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Cobourg and Peterborough Railway 1852-1898, The

Largely financed by the citizens and town, Cobourg's railway to Peterborough was chartered in 1852 and opened in 1854. Like many others of this period, it suffered from excessive optimism, land speculation and faulty engineering. Ice made the three-mile-long Rice Lake bridge unsafe and finally destroyed it 1860-61, ending use of the northern section. Reorganized in 1866, the remaining part carried considerable iron ore from Marmora. The line was acquired by the Grand Trunk in 1893 and closed in 1898.

Location

At University Avenue and Spring Street near the site where the first sod was turned for the line, Cobourg

Region: Central Ontario

County/District: County of Northumberland

Municipality: Town of Cobourg

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