Objection taken to national plan

Darlington residents want northern route kept going

Get no discouragement

Resident of the township of Darlington, Durham county, do not approve the tentative plans of the Canadian National Railways entailing the abandonment of the present northern route of the National system from Port Hope to Toronto and the electrification of the Toronto Eastern as a substitute system for handling local freight. To express their view of the proposal and their strong opposition to it a delegation consisting of municipal officials of the township visited Gerard Ruel, general counsel, and E. W. Oliver, engineer of the Toronto Eastern, yesterday. Their protest is founded on the claim that the cessation of service on the present line and the salvaging of the right-of-way would leave their shipments very much up in the air. Furthermore, they claimed, since the Canadian Pacific right-of-way was the next closest to their centre of shipment much of their local freight would necessarily be diverted over that line.

At present large quantities of dairy products and a considerable amount of fruit are shipped from the section by way of the Tyrone and Solina stations, both of which are situated on the present northern right-of-way and are in the heart of the Darlington district. The tentative plans of the Canadian National Railways entail the scrapping and salvaging of the entire northern section of track and the diversion of all steam traffic to the double-track line of the Grand Trunk. All local freight would then be turned over to the Toronto Eastern line, which it is proposed shall be electrified and substituted for the northern line.

The deputation came as a result of former representations made in favor of the Toronto Eastern plan by residents along the line of the proposed electrification. The members were informed, however, that no change could be effected in the plans of the railway unless the majority opinion warranted it. Their views, they were promised, will be laid before Sir Henry Thornton when he arrives from England.

Railways: C.N.Rys., T.E.Ry.

Stations: Solina, Tyrone

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