Trains
Click on the images to enlarge and Scroll through the Galleries
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
The Iron Bridge
The iron bridge (Grand Trunk Railway bridge) over the River Credit Many of us called it The "Trestle", was built by Toronto- Guelph line in the mid 1800's
Structures built for the Toronto-Guelph line (later Grand Trunk) include: the iron trestle over the Credit River, the original (still operating) Georgetown Station, the Exchange Hotel (a frame stagecoach style hotel on the station grounds), the John/McNab Street underpass & culvert, a newly discovered 1855 stone bridge in the countryside near Limehouse, and an iron and stone underpass at Crewsons Corners on Hwy #7.
The Daily Leader (Toronto), Thursday, 17 May, 1855
Grand Trunk Railway
SOME NOTES OF A VISIT TO THE WORKS OF THE GRANDTRUNK RAILWAY, WEST OF TORONTO, FEBRUARY 1855
By Fred Cumberland, Esq.,
Chief Engineer of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway.
"At 27 miles from Toronto we come to the most important structure of the line, forming the crossing of the valley of the River Credit, 2000 feet in width between the banks. It consists of 8 spans of 96 feet each, giving a full length of structure of 921 feet, the remainder of the crossing being by embankment containing about 150,00 yards of material, about half of which is from a cut on the west side in indurated clay similar to the specimen which I present.
The piers and abutments of this structure are constructed entirely of a very beautiful quality of sandstone of fine close and hard grit, and of a very agreeable warm color. This stone is brought by tramroad from the Georgetown quarries, 4 miles distant, and as it has attracted much attention recently as a material available for Toronto works. I have secured a specimen for your inspection. Of this the piers and abutments are constructed in courses rising from
2.6. to 18. in height, with self face, quarter beds and joints and bold
3. drove arises at the external angles, with two bold plinth courses and tooled capping for girders.
These masses of masonry, of a description unsurpassed by anything I had previously seen in Canada, rise to a height of 115 feet above the water line, and this in connection with the great length (nearly 1,000 feet) results in an effect which is grand in the extreme, although of course the appearance is marred as yet by the incompleteness of the structure, the presence of temporary trustlework and the want of unity which the absence of the girders begets. On enquiry I find that the masonry, when complete, will consist of 13,000 cubic yards, and the weight of the wrought iron girders 405 tons. Much as one is gratified on a first view of the Humber viaduct on seeing that at the Credit one is tempted to regret the necessity existing there for the use of brick; for the Georgetown stone, built in the bold style adopted at the Credit, gives such complete assurance to the mind of permanent stability, and such satisfaction to the eye by the play of color on its face that it tends to dissatisfy one with a material in itself unimpeachable but relatively inferior. The girders to be used at the viaduct being of 96 feet span are of different construction to those we have already described. Instead of the two single web girders as at the Humber, here we have single tubular girders, 7.0 high and 7.0 wide, with the track on the top of it and projecting side paths as before, giving a full width of floor of 16.0, each girder weighing somewhere about 50 tons.
Structures built for the Toronto-Guelph line (later Grand Trunk) include: the iron trestle over the Credit River, the original (still operating) Georgetown Station, the Exchange Hotel (a frame stagecoach style hotel on the station grounds), the John/McNab Street underpass & culvert, a newly discovered 1855 stone bridge in the countryside near Limehouse, and an iron and stone underpass at Crewsons Corners on Hwy #7.
The Daily Leader (Toronto), Thursday, 17 May, 1855
Grand Trunk Railway
SOME NOTES OF A VISIT TO THE WORKS OF THE GRANDTRUNK RAILWAY, WEST OF TORONTO, FEBRUARY 1855
By Fred Cumberland, Esq.,
Chief Engineer of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway.
"At 27 miles from Toronto we come to the most important structure of the line, forming the crossing of the valley of the River Credit, 2000 feet in width between the banks. It consists of 8 spans of 96 feet each, giving a full length of structure of 921 feet, the remainder of the crossing being by embankment containing about 150,00 yards of material, about half of which is from a cut on the west side in indurated clay similar to the specimen which I present.
The piers and abutments of this structure are constructed entirely of a very beautiful quality of sandstone of fine close and hard grit, and of a very agreeable warm color. This stone is brought by tramroad from the Georgetown quarries, 4 miles distant, and as it has attracted much attention recently as a material available for Toronto works. I have secured a specimen for your inspection. Of this the piers and abutments are constructed in courses rising from
2.6. to 18. in height, with self face, quarter beds and joints and bold
3. drove arises at the external angles, with two bold plinth courses and tooled capping for girders.
These masses of masonry, of a description unsurpassed by anything I had previously seen in Canada, rise to a height of 115 feet above the water line, and this in connection with the great length (nearly 1,000 feet) results in an effect which is grand in the extreme, although of course the appearance is marred as yet by the incompleteness of the structure, the presence of temporary trustlework and the want of unity which the absence of the girders begets. On enquiry I find that the masonry, when complete, will consist of 13,000 cubic yards, and the weight of the wrought iron girders 405 tons. Much as one is gratified on a first view of the Humber viaduct on seeing that at the Credit one is tempted to regret the necessity existing there for the use of brick; for the Georgetown stone, built in the bold style adopted at the Credit, gives such complete assurance to the mind of permanent stability, and such satisfaction to the eye by the play of color on its face that it tends to dissatisfy one with a material in itself unimpeachable but relatively inferior. The girders to be used at the viaduct being of 96 feet span are of different construction to those we have already described. Instead of the two single web girders as at the Humber, here we have single tubular girders, 7.0 high and 7.0 wide, with the track on the top of it and projecting side paths as before, giving a full width of floor of 16.0, each girder weighing somewhere about 50 tons.
Trains
The Culvert - AKA the Beep Beep Bridge
Radial Line
The Guelph line opened on 14 April 1917 and ran from Keele and Dundas Streets to the Grand Trunk Railway station in Guelph. All intermediate stations except Limehouse had a passing siding. Service on the line was every two hours. From April, 1926, there was hourly weekday service east of Georgetown. When the Toronto Transportation Commission took over all TSR lines within the Toronto city limits and converted them back to Toronto gauge, the TSR's Lambton Carhouse became the Toronto terminus of the Guelph line. In 1925 the route was extended to a new station at Keele Street and St. Clair, situated between the TTC's streetcar loop and the CNR tracks. It was connected by new off-street track from Lambton. In 1925, The TSR opened Eldorado Park in order to spur Sunday ridership. The TSR owned this 100-hectare (250-acre) recreational property, which was located on the Credit River near Churchville. One period photo shows a 12-coach train pulled by electric locomotive number 300 bound for Eldorado Park. By 1931, the Guelph line was only carrying 300 daily passengers, compared to 1,662 cars and nine buses per day travelling along the essentially parallel Highway 7. A bond interest default caused the Guelph line to go into receivership and be shut down on 15 August 1931. After receivership ended on 13 September 1935, the line was promptly dismantled
