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The Ottawa & New York Railway

Location: The Ottawa & New York Railway (O&NYR) is located in Eastern Ontario, extending between the border community of Cornwall and the Capital of Canada, Ottawa.

History: During the late 1800's, American railway investors were looking for opportunities to broaden their sphere of influence and provide new avenues of commerce. One opportunity included a possible connection between the capital of Canada and major New York State markets. Accordingly, the Ontario Pacific Railway was chartered in May 1882 that contained a broad range of powers including the construction of a line from Cornwall northwest to Ottawa, along with extensions further west through the Bonnechere River valley to Lake Nipissing and beyond to Georgian Bay. Branch lines were permitted to Perth and Smith Falls, Almonte, Pembroke and Manotick. Reflecting the buoyant hopes of the time, an additional expansion was proposed to Sault Ste. Marie with the Province of British Columbia being the ultimate goal. Work also included the requirement for extensive bridge works across the St. Lawrence River into the United States.

As with many projects of the time, the substantial amounts of money required to even initiate such a venture were not readily available and the charter sat dormant for an extended period of time. In the interim, the Canada Central Railway and its parent, the Canadian Pacific Railway, developed their own network of lines west of Ottawa, replicating much of the route originally envisioned for the Ontario Pacific. In the mid 1890's, the officers of the floundering company entered into agreements with additional American financiers and things began to turn around. The name was changed in May 1897 to the Ottawa & New York Railway to more appropriately reflect the ambitions of the line, being the construction of a railway direct from Cornwall to Ottawa. By August of that year, construction had commenced with work progressing at a fast rate given the relatively flat topography encountered. The majority of the line was complete and operational in July 1898. To connect the line with the existing railway fabric of New York State, the New York & Ottawa Railroad was chartered to build southeast from a point opposite Cornwall to the major logging centre of Tupper Lake.

As progress continued on the railway on both sides of the border, work began on the necessary bridge across the St. Lawrence River. During the construction, a tragic accident took place when a portion of the work collapsed, taking a heavy loss of life. The link was finally completed in October 1900, allowing for full through traffic movements. The bridge incident, however, combined with growing cost overruns, resulted in the company falling into receivership in April 1900. After struggling on for three years in this fashion, the New York Central & Hudson Railway purchased the property in 1904, merging it into its own system in March 1913. From an operational standpoint, the line became known as the Ottawa Division. While traffic on the route remained busy, concentrating on local agricultural products with some cross-border traffic, profits were greatly affected by the Depression. After the Second World War, car and truck traffic as well had a large impact on revenues. Accordingly, passenger service was suspended in July 1954 while the New York Central chose to abandon the line in its entirety in February 1957.

Approximate Milage: 50 miles.

Current Status: When the railway was abandoned in 1957, the infrastructure was sold to the Canadian National Railway who dismantled the line and sold it for scrap. Portions of the route were leased to Bell Canada for fibre optic cables and OFCS snowmobile trails while the section between Embrum and Russell has become a multi-purpose recreational trail. The St. Lawrence bridge (known as the Roosevelt International Bridge) was replaced in the 1950's by the current structure bridging the River.

Principle Stations: Cornwall, Finch, Embrun, Russell and Ottawa.

Remaining Stations: A total of six Ottawa & New York Railway stations have survived. They are as follows:
1. Northfield: Moved not far from its original location as a garage.
2. Berwick: Moved to Embrun adjacent to the recreational trail on the former location of the Embrun station as an information centre (Notre Dame and Blais Streets).
3. Crysler: Moved as a house to property at 93 County Road 12 (freight shed nearby).
4. Russell: Moved to property in Embrun at 24 Bourassa Street.
5. St. Albert: Moved as a residence to property at 989 Notre Dame Street in Embrun.
6. Edwards: Moved to property in Sarsfield as a residence.

Additional information on the Ottawa & New York Railway can be obtained from the following site:

New York Central's Ottawa Division

Last Updated: December 30, 2000

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