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The Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway

The Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway Company is the consolidation of four rail companies arranged in 1881 by the Grand Trunk Railway as part of their Southern Ontario expansion plans. The following is an overview of each line that eventually found its way into Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway system.

The Stratford & Huron Railway

Location: The subject line was constructed between the Southern Ontario communities of Stratford and Harriston to the north.

History: The Stratford & Huron Railway Company (S&HR) was incorporated in March 1855 by Perth County industrialists to construct a 100 mile (161 km) line from Stratford to Southampton with branch lines extending out to various Georgian Bay terminals. The proposal, however, remained dormant for 20 years, existing only as a paper company awaiting funding. In 1875, the terminus of the line was changed to Wiarton as a result of the recent completion of the rival Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway (WG&B) into Southampton. Shortly thereafter, a contract was entered into with the Fuller, Tisdall, Wright & Clarke Company for construction of the line extending between the communities of Stratford, through Listowel and Palmerston, to Harriston. By December 1877, 42 miles (72 km) of track between the two towns had been completed and opened for service.

Content with what had been completed, the promoters shelved the extension to Wiarton given the number of railways serving or proposed to serve that area. Nine months earlier, the line had been given authority to amalgamate with the Port Dover & Lake Huron Railway noted below. The approved merger, however, was held in abeyance with the two companies operating independently until November 1879 when the Grand Trunk Railway assumed operational control of both lines. Heavily subsidized by the Provincial Government of the time, the Stratford & Huron Railway parallelled the WG&B (Great Western property) for 15 miles (24 km) from Listowel through Palmerston to Harriston. In March 1881, the company was merged with the Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway to form the Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway.

Approximate Mileage: 42 miles.

Current Status: Within Canadian National, the line formed part of the Newton and Owen Sound Subdivisions. The line has been abandoned in the following matter: Listowel to Harriston in 1883 (duplication of WG&B tracks), and from Stratford to Listowel in 1995.

Principle Stations: Harriston, Palmerston, Listowel, Milverton and Stratford.

Remaining Stations: There are no remaining stations along the railway. Grand Trunk and Wellington, Grey & Bruce stations have survived in Stratford, Listowel, Palmerston and Harriston.

The Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway

Location: The Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway extends between the railway towns of Palmerston and Durham.

History: The Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway Company (GB&WR) was chartered in March 1878 as the Wellington & Georgian Bay Railway Company to construct a standard gauge line from Guelph north to Owen Sound. The company failed to act quick enough, however, as the Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway arrived in Owen Sound prior to a shovel being placed in the ground. As a result, the company was reorganized in 1879 as the Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway Company with authorization to construct only 27 miles (43 km) of track from Palmerston north to Durham. A contract was entered into with Walter Shanly for construction. By 1880, with the line only partially complete, funds ran out. Arrangements were then made with the Grand Trunk Railway to assume construction and final operation of the project. The incomplete line was amalgamated with the Stratford & Huron and the Port Dover & Lake Huron lines to form the Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway in March 1881. Construction progressed in a leisurely fashion for another year, the line finally being opening for traffic in January 1882.

Approximate Mileage: 27 miles.

Current Status: The entire line was officially abandoned by Canadian National in 1984.

Principle Stations: Palmerston, Mount Forest and Durham.

Remaining Stations: Only one station remains on the GB&WR, that being the Durham station. It has been moved to property northwest of town within the hamlet of Mulock where it has been converted into a restaurant.

The Port Dover & Lake Huron Railway

Location: The railway connects the Lake Erie community of Port Dover with the Southern Ontario community of Stratford, passing through both Simcoe and Woodstock.

History: In April 1848, the Woodstock & Lake Erie Railway & Harbour Company was incorporated to build from Woodstock south through Simcoe to either Port Dover or Dunnville. The project lay dormant for five years until the Prime Minister of the Province of Canada at the time, Sir Francis Hincks (Oxford MP), intervened by assuring investors that the stock was fully subscribed and the venture a safe investment. Utilizing funds from the Municipal Loan Fund, municipalities contributed significant amounts of money to the project. A contract was let to Samuel Zimmerman. In 1853, a scandal ensued amongst the Board of Directors and contractor in which monies fronted by investing municipalities were lauded off. As a result, work (to this point mostly grading) ceased in late 1854 given a lack of funds. Hincks was then driven from office in the next election and the line was assumed by Isaac Buchanan. A new start was initiated in 1855, however, this effort soon ground to a halt as well. An enquiry was held into the matter in which it was discovered that bad faith, reckless extravagance and the misappropriation of funds had taken place.

In February 1856, the company was reorganized and amalgamated by Buchanan with the Amherstburg & St. Thomas Railway (a paper company) as the Great South Western Railway Company. The company was then renamed the Niagara & Detroit Rivers Railway Company (N&DRR) later that year. Under Buchanan's management, the project never proceeded any further. In 1872, the Port Dover & Lake Huron Railway (PD&LHR) was chartered by a new group to construct from Port Dover north through Simcoe and Woodstock to Tavistock with running rights from there into Stratford over GTR trackage (former Buffalo & Lake Huron road). By the early part of 1875, construction had been completed and the line opened for traffic between Port Dover and Woodstock with harbour facilities purchased from the federal government at the lake port. The company utilized what assets and graded roadbed remained from the previous N&DRR venture. The next year, the line was opened to Stratford. Terms, however, could not be reached with the GTR for running rights between Tavistock and Stratford, forcing the company to build its own track. Not long after, the line fell into the hands of the GTR and, in conjunction with the Stratford & Huron and the Georgian Bay & Wellington lines, the company was amalgamated in March 1881 to form the Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway.

Approximate Mileage: 108 miles.

Current Status: It is unknown what Subdivision name was given to this segment of track although the entire line is now abandoned. This occurred in the following order: Stratford to Tavistock 1883 (duplication of Buffalo & Lake Huron tracks), Tavistock to Hickson 1935, Woodstock to Burgessville and Otterville to Simcoe Jct. 1936, Burgessville to Otterville 1963, Hickson to Woodstock 1965, Simcoe to Port Dover 1987, and Simcoe to Simcoe Jct. in 1996.

Principle Stations: Stratford, Tavistock, Woodstock, Burgessville, Norwich, Otterville, Simcoe and Port Dover.

Remaining Stations: A total of four PD&LHR community stations have survived. They are as follows:
1. Hickson: Moved to property on Braemar Road as a residence.
2. Curries: Moved as a residence, location unconfirmed.
3. Otterville: Moved to Woodlawn Community Centre on Main St. as a museum.
4. Hawtrey: Moved to a local farm, location unconfirmed.

South Norfolk Railway Company

Location: The railway was built from the Southern Ontario community of Port Rowan on Lake Erie northeast to town of Simcoe.

History: Incorporated in June 1887 by a group of local Norfolk County entrepreneurs, the South Norfolk Railway Company was given authority to build a line from Port Rowan northeast to Simcoe, a distance of 17 miles (27 km). Hoping to make a quick profit, speculation existed amongst the investors in the company that either the Grand Trunk Railway or the Canada Southern Railway would be interested in purchasing the property. In May 1888, the Grand Truck, Georgian Bay and Lake Erie Railway purchased the incomplete property in order to keep it out of the hands of the CSR. The transaction was finalized in March 1889 by GTR General Manager Joseph Hickson upon the completion and opening of the line in that same year.

Approximate Mileage: 17 miles.

Current Status: The railway was known as the Port Rowan Subdivision under Canadian National control. The entire route was abandoned CN in 1965.

Principle Stations: Port Rowan, St. Williams and Simcoe.

Remaining Stations: A total of two stations remain, as does a freight shed in Port Rowan. The stations are as follows:
1. Walsh: In original location within community as a gas station.
2. St. Williams: Moved to property as a storage shed, location unconfirmed.

GTGB&LER Consolidation Overview and Extension

The Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay & Lake Erie Railway (GTGB&LER) was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway in March 1881 as an amalgamation of three railway companies: the Stratford & Huron Railway, the Georgian Bay & Wellington Railway, and the Port Huron & Lake Huron Railway. The total milage of the new company amounted to 194 miles (312 km). Soon after its formation, the 15 miles (24 km) of parallel trackage between Listowel and Harriston was abandoned as a result of the purchase of the Great Western Railway (Wellington Grey & Bruce tracks) by the GTR. Management of the new company completed the 62 mile (100 km) Wiarton extension of the former Stratford & Huron line from Harriston to Wiarton by July 1882 and finished off the Georgian Bay & Wellington project into Durham. The South Norfolk Railway was purchased in 1889. In 1890, the GTR constructed a line from Parkhead Junction to Owen Sound (10 miles) to meet Canadian Pacific (Toronto Grey & Bruce tracks) competition as Wiarton never developed as a port. The GTGB&LER was formerly absorbed into the GTR in the 1893 general amalgamation.

GTGB&LER Extension Current Status: Forming part of Canadian National's Owen Sound Subdivision, the extension north from Harriston to Owen Sound via Parkhead was abandoned in 1995. The branch from Parkhead north to Wiarton had been abandoned in 1980.

GTGB&LER Extension Principle Stations: Harriston, Neustadt, Hanover, Chesley, Tara, Hepworth, Wiarton, Shallow Lake and Owen Sound.

GTGB&LER Remaining Stations: A total of five stations have survived. They are as follows:
1. Nuestadt: Moved to property outside town as a shed, location unconfirmed.
2. Elmwood: Moved to property nearby as a residence.
3. Moved to Bluewater Park in town as a community and museum building,
4. Owen Sound: In original location at 1165 First Ave. W. as a museum and office space.

Last Updated: January 2, 1998

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