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The Woodstock, Thames Valley & Ingersoll Electric Railway

Location: The line is located in Southern Ontario, having once operated between the communities of Woodstock and Ingersoll.

History: Constructed as an interurban electric rail line as its name implies, the Woodstock, Thames Valley & Ingersoll Electric Railway (WTV&IR) was the smallest interurban line built in Canada. Originally, the project was viewed as being a link between similar lines then being planned to connect the major centres of Toronto, Hamilton and London. The charter was first enacted in 1900 by the Von Echa Company, an American firm that was involved in other radial projects in the Province. Construction was initiated immediately with the line being open for traffic between Woodstock and Beachville in November of that same year. The complete route was completed into Ingersoll by 1901. Between the two towns, the line was built beside the highway on the south side of the Thames River while in Woodstock proper, the railway meandered along various streets. Operation consisted primarily of passengers as there was little freight traffic available in the area to move. While the line never lost money, receipts were barely high enough to cover expenses with little left over for maintenance and upgrading. As a result, the Von Echa bailed out, leaving the line to bondholders in 1915. Operation carried on until 1925 when it was decided to abandon the line entirely. All infrastructure was immediately dismantled and scrapped.

Approximate Milage: 10 miles.

Current Status: The line was abandoned in 1925. No trace remains today.

Principle Stations: Woodstock, Beachville and Ingersoll.

Remaining Stations: The are no remaining stations along the WTV&IR.

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