford, Norfolk & Port Burwell Railway
Location: The Brantford, Norfolk & Port Burwell Railway was constructed in Southern Ontario, connecting the industrial towns of Brantford and Tillsonburg.
History: The citizens of the lakeside communities of Port Dover and Port Ryerse, eager to be connected to the growing network of railway lines across Southern Ontario, incorporated the Norfolk Railway Company in January 1869 to construct a line from a point on the Lake Erie foreshore to the Great Western Railway at Paris. The project remained idle as a paper company for five years. As funds became available from the Provincial treasury and other sources, however, interest in the line was renewed. The name of the company was changed in March 1874 to the Brantford, Norfolk & Port Burwell Railway (BN&PBR) with authorization to construct a 50 mile (80 km) line from Port Burwell northeast to Brantford via Tillsonburg (Port Dover having by this time securing a railway of its own). Francis Shanly was given the contract for the Brantford to Tillsonburg section that spring.
While the project was under construction, the Great Western Railway (GWR) became interested in the venture given its potential to form a loop line connection with the Hamilton to London GWR main line and Canada Air Line (GWR property) for its Detroit to Niagara through traffic. As a result, the line was leased by the GWR in February 1877 in perpetuity. Construction progressed with continued supplies and funds made available by the GWR. Opened for traffic in January 1878, the loop was completed a year later with the laying of track between Tillsonburg and Tillsonburg Junction. The remainder of the line was never completed south to Port Burwell. Passing into the hands of the Grand Trunk Railway with the GWR in 1882, the company disappeared as a separate entity in the general GTR amalgamation of short lines in 1893.
Approximate Mileage: 33 miles.
Current Status: Known as the Burford Subdivision, the portion of track from Tillsonburg Junction to Burford was abandoned by the Canadian National Railway in 1987. The remainder of the line between Burford and Brantford (11 miles) is currently known as the Burford Spur.
Principle Stations: Tillsonburg, Norwich, Burford and Brantford.
Remaining Stations: There are no remaining stations along the line. There is, however, a surviving GWR station in Tillsonburg and a GTR station in Brantford.
Last Updated: June 25, 2003
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