Location: The subject railway is located in southern Ontario, connecting the city of Windsor with Amherstburg to the southwest and Tecumseh to the east.
History: The history of the Sandwich, Windsor & Amherstburg Railway (SW&AR) dates back to the creation of the first operative electric street railway in Canada. In June 1886, a two mile line was constructed and opened from downtown Windsor to the Walkerville area. In time, it became part of the Windsor Electric Street Railway, a company that relied more on horse operations. Upon the electrification of the entire system, the company was reorganized as the Windsor, Sandwich & Amherstburg Railway. Control of this firm fell into the hands of Detroit United in 1901, a company funded primarily through Canadian sources that controlled the street car system across the Detroit River and in other locations throughout the United States. It was from this entity that two separate interurban railway lines developed in the early 1900's.
The first project was a fourteen mile line built from Windsor south to Amherstburg. Construction began in 1902 with the line open for traffic in June 1903. The second project was a line stretching six miles east from Windsor to Tecumseh. This project was originally incorporated as the Windsor & Tecumseh Railway in 1904 but was purchased by Detroit United in 1906 and merged with its Windsor operations. Construction began immediately with the line being open for traffic in May 1907. The routes for both lines combined the usage of city streets in urban areas and the shoulder of a highway right-of-way in the rural areas. In March 1920, ownership of both routes was transferred to the municipalities serviced. Operation of the lines was then contracted out to the Hydro Electric Power Commission which named the system Hydro Electric Railways: Essex Division. Some service was co-ordinated with the Windsor, Essex & Lake Erie Rapid Railway that operated from Windsor to Leamington.
During the latter years of Detroit United ownership, the line and equipment had been permitted to deteriorate to the extent that a lot of work was necessary to keep the railway in operation. Accordingly, the municipalities decided to rebuild the line and replace the equipment. With the change in ownership and the rebuilding program, both passenger and limited freight traffic increased substantially until the depression of the 1930's. Faced with an increasing debt load, the company was forced to reorganize as the Sandwich, Windsor & Amherstburg Railway with operations still being handled by Hydro. To make matters worse, Hydro decided to walk away in 1934, leaving the municipalities to operate the trains alone. The end finally came for the Amherstburg line in March 1938 when service was suspended. The Tecumseh route lasted for several more months until May 1938. Not long after, both routes were dismantled and equipment either sold off or scrapped.
Approximate Milage: The Amherstburg branch is 14 miles long while the Tecumseh branch is 6 miles in length.
Current Status: Both branches of the SW&AR were abandoned after the cancelation of service in October 1938 and promptly dismantled. Few traces of the railway remain today.
Principle Stations: Windsor, Amherstburg and Tecumseh.
Remaining Stations: The are no remaining stations along the SW&AR.
Additional information about the Sandwich, Windsor & Amherstburg Railway can be obtained from the following site:
Last Updated: December 02, 2000
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