Northern Railway of Canada
The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was the first railway in Toronto, and its first locomotive, No. 6213 Lady Elgin is now an important part of the collection at the Roundhouse Park.
The railway was originally known as the Toronto, Simcoe & Lake Huron, but soon became the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron, both names referring to the three lakes the railway connected. The line ran roughly north out of Toronto to Newmarket, then northeast to Bradford and Barrie before turning further east to Collingwood. Several additional lines connected to it over the years, extending it to Meaford and Penetanguishene to the west, and north to Lake Muskoka.
Financial difficulties and the resulting government bailout created the Northern Railway from the OSH in 1858. A further extension connected the line to the Canadian Northern Railway as it passed through North Bay on its way from Montreal. The Northern Railway was purchased by Grand Trunk Railway in 1888, and through its amalgamation, became part of the Canadian National Railway. CNR operated the mainline as the CN Newmarket Subdivision, selling off the branches to the west, and pulling up the sections north of Barrie. It is now the Barrie line after its purchase by Metrolinx.
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[edit] Early history
- In July 1849, the Toronto, Simcoe & Lake Huron Union Railroad is founded by Frederick Chase Capreol and Charles Albert Berczy
- The Railway Guarantee Act allows financing to be secured from the colonial government.
- Groundbreaking by Lady Elgin on 15 October 1851.
- November 1852 the railway was renamed the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railroad.
- In August 1858, the OS&HUR becomes the Northern Railway Company of Canada following a government bailout.
[edit] Growth
Several subsidiary railways were subsequently incorporated into the Northern Railway, including:
- The Toronto, Simcoe & Muskoka Junction Railway, created in 1869 was absorbed in 1875.
- The North Grey Railway.
- The North Simcoe Railway, created in January 1878
[edit] Consolidation and acquisition by the GTR
- In June 1879, the Northern merged with the Hamilton and North-Western Railway, becoming the Northern and Northwestern Railway.
- Construction of a subsidiary, the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway, which ran between Gravenhurst and Nipissing, proves to be a significant financial burden.
- In 1887, the Grand Trunk Railway gains a controlling interest.
- Formal takeover by the GTR is formalised in January 1888.
