The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
Nov. 1, 1970 marked the end of an era for transportation in north Wellington: the Canadian National Railway ended all passenger service on the branch lines north of Guelph and through Wellington County.
Freight service survived for a few years, but line abandonments began not long afterward, commencing with the stretch between Fergus and Palmerston. Today all the tracks are gone, and walking trails have replaced the former iron rails.
Few people under 60 will have much memory of the passenger service on the local branch lines. For generations this was the only practical mode of long-distance transportation in this area, and lasted barely 100 years, the last 50 of which consisted of a losing battle against the motor car.
For the final 11 years of the branch line passenger service, CN used self-propelled rail diesel cars, or RDCs. Two 150 horse power diesel engines powered each car, permitting rapid acceleration after station stops. CN introduced these cars, with much hoopla, in June 1959. Officials promised faster schedules and no cutbacks.
The schedule, though, showed a major reduction in service.
The daily Owen Sound- Hamilton train was gone, as was one of the two daily Palmerston-Stratford trains. The RDCs provided a single daily return trip from Palmerston to Southampton and to Owen Sound, and two daily round trips between Palmerston and Guelph, where they connected with other trains.
In Palmerston the announcement was met with mixed reactions to say the least. Some 70 men there received layoff notices. Included in the restructuring of the train service was the removal of mail from the trains to trucks, and the completion of the transfer of the railway’s express business to its trucking subsidiary.
Financially, the mail and express business had provided much of the income generated by these trains.
A year later there was a further reduction, with the daily Southampton and Owen Sound trains combining at Palmerston, and running all the way to Toronto via Guelph. This service remained in place until the end, 10 years later.
A new National Transportation Act came into effect in the late 1960s.
This provided an approval process for abandonments of service, and for a subsidy of 80% of the deficits on runs considered to be in the public interest. Canadian National announced in November 1968 that it wanted to get out of the passenger business north of Guelph due to heavy losses on the service.
Paper work dragged on, though, and hearings were not set until April 1970.
In the meantime, the railway also applied to close six stations in the area: Acton, Rockwood, Elora, Moorefield, Hespeler and Preston.
Only Acton, led by Mayor Les Duby, protested the closures at the Canadian Transportation Commission (CTC) hearing in Guelph on Jan. 13, 1970. Acton’s efforts proved futile. The CTC granted the railway’s request.
Unlike the station closures, the removal of the passenger trains did cause a minor furor.
A group of Elora residents organized a petition that was signed by several hundred residents, and later endorsed by Fergus council, who placed it in the municipal office for Fergus residents there to sign.
In the north, Robert Cherrey led the opposition with a flurry of letters.
When the hearing opened on April 8, both the Transport Commission and CN were startled at the overflow crowd, which was even larger than the one at hearings in Owen Sound the week before. It was swelled by Guelph residents who were protesting the removal of the early morning commuter train to Toronto.
The Commissioners expected to be finished by early afternoon. Instead, the hearing dragged on for four days.
Much of the time was devoted to the Guelph-Toronto commuter run. MP Alf Hales and MPP Harry Worton, both regular users of the service, noted that usage had increased over the previous five years from a handful to about 40 at Guelph, with more boarding at other stations on the route.
Mayor Ralph Smith had already been campaigning for an extension of GO trains to Guelph.
All were frustrated by the railway’s refusal to submit detailed financial figures, other than a claimed $147,000 annual loss on the run.
Palmerston councillor Nelson Langdon brought up the matter of the financial aid – about $400,000 in Wellington County – given by local municipalities toward construction of these lines. Had these funds been invested in bonds, he claimed, there would now be more than $100 million in the kitty.
As well, Langdon argued that buses could not provide an adequate service, particularly in winter, and that the train service was an obligation to CN pensioners who held passes on the railway.
George Loney, an Elora resident who rode almost daily to Toronto, outlined deficiencies in the service, such as dirty cars and inadequate seating. He claimed that he often had to stand in the baggage compartment. He expected demand for the service to increase in the future, with more Elora residents commuting to Toronto.
Mrs. R.A. Strong, of Rockwood, submitted another petition, urging the retention of the trains to cut down on road traffic.
A transportation economist with the provincial government told the Commissioners that commuter traffic in the Guelph-Toronto corridor was increasing at 8% per year, and the discontinuance of trains would require major expenditures on highway.
Allan Ross, reeve of Minto, presented briefs that stated removal of the trains would deter growth in the outlining areas. Rather than taking the trains off, he suggested, the railway should improve the service and market it properly.
There were more than 20 other witnesses, all in opposition to the discontinuance of the trains. In the end, it did not matter.
The Commissioners, operating under the Transportation Act that places financial considerations paramount, accepted the railway’s claim of huge losses on the services.
Canadian National announced that the services would end when the next timetable was issued, effective Nov. 1, 1970.
A number of people made plans for a last trip on the train.
Winston Watt, principal of Elora Junior School, believed the passing of train service was significant. He made arrangements with the railway for extra space to accommodate four classes from his school for a trip to Guelph on Oct. 30. Buses brought the students to the Elora station, and picked them up again at Guelph.
It was a cold, windy and raining when the youngsters piled out onto the Elora platform. As well, the train was running late, due to others taking a last ride.
A track gang opened the waiting room of the 100-year-old Elora station so that the younger students could wait out of the rain. For them, it was a final opportunity to see the interior and experience the smell unique to railway stations.
The last train left Palmerston for Guelph and Toronto two days later, on Sunday evening. Here and there, people stood at track side to watch it go by.
It was quite a contrast to the celebrations on Sept. 13, 1870, when thousands gathered at Fergus to celebrate the start of passenger service north of Guelph.
*This column was originally published in the Wellington Advertiser on Oct. 27, 2000.
