This pioneer railway was chartered in 1868 and the first sod was turned at Weston on October 5, 1869, by Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria. Constructed under direction of chief engineer Edmund Wragge, the main line from Toronto to Owen Sound was completed in 1873 and a branch line from a point near Orangeville to Teeswater was finished about a year later. Freight and passenger service was begun on the section from Toronto to Orangeville in September 1871, and from Orangeville to Owen Sound in August 1873. The original choice of narrow-gauge track proved ill-advised and standard gauge track was laid, 1881-83. The line was leased to the Ontario and Quebec Railway in 1883 and absorbed by the C.P.R. the following year.

Location

At the railway station, 1198 First Avenue East, Owen Sound

Themes

• Industry and trade
• Transportation systems and communications