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The Grand Valley Railway
Location: The Grand Valley Railway is located in south central Ontario, extending between the industrial communities of Brantford through Paris to Galt, all on the Grand River.
History: Being one of the least successful electric interurban railways constructed in Ontario, the Grand Valley Railway Company (GVR) was incorporated as the Port Dover, Brantford, Berlin & Goderich Railway Company in 1900 to construct an electrical interurban line connecting the communities in its namesake. The venture failed to raise the capital required, however, and the charter was purchased by the Von Echa Company in 1901. They renamed the line in 1902 the Grand Valley Railway Company with the intention of constructing a rail line between the communities of Brantford and Galt. The Von Echa group was from Pennsylvania and had interests in several other lines in the Province. It was their intention ultimately to construct an interurban system for southern Ontario extending between Toronto, Galt, Brantford, London and Detroit. The company's first step in this goal was the purchase of the Brantford Street Railway in 1903. From this entity, the Grand Valley Railway Company evolved into becoming an interurban line linking the communities of Brantford, Paris and Galt, having a combined distance of twenty-one miles. Construction began immediately with the route being open for traffic in November 1904. A branch line from Blue lake to St. George was contemplated as well but only completed as far as the Grand Trunk Railway line for the interchange of freight, a distance of 2.2 miles.
Construction of the line was mostly on a private right-of-way except through urban areas where the tracks were located on the road. The quality of work on the line tended to be poor, a matter that would hamper operations for the company's entire life, combined with difficult grades and turns. From the beginning, operations were not profitable, resulting in the company changing hands several times. Freight traffic was limited and passenger revenues slim. By the spring of 1912, operations had been suspended, partly because of the condition of the track. Some hasty maintenance was completed and the line was running again several weeks later between Brantford and Paris only. In March 1914, ownership of the route fell to the city of Brantford in conjunction with the urban transit routes. Hoping to regain some of its investment, the segment from Paris to Galt was immediately placed up for sale while the remainder from Paris to Brantford was rebuilt to allow for safe operations. In 1915, the Paris to Galt portion was purchased by the Lake Erie & Northern Railway in order to avoid competition between the two and the route was abandoned in February 1916 with the opening of the LE&NR. The remainder continued in operation as an extension of the Brantford street system until 1929 when it was replaced by buses.
Approximate Milage: Twenty-one miles in addition to a branch line just over two miles.
Current Status: The line from Paris to Galt was abandoned as of February 1916 while that portion from Brantford to Paris survived until 1929. Portions of the right-of-way remain visible.
Principle Stations: Brantford, Paris and Galt.
Remaining Stations: Only one station building has survived from the Grand Valley Railway. It is located in Paris on Water Street as a private residence.
Last Updated: January 3, 1998
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