Welcome

Throughout history there have been monumental events in railway history, such as the creation of a company, the opening of a line or abandonment.  The following is a list of important railway dates that are of important notice (ie - Golden Anniversary).  This page will change annually to reflect such events.

1 Year Ago - 2009

April 24 - Ottawa Valley Railway's line between Mattawa and Smiths Falls was placed into non-operational status.

2 Years Ago - 2008

June 9 - Canadian National Railway abandoned the Kinghorn Subdivision from Longlac Junction to Kohut.

August 28 - Grandluxe Rail Journeys ran their last excusion train.

November 1 - Ottawa Central Railway, Matapedia Railway and New Brunswick East Coast Railway were purchased by Canadian National Railway.

3 Years Ago - 2007

Canadian National Railway abandoned the Massena Subdivision from St-Isidore Junction to Delson.

Upper Hudson River railroad opened from Riverside to Hadley.

January 3 - Canadian National Railway abandoned the Granby Subdivision from Marieville to Chambly.

February 15 - Canadian National Railway abandoned the Granby Subdivision.

May - Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway became the Waterloo Central Railway

June - Windsor & Hantsport Railway abandoned from New Minas to Hantsport.

September 10 - Quebec Central Railway is purchased by the Quebec Government and only the Vallee and Levis Subdivisions are back in service.  All other lines were abandoned.

4 Years Ago - 2006

American Orient Express was renamed to the Grandluxe Rail Journeys and ended running in Canada.

January 19 - Central Western Railway was sold to Canadian National Railway.

January 24 - The City of Ottawa-Carleton purchased the Canadian Pacific Railway's North Prescott Spur from Uplands to Sabourins Crossing.

March - Guilford Rail System was renamed to Pan Am Railways.

April 21 - Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned the CASO Subdivision from Fargo to St. Thomas.

September 13 - Quebec Central Railway stopped operating due to bankruptcy.

5 Years Ago - 2005

May 6 - Capital Railway purchased the Ellwood Spur and the North prescott Spur from Hull to Uplands from Canadian Pacific Railway.

October 3 - Massena Terminal Railroad was purchased by RailAmerica.

December 6 - Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway began sharing trackage between Falding and St. Cloud.  Northbound trains used CPR's Parry Sound Subidivision and southbound trains used CNR's Bala Sub.

10 years Ago - 2000

Northern Vermont Railroad was contracted to operate by the State of Vermont from Wells River to White River Junction.

GO Transit purchased the entire Uxbridge Subdivision from Canadian National Railway.

Waterloo-St. Jacobs Railway ceased operations.

February - RailAmerica took over Railtex.

May 5 - Wisconsin Central Limited abandoned the Michipicoten Harbour Branch.

May 29 - Agence Metropolitaine de transport began to run commuter trains from Montreal to McMasterville.

July 18 - Quebec Central Railway recreated and began to operate the former Canadian Pacific Railway lines of the Vallee Subdivision, the Chaudiere Sub and the Levis Sub.

September 23 - Adirondack scenic Railroad opened from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid.

September 29 - The Town of Orangeville purchased from Canadian Pacific Railway the Owen Sound Subdivision.  The Orangeville & Brampton Rail Association Group managed its operation.

October 2 - VIA Rail Canada operated a funeral train from Ottawa to Montreal transporting the body of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

November 24 - Capital Railway was created to operate a communter rail service in Ottawa.

December 23 - Ontario L'Orignal Railway was purchased by Ottawa Central Railway.

25 Years Ago - 1985

CN Rail abandoned the Monk Subdivision and the Armagh Sub from Monk to Ste-Claire.  Also abandoned were the Kingston Spur, the Dunnville Sub from Fort Erie to Caledonia, the Meaford Sub from Meaford to Collingwood and the St. Peters Branch.

St. Lawrence Railroad abandoned from Waddington to Norfolk.

VIA Rail Canada scrapped Turbo CN1.

CP Rail abandoned the Port McNicoll Subdivision from Orillia to Uthohff.

January 1 - CN Rail abandoned the Miramichi Subdivision

March 26 - CN Rail abandoned the Smiths Falls Subdivision from Smiths Falls to Sydenham.

April - CN abandoned the Madoc Branch.

April 30 - Conrail operated over the Canada Southern Railway for the last time.

May 1 - CN Rail and CP Rail purchased the Canada Southern Railway.  As the CASO Subdivision, CP got the Detroit River tunnel and the trackage east of Attercliffe while CN got from Windsor to Fargo.  Fargo to Attercliffe was operated by CN but jointly owned with CP.

June 1 - CSX Transport Corporation began running rights over the CASO Subdivision of CN Rail and CP Rail.

June 19 - Commission de Transport de la Communaute Urbain de Montreal was renamed to the Societe de Transport de la Communaute Urbaine de Maontreal.

September 9 - CP Rail opened a bridge on the Buckingham Branch over the Lievre River.

50 Years Ago - 1960

Canadian National Railways abandoned the Rawdon Subdivision from Rawdon Junction to St-Jacques, the Muskoka Wharf Spur, the Conners Subdivision and the Rouses Point Sub from St-Lambert to Brossard after opening a new line from Brossard to Castle Gardens.

Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway merged into Canadian National Railways.

Northern Land Company Limited Railway opened from Ross Bay Junction to Wabush and was operated by the Quebec, North Shore & Labrador Railway.

January 1 - Canadian National Railways abandoned the Creemore Branch.

January 20 - Cartier Railway opened from Port Cartier to Gagnon.

March 31 - Canadian National Railways abandoned the Irondale Subdivision from Howland junction to York River.

May 1 - Canada Southern Railway abandoned the Courtright, Oil Springs and Petrolia Branches.

July 29 - Canadian National Railways abandoned the Renfrew Spur in Ottawa from Bayswater Avenue to Preston Street.

October 17 - Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad merged with the Erie Railroad to become the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.

75 Years Ago - 1935

Cornwall Street Railway, Light & Power Company retired freight motor #8 when they purchased a new #8 from the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway.

Niagara Gorge Railroad was abandoned.

Quebec County Railway was abandoned.

Toronto Transportation Commission abandoned from West Hill to Birchmount.

Canadian National Railways abandoned the Tavistock Subdivision from Tavistock to Hickson and Otterville to Otterville Junction.

Windsor, Essex & Lake Shore Rapid Railway was abandoned.

Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned the Little Current Subdivision from mile 19.6 to O'Donnel.

Whitney industries open a railroad from Brandreth to St. Anges Junction and on to Rock Pond.

Lewiston & Youngstown Frontier Railway was abandoned.

Brantford Municipal Railway was abandoned.

June 13 - Canadian National Railways abandoned the Hagersville Subdivision from Port Dover to Jarvis.

June 15 - Hull Electric Company abandoned from Queens Park to Aylmer.

June 20 - Canadian National Railways abandoned the Tweed Subdivision from Bannockburn to Tweed.

October 1 - Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned the Edmundston Subdivision from dmundston to Cyr Junction.

100 Years Ago - 1910

Carillon & Grenville Railway was abandoned.

Suburban Tramway & Power Company was renamed to the Public Service Corporation.

National Transcontinental Railway opened from Hudson to Superior Junction, Mattice to Groundhog, Cchrane to the Quebec/Ontario border, Edmunston to the west side of the Salmon River, the east side of the Salmon River to Maple Grove, Bantalor to Hardwood Ridge and East Chipman to Pansburn.

Canadian Northern Railway opened a new line from Cape Rouge to Allenby and Morency junction to Mont Mills.

Calgary Electric Railway was renamed to the Calgary Municipal Railway.

Calgary & Edmonton Railway opened the Canadian Pacific Railway Stettler Subdivision from Stettler to Castor.

Sherbrooke Street Railway was renamed to the Sherbrooke Railway & Power Company.

Toronot Eastern Railway was created.

Albert Southern Railway was abandoned.

Moncton & Buctouche Railway was renamed to the Moncton & Northumberland Railway.

Fredericton & Grand Lake Coal & Railway was created.

Harvey Branch Railway was abandoned.

New Brunswick Coal & railway was leased by Canadian Pacific Railway.

Sydney & Louisburg Coal & Railway was renamed to the Sydney & Louisburg Railway.

Atlantic, Quebec & Western Railway opened from Port Daniel to Grande Riviere.

Manitoulin & North Shore Railway opened from Sudbury to Crean Hill.

Algoma Central & Hudson Bay Railway opened from Pangis to East Pangis and from Hawk Junction to Hawk Lake.

Mecca Lumber Company abandoned their railroad.

Millertown Railway was sold to the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Corporation and opened from millertown to Lake Ambrose.

Canadian Northern Alberta Railway was created.

March 7 - Orford Mountain Railway was leased by Canadian Pacific Railway.

March 10 - Canadian Northern Pacific Railway was created.

March 25 - St. John Valley Railway was renamed to the St. John & Quebec Railway.

April - Central Ontario Railway opened from Lake St. Peter to Wallace.

May 4 - James Bay & Eastern Railway was created.

May 8 - Montreal & Southern Counties Railway opened from St-Lambert to Longueuil.

June 1 - Georgian Bay & Seaboard Railway leased by Canadian Pacific Railway.

July 1 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Orford Mountain Subdivision from Mansonville to the USA border.  From there the Midland Railroad of Vermont opened to Elkhurst.

     - International Railway of New Brunswick opened from Jardine Brook to St. Leonard.

July 22 - Detroit River Tunnel Company opened a tunnel from Windsor to Detroit.

August 14 - St-Maurice Valley Railway opened from Shawinigan to Grand-Mere.

September 7 - Canadian Northern Railway opened from Rawdon Junction to Rawdon.

September 12 - Irondale, bancroft & Ottawa Railway opened from Hughes to York Junction.

September 18 - Quebec County Railway opened.

125 Years Ago - 1885

Montreal Park & Island Railway was created.

Chateaugay Railroad opened from Lyon Mountain to Standish.

Missisquoi Valley Railway was abandoned but remained as a company.

Brantford, Waterloo & Lake Erie Railway was created

Sarnia, Chatham & Erie Railway opened from Oil City to Oil Springs.

Quebec & Lake St-John Railway opened from St-Raymond to Riviere-a-Pierre.

Tobique Valley Railway created.

Gulf Shore Railway created.

Intercolonial Railway opened from Dalhousie Junction to Dalhousie.

Lake Erie, Essex & Detroit River Railway was created.

Prince Edward Island Railway opened from Emerald Junction to Cape Traverse.

Chatham Street Railway was created and opened in Chatham.

January 9 - Jamestown & Franklin Railroad was leased by the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway.

January 14 - Utica & Black River Railroad was leased by the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad.

January 26 - Metropolitain Street Railway of Toronto opened in Toronto.

January 31 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Nemegos Subdivision from Ridout to Lac Poulin, the Nipogon Sub from McKay's Harbour to Winstons and the Heron Bay Sub from Terrance Bay to Jack Fish, Marathon to Peninsula Harbour and struthers to Bremner.

February - Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway opened from Aylmer to Quyon.

February 16 - Syracuse, Phoenix & Oswego Railway was created then took over the Syracuse, Phoenix & Oswego Railroad.

February 28 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Nemegos Subdivision from Lac poulin to Chapleau, the White River Sub from Chapleau to Brunel, the Nipogon Sub from Cypress River to Gravel River and the Heron Bay Sub from Bremner to White River.

March 14 - Oswego Railroad Bridge Company merged into the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad.

March 30 - Parry Sound Colonization Railway was created.

March 31 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the White River Subdivision from Brunel to Lochalsh and from White River to Girdwood.

April 6 - Retigouche & Victoria Colonization Railway was created.

April 18 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Nipogon Subdivision from Red Rock to Nipogon.

April 30 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the White River Subdivision from Lochalsh to Girdwood, the Nipogon Sub from Winstons to Schreiber and the Heron Bay Sub from Schreiber to Terrance bay and McKeller's Harbour to Marathon.

May - Northern & Pacific Junction Railway opened from Gravenhurst to Bracebridge.

May 1 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Buckingham Branch from Masson to Buckingham.

    - Fredericton & St. Mary's Railway & Bridge Company was created.

May 17 - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the bridge at jack Fish on the Heron Bay Subdivision, completing the line east of Thunder Bay.

June 29 - Waterloo & Magog Railway opened a new route between South Stukely to Eastman.  The old track from Eastman to Dillonton was given to the Missisquoi Valley Railway.

June 30 - Caraquet Railway opened from Gloucester Junction to Stonehaven.

July 20 - London Junction Railway was renamed to the West Ontario Pacific Railway.

    - Temiscouata Railway was created.

August 17 - Saratoga & St. Lawrence Railroad was created.

September - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Thompson Sub from Savonas to Kamloops and the Shuswap Sup from Kamloops to Craigellachie.

September 7 - Syracuse, Phoenix & Oswego Railway opened from Woodward to Fulton.

September 10 - Claredon & Pittsford Railroad was created.

September 15 - Jumbo, the famous circus elephant, was killed by a Grand Trunk Railway train in St. Thomas.

September 20 - North Shore Railway was taken from the Grand Trunk Railway by the Canadian Government and was sold to Canadian Pacific Railway.

September 30 - St. John Bridge & Extension Company opened a bridge and rail connection between the New Brunswick railway and the Intercolonial Railway.

October 1 - Penn Yan & New York Railway merged into the Syracuse, Geneva & Corning Railway.

October 14 - Elgin, Petitcodiac & Havelock Railway opened from Petitcodiac to Havelock.

October 23 - Harlem Extension South Coal Transportation Company was merged into the New York, Rutland & Montreal Railroad.

November - Canadian Pacific Railway opened the Shuswap Subdivision from Craigellachie to Revelstoke and the Mountain Sub from Revelstoke to Beaver.

November 1 - The first Canadian Pacific Railway train to the Pacific Coast left Montreal.

November 8 - The first Canadian Pacific Railway train to the Pacific Coast arrived in Port Moody.

December 5 - New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railway was renamed to the West Shore Railroad and then leased by the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad.

December 18 - Fulton & Oswego Railroad was created.

150 Years Ago - 1860

Grand Trunk Railway opened from St-Pascal to Rivere-du-Loup and abandoned the Longueuil Spur.

Lake Ontario & Hudson River Railroad was replaced with the Adirondac Estate & Railroad.

Galt & Guelph Railway merged into the Great Western Railway.

January 3 - Stanstead, Shefford & Chambly Railroad opened from Farnham to Granby.

May 19 - Drummond & Arthabaska Counties Railway was created.

July 25 - Potsdam & Watertown Railroad was purchased by the Watertown & Rome Railroad.

August 1 - European & North American Railway opened from Sussex to Moncton.

November 2 - Grand Trunk Railway opened the Hanley Spur in Kingston.

December 31 - Brockville & Ottawa Railway opened a tunnel under Brockville.

175 Years Ago - 1835

Hamilton & Port Dover Railroad was created.

April 16 - Erie & Ontario Railroad was created.

August 18 - Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad opened from Waterford to Ballston Spa.

October - Saratoga & Schenectady Railroad was under the control of the Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad.

November 10 - Vermont Central Railroad was created.

    - Connecticut & Passumpsic railroad was created.

    - City Of Toronto & Lake Huron Railway was created.