Georgetown Train Station
History
Georgetown Station was built in 1858 by the Grand Trunk Railway on the Toronto to Sarnia route. Prior to construction , it was announced that the stations on this line would not match the elegant stone features of its counterpart east of Toronto at the start . This was changed after the public expressed their distaste towards this decision, and a handful of stone stations were thrown in at some locations. Georgetown was one of them, and while there are no known photos of it prior to its renovations, it followed the Grand Trunk’s standard 5-bay design. These small but sturdy structures were meant to provide little more than the essentials for small communities across Ontario. Georgetown was incorporated as a village several years later in 1865 and soon after had a population of about 1500.
The Hamilton & Northwestern Railway arrived through Georgetown in 1878, passing north across the Grand Trunk about 1.5 kilometers west of the station. Now that the H&NW also had a station in Georgetown, the two railways would interchange passengers between the two lines. Just a year after opening, the H&NW merged with the Northern Railway of Canada, forming the Northern & North Western Railway. An even more significant change would occur just under ten years later in 1888, when the N&NW was merged into the Grand Trunk. Shortly afterwards, the former H&NW line was rerouted so that all trains would pass through the Grand Trunk station.
Rather than replace the original station, the Grand Trunk heavily renovated it in 1908. Little of the original design features were kept besides the stone exterior. It was given a higher pitched roof and a turret at the northeast corner where the station master’s office was moved to. At some point, a water tower was built nearby and standpipes were located at either end of the platform to refill steam locomotives with water. Little would change through the steam era, even after Canadian National acquired the bankrupt Grand Trunk in 1923. The former H&NW was little more than a branch line to Allandale and Collingwood, and north of Georgetown there was often just two trains per day in either direction. The former Grand Trunk, on the other hand, maintained a higher number of trains even after the 1950’s.
As Canadian National was moving away from offering passenger service, GO Transit took over commuter trains between Georgetown and Toronto in 1974. VIA Rail followed in serving Georgetown in 1977 when it was created as a spinoff of CN’s regional and cross-country passenger service. Amtrak’s International Limited stopped at Georgetown on its way to and from Toronto between 1990 and 2004. Today, Georgetown is a busy stop on the GO Transit Kitchener Line and has become a relatively popular trainspotting location.
source Toronto Railway Historical Association
Georgetown Station was built in 1858 by the Grand Trunk Railway on the Toronto to Sarnia route. Prior to construction , it was announced that the stations on this line would not match the elegant stone features of its counterpart east of Toronto at the start . This was changed after the public expressed their distaste towards this decision, and a handful of stone stations were thrown in at some locations. Georgetown was one of them, and while there are no known photos of it prior to its renovations, it followed the Grand Trunk’s standard 5-bay design. These small but sturdy structures were meant to provide little more than the essentials for small communities across Ontario. Georgetown was incorporated as a village several years later in 1865 and soon after had a population of about 1500.
The Hamilton & Northwestern Railway arrived through Georgetown in 1878, passing north across the Grand Trunk about 1.5 kilometers west of the station. Now that the H&NW also had a station in Georgetown, the two railways would interchange passengers between the two lines. Just a year after opening, the H&NW merged with the Northern Railway of Canada, forming the Northern & North Western Railway. An even more significant change would occur just under ten years later in 1888, when the N&NW was merged into the Grand Trunk. Shortly afterwards, the former H&NW line was rerouted so that all trains would pass through the Grand Trunk station.
Rather than replace the original station, the Grand Trunk heavily renovated it in 1908. Little of the original design features were kept besides the stone exterior. It was given a higher pitched roof and a turret at the northeast corner where the station master’s office was moved to. At some point, a water tower was built nearby and standpipes were located at either end of the platform to refill steam locomotives with water. Little would change through the steam era, even after Canadian National acquired the bankrupt Grand Trunk in 1923. The former H&NW was little more than a branch line to Allandale and Collingwood, and north of Georgetown there was often just two trains per day in either direction. The former Grand Trunk, on the other hand, maintained a higher number of trains even after the 1950’s.
As Canadian National was moving away from offering passenger service, GO Transit took over commuter trains between Georgetown and Toronto in 1974. VIA Rail followed in serving Georgetown in 1977 when it was created as a spinoff of CN’s regional and cross-country passenger service. Amtrak’s International Limited stopped at Georgetown on its way to and from Toronto between 1990 and 2004. Today, Georgetown is a busy stop on the GO Transit Kitchener Line and has become a relatively popular trainspotting location.
source Toronto Railway Historical Association