Location: The railway is located in southern Ontario, extending between the communities of St. Mary's and Embro, just west of Woodstock.
History: The St. Mary's & Western Ontario Railway (SM&WOR) was incorporated in 1905 to allow for the construction of a railway from a point on the Canadian Pacific line ( West Ontario Pacifc Railway ) between London and Woodstock, north through St. Mary's to a point on Lake Huron somewhere between Sarnia and Grand Bend. Surveys for the line were initiated immediately where it was determined that the line would connect at Woodstock, passing through St. Mary's and Exeter to Sarnia, a route very similar to that once proposed by the South Ontario Pacific Railway in the late 1880's. By 1907, however, it was decided to change the routing again to avoid conflict with several existing railways in the area by building from St. Mary's to a connection in Embro with the Tillsonburg, Lake Erie & Pacific Railway line, a subsidiary of the CPR, with a possible extension to Collingwood.
Construction began on this short segment in late 1907 with the line being open for traffic for a total of sixteen miles in July 1908. By the end of that year, funding had been approved for an extension to Exeter, forty-five miles away, and surveys were initiated. In the interim, the Canadian Pacific, whose board had been behind the project from the beginning, leased the line for ninety-nine years effective February 1909, a time frame revised to 999 years in October 1913. All construction activities and operation were conducted under CPR control. Notwithstanding all the plans made to date, however, the CPR chose not to build any additional trackage beyond St. Mary's, including the extension to Exeter, under the SM&WOR charter. The company disappeared as a corporate entity in 1958.
Approximate Milage: 16 miles.
Current Status: Known as the St. Mary's Subdivision, the route was abandoned by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1995.
Principle Stations: Embro, Lakeside and St. Mary's.
Remaining Stations: There is one station remaining from the St. Mary's & Western Ontario Railway, that being Lakeside which has been moved to property on Brock Street adjacent to Christ Church and cemetery as a community hall.
Last Updated: January 16, 1999
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