The Lake Erie and Northern takes over part of the Grand Valley Railway.

The negotiations which have been in progress for some time between the Lake Erie and Northern Ry., represented by its General Manager, Martin N. Todd, and the City of Brantford, with reference to a portion of the Grand Valley Ry. section of the lines operated as the Brantford Municipal Ry., and the electrification of the L.E. & N.R., have been brought to a successful termination. As a result, the L.E. & N.R. acquires for $30,000 the portion of the Grand Valley Ry. from Paris to Galt, about 13 miles, and the G.V.R. transformer station in Galt. The City of Brantford retains the rails, overhead work, etc., which will be removed from Blue Lake siding, about 4 miles from the Paris end of the section, as the cement works at Blue Lake have been closed permanently. This arrangement gives the L.E. & N.R. practically what it wanted in Paris, and relieves the City of Brantford from the necessity of spending about $65,000 to repair the Paris-Galt line, and its future maintenance. It also enables the L.E. & N.R. to get rid of two level crossings over the Grand Valley at Paris and Galt. The L.E. & N.R. will use about half a mile of the Grand Valley track at the Galt end, to connect with the Galt, Preston & Hespeler St. Ry., and will scrap the rest of the line to Paris, but later on it may operate over a short distance of the Paris end of the Galt-Paris section of the Grand Valley, into the Industrial section of Paris, for freight purposes only. It will handle passenger business from Its own station In Paris, that being the stipulation by the City of Brantford, which does not want the L.E. & N.R. to compete with it for passenger business on the lower level in Paris.

The important feature of the arrangement is the fact that the entire L.E. & N.R. line from Port Dover to Galt, 53 miles, is to be electrified, and that a new electric car terminal wlll be establlshed at the foot of the embankment near Lorne Bridge, Brantford. The electrification work on the line between Galt and Brantford, about 22 miles, has been started. Contracts for the electrical material for this section were placed in May, with the option of extending them to also include the Brantford-Port Dover section. It is expected to have the Galt-Brantford section electrified and ready for traffic in October. The grading, track laying, and other work on the Brantford-Port Dover section, about 30 miles, is being pushed forward, and it is hoped to have the electriflcation of it completed by December. The overhead equipment will be of catenary construction, aluminum messenger wire with steel centre having been ordered from the Northern Aluminum Co. Steel trolley wire will be hung at 15 ft. spacings, with feeders every 50 ft. This system is a new one in Canada, but it has been used by the Pacific Electric Co. in California, and by other United States companies, with, it is said, satisfactory results.

The L.E. & N.R. has ordered 4 motor and 2 trailer cars, and 2 combination passenger and baggage cars from the Preston Car and Coach Co. The bodies will be 48 3/4 ft. long, with steam railway car type of vestibule at each end, standard buffing device, M.C.B. couplers, Canadian Westinghouse motor equipment, multiple unit control, 1,500 volts, seating accommodation for 70 passengers, steel underframes and steel frames covered with wood inside and outside. The various cars will be of the same size and type as, and will be very similar in appearance to those on the Galt, Preston and Hespeler St. Ry. Two 60-ton electric freight locomotives and the electric car equipment have been ordered from the Canadian Westinghouse Co. A contract for the sub station equipment has been given the Canadian General Electric Co. The sub station at Galt will be a portable one for the present, and there will be sub stations at Brantford and Simcoe, each equipped with 500 k.w outfits.

Power wl11 probably be taken from the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, through Its local subsidiaries. The Galt, Preston & Hespeler St. Ry. is said to have been the first electric railway in Ontario to use this power.

The section of the Grand Valley Ry. between Paris and Galt wi11 not be taken over by the L.E. & N.R. until its electrification is completed, but it wl11 be operated by the Brantford Municipal Ry. Commission in the meantime. The L.E. & N.R. intends giving an hourly service between Galt and Brantford, and a two hour service between Brantford and Port Dover.

The L.E. & N.R. is leased to the C.P.R. for 99 years. It is expected that the Galt, Preston & Hespeler St. Ry., which also operates the Preston & Berlin St. Ry., and is owned by the C.P.R., wl11 be amalgamated with the L.E. & N.R. under the latter name. M. N. Todd is President of the Galt, Preston & Hespeler St. Ry., and General Manager of the L.E. & N.R., and wl11 doubtless continue in charge of the amalgamated lines. A Galt paper points out that while the lines referred to have the benefit of close affiliation with, the C.P.R., they have the advantage of being locally operated, which is a great convenience to the communities in the districts served.

The Brantford Municipal Ry. will, in uture, consist of the old Brantford St. Ry., and tbe Brantford-Paris section of the old Grand Valley Ry., the latter being about 8 miles. The entire transaction by the city in acquiring the Brantford St. Ry. and the Grand Valley Ry. involved $300,326, of which $137,000 was provided in cash, the balance representing original bonds $125,000, mortgages $2,400, and installments to accrue on avement account about $36,000. The city has provided money tor the betterment of the city lines and the line to Paris, the construction of the East Ward and Eagle Place loops and for new cars, etc. Plans had been made tor bringing the Paris-Galt section up to standard at a cost of about $65,000. The city, by the present arrangement, is relieved from this expenditure, and will receive $30,000 for the Paris-Galt section. The business done on the line is reported to be sufficient to cover operating expenses and interest on debt, but not to provide for depreciation or sinking fund. For the latter purpose $4,000 a year is required.

Railways: B.M.Ry., C.P.Ry., G.P. & H.St.Ry., G.V.Ry., L.E. & N.Ry., P. & B.Ry.

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