Ontario Southland Railway

by R.L.Kennedy

181_506 on GJR southbound at wooden pile trestle Mileage 29.75 over the Eramosa River in Guelph.
November 6, 2005 David Young

Ontario Southland is an independent, locally owned company that contracts to provide a variety of rail services. It had its beginnings in 1992, although some of its principal shareholders were owners in two tourist train operations, Pinafore Park RR and Port Stanley Terminal Rail. They, and other investors along with most of the nearly two dozen full and part time employees have many years of practical hands-on experience in the operating department of Class 1 railways (CPR, CN, CSX).

Commencing in April 1994, Ontario Southland took over switching from CP and CN of the Petro Canada plant in Clarkson, (Mississauga) Ontario, located on the Canadian National Oakville Subdivision, a Joint Section also used by Canadian Pacific. Operations began using former TH&B 51 an upgraded EMD NW2.

Guelph Junction Railway

182_504 southbound in a wintery scene at Moffat. February 14, 2006 David Young

The Guelph Junction Railway has remained all but invisible from its incorporation in the late 19th century until the present in the early 21st century! The Town of Guelph had rail service since 1856 when the Grand Trunk Railway built through on its way from Toronto to London. It also had the Great Western Railway's Galt & Guelph Ry. until the GWR was absorbed by the GTR in 1882. Seeking competition for better freight rates, the business leaders incorporated the GJR in 1884, then leased it in May 1887 to the "new guy", Canadian Pacific Railway, who finally got construction underway and opened it on August 20,1888.

For over a Century the only name to be seen on locomotives and other equipment was that of Canadian Pacific even though the City owned 100% of the shares making it unique in all of Canada. The City drove a hard bargain in the original lease getting 40% of the gross revenues of all traffic over the line including the CPR's own traffic originating on the G&G portion beyond to Goderich.

Declining traffic first brought about reduction and then elimination of passenger service along with a less generous sharing of revenues. Finally, the CPR was no longer interested in the Guelph Junction Railway and notified the City it would not renew the lease when it ran out on December 31, 1997.

The City undertook to take over its 16 mile long railway and contracted with Ontario Southland Railway, a small contract switching operator to provide service. Effective January 1,1998 the OSR took over and the GJR itself remained invisible! One of the interesting facts that came out of this "de-leasing" was that the Guelph Junction Railway owned most of the yard at Guelph Junction, north of the mainline where GO Transit has a facility to store and service commuter trains for its Milton-Toronto service. This would bring additional revenue, as would switching a lumber reload facility (rail-truck), and another industry, both located on GJR land!

There was also the 3.1 mile segment north of Norwich Street (mile 31.75 Goderich Sub.) of the old G&G remaining in CPR ownership which served at least two active customers. More importantly it also allowed the GJR to reach an industrial area in the City's north end where two long leads (both over one mile long), on City owned land, (track 50-50 owned CN/CP), reached the few remaining customers on a Joint switching basis. GJR acquired this small segment of track March 31,1999, to not only reach the Joint industrial area but, also to allow competitive access to both major rail systems, an enviable choice not enjoyed by most industries and short lines.

The CNR served this part of Guelph from a small yard next to the mainline, and a branchline that once ran between Galt, Guelph, Fergus and Palmerston. By the time the GJR became independent there was only a short stub running through the City to reach the Joint industrial area. It was what was left of the Wellington, Grey & Bruce. CNR sold this spur November 15,1998 to another new shortline taking over its main line between Stratford, Guelph and Georgetown, Goderich-Exeter Ry. which had also taken over CN track from Stratford to Goderich, April 3,1992, becoming the first modern short line in Ontario. Goderich-Exeter was originally owned by Railtex, a US operator of shortlines. GEXR was their first entry into Canada. All Railtex shortlines were eventually sold to Rail America, the biggest operator of shortlines in the USA.

OSR was only obligated to provide service three days a week, but from the beginning they showed a desire to provide service to the customer whenever it was requested. Five day a week service soon became normal and long hours common. On some occasions a second crew was called to relieve the first one. The two-person crew changed to three. Traffic grew and grew, a single RS-23 unit became insufficient and a second unit was added, an RS-18, (plus a spare unit) as tonnage increased.. Additional units rotate in service.

Guelph Junction Mileage 16.4 (former CPR Goderich Sub.) Customers include: Timber Specialties (pole creosoting), Goodfellow Lumber and in late 2004, Rocket Lumber. (Note: A lumber distribution centre for Canfor was once located here on 11 acres and opened in November 1991. Also, Cecil M. Hunt Haulage was located here until late 2002 when it left for a new facility in CPR (ex TH&B) Aberdeen Yard, Hamilton.) A heated enginehouse was built in the yard. Aerial view 2005

Moffat Mileage 20.2 is a small point having a passing track and a back track used by GJR for storage of empty tank cars for owner Procor. Sharpe Farm Supplies does not use rail.

182_506 southbound with nine cars. Coming and going! February 14, 2006 David Young

Corwhin Mileage 23.2 once had a small station; nothing here anymore.

Same train a little earlier at Corwhin.

Arkell Mileage 27.1 is next, where a short stub end siding was once used by Guelph Utilities to unload hydro poles. It has been restored to service for other purposes including a passing track.
Aerial view train southbound near Arkell.

Mileage 29.75 wooden pile creosote ballasted deck trestle 181 feet long over the Eramosa River
November 30, 2005 David Young

Mileage 29.78 Near the south end of Guelph is a liquid transload facility, a new line of business operated by PDI (well-known for plastic pellet transloading from covered hopper cars), which opened in 2006 following closure in September 2005 by the previous owner. PDI relocated their headquarters to the large office building facing onto Victoria Road. This was a large chemical plant operated by Huntsman Corp. Canada Inc. (There had long been a chemical plant here, first Hart Products, which was acquired by Lever Bros. in 1962 and renamed Hart Chemicals. Then it was Texaco Chemical Canada 1992-1994 when all of Texaco Chemical was bought by Huntsman.) Once it was normal for 20 cars to be here on four tracks (including a scale) having only 11 spots thus requiring lengthy switching moves. Rail was essential to this plant, without it they would have had to relocate. An old deadend siding referred to as "Kaufman's" at Mileage 29.88 once used to hold a few tank cars waiting placement in Huntsman (long-ago used by Kaufman Shoes, and since demolished) at the back of a shopping centre just north of Huntsman, was extended to hold a dozen or more cars waiting placement at PDI in the Lower Yard. In late 2006 a new track with switches at both ends was begun to facilitate switching at the new PDI Liquid Terminal which could only be switched southbound.

A little farther in to Guelph is the Lower Yard between Mileages 30.22 and 30.57 beside which was the site of the former La Farge (concrete pipe) property which is a new rail-truck transload facility owned by PDI (Polymer Distribution Inc.). This new site relieves their CPR facility in Streetsville. The 14 plus acre site started out in February 2002 with 3 tracks holding 8-9 cars each. Later, in 2003 there were 8 tracks totalling about 64 cars and more recently 12 tracks totalling 90 cars. A further 4 tracks holding 35 cars were added late in 2004 bringing total capacity to 120-125 cars Aerial views of PDI Until the new location was ready PDI used a temporary facility located at the end of the North Industrial spur.

A little farther along at Mileage 30.89 is the north leg of a wye and access to a spur at Mileage 30.88 that at one time had a small enginehouse on it as well as some industries. Only one industry remains with rail service, Owens-Corning Canada (fiberglass) on York Road.

W.C.Wood (freezers) and other plants, are either closed or no longer using rail. Upper Yard between Mileages 31.29 and 31.58 is almost gone and what remains is unused. Here were the passenger station and freight shed; both long-gone. Farther along, United CO-OP ended operations soon after OSR took over, then the siding was briefly used as a team track. It has since been removed. At the end of the line a reverse direction track connects with a large plant with nine sidings, ABB Inc. (ASEA Brown Boveri, previously CGE) makers of large transformers etc. It closed at the end of 2005. This track continues southward across busy Woodlawn Road West to connect with the interchange track XT99 for transfer of cars between GEXR and GJR as well as connecting the two Joint Area industrial leads where both railways have equal access to customer sidings.

Located on the North Industrial Spur is Metro Recycling a major new customer shipping waste metal from the former Armtec 2 plant. A small facility for contractor Pacific Northern Rail and then, Smurfit-MBI formerly MacMillan Bathurst (corrugated cardboard boxes) a CN customer. Also, another transload for PDI. Other industries that no longer use rail include Euclid-Hitachi. On the South Industrial Spur is another new customer as of October 1999, Bi-Pro Marketing a transloading, storage & warehousing facility, (CN & CP) with 2 tracks (a third track to be added) holding 27 cars for agricultural products. Soon, it was averaging 100 cars per month inbound, mostly via CN. A storage track was created 12/2002 to serve Bi-Pro by dead-ending the lead itself and adding a new lead to the north of it. Also located on this spur is AOC Canada Inc. (Alpha-Owens Corning, Resins and Coatings) plant. http://www.bi-pro.com/customservices/index.htm Other plants on these spurs no longer use rail.

GJR traffic has grown considerably: 1998, 1323 cars; 1999,1910 cars; 2000, 2415 cars. 2003 near 3000 cars.

The Guelph Junction Railway continues to be an important link in the daily commerce of the City of Guelph and will continue to be so for many years.

Traffic: Traffic continues to grow, as noted above PDI has expanded its facility in Guelph again and again until there is no more room! The majority of their traffic now routes CN/GEXR whereas previously it was almost all CPR. (They continue to operate in CPR Streetsville Yard as well). Another new shipper starting about two years ago, in the north industrial area is Metro Recycling loading out waste metal to Western Canada. Late in 2004 Rocket Lumber relocated from Erindale on the CPR Galt Sub. to GJR Guelph Jct. They now receive much of their traffic via CN/GEXR/GJR. Hunt Haulage left the Junction in late 2002 for a new facility in CPR (ex TH&B) Aberdeen Yard, Hamilton. Huntsman Chemical closed their facility in September 2005. ABB also closed their transformer facility (once CGE), in December 2005, vacating in February 2006.

Track: Not including the many private tracks on PDI property, described above, there have been some additions to GJR tracks including three tracks into the OSR shop in Guelph Junction and the reinstallation of the north switch on WGOD3, plus addition of new track WGOD4 and a short stubend track next to the shop. Soon, GO Transit is expected to move out of Guelph Jct. as their new Milton facility is under construction beginning September 2005, which will consist of 4 tracks each holding two 12 car trains including locomotive. Note: This work has been held up by the construction of two highway overpasses in Milton which is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. This will free up the existing 5 tracks totalling some 5850 feet. No doubt GJR/OSR will quickly find a new use for these tracks.

Guelph Junction Railway Gallery

181-183 alongside the Speed River in Guelph. June 2000. Brian D. Switzer

Night Falls Over Guelph

Southbound train with OSRX 434462 ex CP caboose leaving Guelph in a winter scene January 23, 2005
This van was transferred from Clarkson and returned to service to replace older caboose 4900. Kevin Flood

Tillsonburg-Ingersoll

OSR 500 ALCO S6 (ex SP 1240) southbound at Charles Street in Ingersoll, 1999. Peter's Trains

OSR also operates and maintains on a lease basis from the CPR, the remainder of its Port Burwell Subdivision, 18 miles between Ingersoll and Tillsonburg, Ontario. Originally built in 1895 as the Tillsonburg, Lake Erie & Pacific 33 miles from Port Burwell to Ingersoll, it was leased October 6, 1904 to the CPR for 999 years. It was near abandonment due to declining traffic when OSR took over its operation February 26, 1999.

The line originally operated on a unique "every 5 days" schedule. Monday and Friday on the first week, and Wednesday only on the second week. This was to accommodate a cycle of assigned freight shipments that arrived every 5 days! This later changed to twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays).

More recently the line has operated five days a week serving industries in Tillsonburg and Mount Elgin as well as interchange with another shortline, St.Thomas & Eastern, (Trillium Rail), operating a portion of the former CNR Cayuga Subdivision between St.Thomas and Delhi. Much STER traffic arrives via the CPR and thus is handled by OSR. Total traffic was only about 800 cars per year but, has increased considerably. It is now handled by one 2-man crew operating five days a week.

Customers in Tillsonburg include TDS (Total Distribution Systems) Group (formerly Livingston), auto parts, wooden crates etc. Johnson Controls, (formerly Hoover) foam auto seats; Nu-Gro, Vigoro brand fertilizers, and Cargill in Mount Elgin.

Update: Salford shop finally opened October 25, 2004 (see Gallery below) at which time operations were relocated there from leased facilities in Tillsonburg although some equipment remains stored there. Track work has been ongoing for some time now using second-hand CN track machines to install thousands of new and used ties. The main work over the entire line is nearing completion as 2006 comes to and end. Investing for the future.

Traffic continues to increase requiring five day a week operation. The acquisition in November 2003 of Nu-Gro Corp.'s former Pursell Vigoro Canada ice melter business by Kissner Group (Preston, est. 1878) has expanded this seasonal traffic to many times the volume previously handled. Loads all arrive from Saskatchewan via CN and ST&E. This plant is on the old CASO connecting track in Tillsonburg. One tiny remnant of a once great railway.

Wellmaster Pipe & Supply, Inc. an old local business in Tillsonburg has become a new customer shipping small diameter pipe for the Alberta oil industry. Much of this traffic is currently (late 2006) being shipped CN via STER due to a shortage of CP bulkhead flats.

Future Transfer on the St.Thomas & Eastern in Tillsonburg continues to receive CP traffic via OSR including for a new customer, Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. which is moving loads both in and outbound. They have a fleet of 300 tank cars to move waste liquid product for recycling. Note: In 1984 Safety-Kleen acquired controlling interest in Breslube Enterprises Ltd, Breslau, ON, a major Canadian re-refiner of used automotive oil.

Tillsonburg-Ingersoll Gallery

A Look at OSR Locomotives

A Look at OSR Rolling Stock new

Other operations

Babcock and Wilcox

Petro Canada

W. G. Thompson & Sons

History

NOTE: For a more detailed history of the Guelph and Tillsonburg lines along with photos of the CPR era, see: C.P.R. London Division

CPR employee time table 1959 Goderich Subdivision Port Burwell Subdivision

SPECIAL THANKS go to Jeffrey Willsie, President, Ontario Southland Railway for assistance with this article; as well as OSR staff Gregory Steele, Bruce Mercer and Dave Hooten for photographs and information. Thanks also to Brian Switzer, as well as Gordon Strathdee and others for permission to use their photos including the many new recent additions from David Young.

Ontario Southland Railway Official Web Site