Over the course of the later part of 2021, I made a point to visit and explore the rich railway heritage across Ontario to explore a sliver of the vast swath of the story of the railroad in Ontario. There was no way I could capture the entire history in a single part of a year; there is also a greater depth of history that covers the entirety of Canada. Instead, I decided to focus on fifty hand-picked locations in Southern Ontario.
A Brief History of the Railway in Canada
I wrote a five-part series to provide historical context for the Railway project, covering everything from the earliest days of tracked travel and steam engines to the railway in the 21st Century.
Part 1 – Humans, Horses, and Steam (3838BCE – 1850CE)
Part 2 – A New Way to Move (1850-1880)
Part 3 – The Drive West (1880-1900)
Part 4 – A Golden Age (1900-1950)
Part 5 – Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1950-2021)
A Faded Glory
00 – A Faded Glory: A Starting Point
01 – Streetsville Junction – Credit Valley Railway (1879-1914)
02 – Milton – Grand Trunk Railway (1906-1961)
03 – Guelph Central Station – Grand Trunk Railway (1911-Present)
04 – CN Locomotive 6167 – Montreal Locomotive Works (1940-1964)
05 – Palmerston – Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway (1871-1996)
06 – Burlington Junction – Grand Trunk Railway (1906-1982)
07 – King City – Ontario, Simcoe & Huron Union Railroad (1853-1964)
08 – Aurora – Grand Trunk Railway (1900-Present)
09 – Unionville – Toronto & Nipissing Railway (1871-1991)
10 – Uxbridge – Grand Trunk Railway (1904-1996)
11 – Jerseyville – Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (1895-1954)
12 – TH&B Locomotive 103 – Montreal Locomotive Works (1913-1954)
13 – International Railway Bridge – Grand Trunk Railway (1873-Present)
14 – Bridgeburg B-1 – Grand Trunk Railway (1873-1975)
15 – Warren Street Shops – Canadian National Railway (1964-1982)
16 – Ridgeway – Grand Trunk Railway (1900-1975)
17 – Niagara-On-The-Lake – Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway (1913-1960)
18 – Bridge Street Station – Great Western Railway (1879-Present)
19 – Stratford – Grand Trunk Railway (1913-Present)
20 – Stratford Motive Power Shops – Grand Trunk Railway (1873-1964)
21 – St. Mary’s Junction – Grand Trunk Railway (1858-1941)
22 – Blyth – Canadian Pacific Railway (1907-1988)
23 – Goderich – Canadian Pacific Railway (1907-1988)
24 – Goderich – Grand Trunk Railway (1903-2001)
25 – Woodstock – Grand Trunk Railway (1885-Present)
26 – Woodstock – Canadian Pacific Railway (1899-Present)
27 – St. Thomas – Canadian Southern Railway (1873-1989)
28 – Kettle Creek Bridge – Michigan Central Railway (1929-1999)
29 – St. Thomas Locomotive Shops – Michigan Central Railway (1916-1989)
30 – Port Stanley – London & Port Stanley Railway (1856-Present)
31 – Toronto Union Station – Toronto Terminal Railways (1927-Present)
32 – John Street Roundhouse – Canadian Pacific Railway (1929-1986)
33 – Toronto North – Canadian Pacific Railway (1916-1946)
34 – Leaside Locomotive Shops – Canadian Northern Railway (1916-1931)
35 – Don Station – Canadian Pacific Railway (1896-1967)
36 – CN Locomotive 4803 – General Motors Desiel Canada (1953-1984)
37 – Peterborough – Ontario & Quebec Railway (1884-1991)
38 – Havelock – Canadian Pacific Railway (1929-1991)
39 – Owen Sound – Canadian Pacific Railway (1946-1994)
40 – Owen Sound – Canadian National Railway (1931-1970)
41 – Hamilton – Canadian National Railway (1931-1993)
42 – Hamilton – Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (1933-Present)
43 – Brantford – Grand Trunk Railway (1905-Present)
44 – Port Hope – Grand Trunk Railway (1856-Present)
45 – Belleville – Grand Trunk Railway (1856-2012)
46 – Kingston Inner Station – Kingston & Pembroke Railway (1884-1966)
47 – CP Locomotive 1095 – Canadian Locomotive Company (1913-1960)
48 – Sarnia – Grand Trunk Railway (1890-Present)
49 – Petrolia – Grand Trunk Railway (1903-1927)
50 – London – Canadian Pacific Railway (1893-1989)
51 – A Faded Glory: Retrospective
What an awesome project. The photographs are stunning. They are so much more than mere snapshots. The precision of the framing is outstanding. And I love the black and white photography.
Although I have been doing photography as a hobby for decades I am fairly new to photographing trains. Unfortunately I live in Norfolk County which has no active railway lines and minimal remaining railway infrastructure. I did recognize the Brantford Via station immediately. Prior to stumbling on to your project I was so ignorant/oblivious to so much of the railway heritage surrounding me.
As I near retirement your project has given me inspiration to explore more of that heritage in Ontario.
Thank you Alex.
Thank you for the kind words and I’m glad to have inspired your next adventure!