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The Atlantic & Northwestern Railway (Parry Sound Branch)
Location: Known initially as the Parry Sound Branch but constructed under the provisions of the Atlantic & Northwestern Railway Company (A&NR), the subject line was located in Eastern Ontario, extending between the communities of Renfrew and Eganville.
History: The concept of constructing a rail line extending east from the shores of Georgian Bay to the Ottawa River Valley had been in the mind of Canadian Pacific executives since the mid 1880's. The hope was to capture the all important grain trade from Western Canada, then under development as settlement patterns were increasing. To accommodate such, the charter of the Atlantic & Northwest Railway (A&NR) was viewed as the most appropriate legislation to accomplish the task. Chartered in 1879, the A&NR had broad powers attached to it, allowing for the construction of a line in the general sense from Atlantic Canada to Lake Superior. Other powers included the construction of a line within the State of Maine, a situation that ultimately resulted in the construction of the Short Line east from Montreal, Quebec to St. Johns, New Brunswick.
Surveys on this portion of the A&NR commenced in 1891 with the view of building the railway west from Renfrew on the Canada Central Railway to a point on Georgian Bay, eventually defined as Parry Sound. Here, a terminal would be constructed to facilitate the transfer of grain and other products from the lake boats to the trains. The first component of the line to open for traffic was from Renfrew (Payne) to Eganville in 1892, a total distance of nineteen miles. It was at this point that trouble arose over the proposed alignment of the railway beyond Eganville. The Canada Atlantic Railway , through the charter of the Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway, was at the same time in the process of construction a similar project (Depot Harbor to Ottawa). Within the Opengo Hills (Killaloe area), where preferable track locations were few between the steep hills and narrow valleys, a dispute arose over which company had the rights to the ground in question.
After grappling with the issues for some time, the entire matter was forwarded to court in 1893 where the A&NR was unsuccessful in its bit to oust the competing line. Accordingly, as major changes were necessary in relocating the planned route of the line at major expense, the CPR chose to shelve the project in the interim to concentrate on other efforts. While the grain trade remained strong, it was acknowledged that the territory the route would pass through was limiting in terms of generating revenue traffic, in particular for two lines. Ultimately, the CPR found other means of acquiring access to the grain traffic with the construction of the Georgian Bay & Seaboard Railway , as well as the line north from Bolton to Sudbury. As a result, the A&NR within Ontario never extended past Eganville. The A&NR itself was leased to the CPR for a period of 999 years in March 1894.
Approximate Milage: The line was only constructed at total 19 miles.
Current Status: The line was known under Canadian Pacific administration as the Eganville Subdivision and later the Eganville Branch. The entire route has been abandoned in the following manner: Douglas to Eganville in 1970, and from Payne to Douglas in 1980.
Principle Stations: Renfrew (Payne), Douglas and Eganville.
Remaining Stations: There are no known remaining stations left along the line.
Last Updated: January 16, 1999
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