Ghost Railways of Ontario

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of history at Brock
University, and the author of The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides
Won and The Military in the Niagara Peninsula.

In his book, Ron Brown explains the origins of the Ontario railway
networks in the 1850s, and traces the later bankruptcies of many lines,
which led to their consolidation as the CNR.

Ontario once possessed an amazing variety of railways, from radial
lines to long-range steam railways, and Brown tells their fascinating
stories. Each chapter deals with a specific railway, providing
historical background and describing the route. To find the railway,
Brown details what road to drive (and sometimes off-road routes) with
careful directions, since the landscape has changed and structures have
disappeared or been altered. Using this book, you could locate
“Canada’s oldest station in continuous operation,” visit the site
of “one of Canada’s deadliest train wrecks,” find the “Kick &
Push” Kingston and Pembroke line, and see what remains of the
“shortest grain route to the Atlantic ... [and] the longest railway
ever built and owned by one man in Canada. ... Today it is a trail of
ghost towns.”

Ghost Railways of Ontario is more than a handy guide, however, for it
provides information about an important facet of Ontario’s history,
and it encourages both understanding and appreciation of the railway
legacy.