The Guelph and Goderich Railway was a railway in southern

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

to connect

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

to the harbour at Goderich on

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History

The city of Guelph owned the

Guelph Junction Railway The Guelph Junction Railway is a shortline railway owned by the City of Guelph, Ontario, and serves the city's northwest industrial park. The railway was the first federally chartered railway in the Commonwealth of Nations to be owned by a munic ...

(GJR, incorporated in 1884 and owned by a consortium of merchants and the City of Guelph) to connect to the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CPR) mainline 15 miles south of town in

Campbellville Campbellville is a compact rural community in the geographic township of Nassagaweya in the Town of Milton, Ontario. It is on the Niagara Escarpment and is a tourist destination for residents of the Greater Toronto Area. History Campbellville ...

. This line was completed in 1888 and by May 1887 had been leased to the CPR. The railway's charter was amended in 1886 to allow construction of a line to Goderich which was delayed for several years. Eventually, the city of Guelph applied pressure on the CPR to get the line built. The CPR had finished three surveys for the Goderich line by December 1903; the first via

Linwood Linwood may refer to: Places Many of the place names for Linwood come from the presence of linden trees. Australia * Linwood, South Australia *Linnwood, Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road, Guildford, New South Wales Canada * Linwood, Ontario * Linwood, ...

, Atwood,

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and

Listowel Listowel ( ; , ) is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,794 according to the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the third large ...

; the second via Conestogo, Linwood, Atwood, Brussels; and the third via Seaforth and

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...

. Growing frustrated, the GJR announced in 1904 they would petition

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seeking a charter to incorporate the Goderich & Guelph Railway, between both namesake cities with branches to Listowel, St. Marys, Stratford and Clinton. The CPR finally agreed to build the line to Goderich from Guelph and construction began in 1904. The line was laid with rail and reached Goderich in 1907. There was also a branch line from Linwood to Listowel. Envisioned branches to Stratford and St. Marys were never built. The principal stations were located in Guelph, Elmira, Linwood, Milverton,

Monkton Monkton may refer to: Places ;United Kingdom *Monkton, Devon, England *Monkton, Kent, England *Monkton, Pembroke, Wales *Monkton, South Ayrshire, Scotland *Monkton, Tyne and Wear, England *Monkton, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales ;Canada *Monkton, Ontari ...

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...

, Blyth and Goderich. On October 6, 1904 the G&G was leased to the CPR for 999 years, with the City of Guelph obtaining a prohibition against diverting G&G traffic off the Guelph Junction Railway line.

G2G Rail Trail

The 127-km line between Guelph and Goderich was abandoned by the CPR in 1988. The Province of Ontario purchased the land shortly thereafter with the intention of protecting an infrastructure corridor. The original plan was to build a water supply pipeline from Lake Huron to Guelph. As a result of amendments to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), before construction could begin, this usage was prohibited. The corridor was retained for future use and designated an interim use for non-motorized recreation. Various organizations such as the Maitland Trail Association and Kissing Bridge Trail Association have subsequently leased portions of the land from the province. Over the next 20 years, upkeep varied from total neglect to carefully maintained as narrated in Lynda Wilson's vivid descriptions while walking the full trail in 2015. Connecting portions have been opened as the G2G Rail Trail, a recreational trail for use by walkers, hikers and bikers. G2G Rail Trail Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization. In the summer of 2020 a team of students and local volunteers completed a total refurbishment from end to end which included brush clearing, grading and surfacing with stone dust. In June of 2024 a tunnel was added under County Road 25 outside of Blyth to improve safety by eliminating a crossing between the trail and the road.

References

{{reflist Defunct Ontario railways Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiaries Transport in Goderich, Ontario Rail infrastructure in Guelph History of rail transport in Wellington County, Ontario Rail transport in Woolwich, Ontario History of rail transport in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo History of rail transport in Perth County, Ontario History of rail transport in Huron County, Ontario Standard-gauge railways in Canada

History

G2G Rail Trail

See also

References