Canadian National Railways
Proposed abandonment
| District | - | Southern Ontario | Province | - | Ontario |
| Division | - | London | From | - | Simcoe |
| Subdivision | - | Simcoe | To | - | Port Rowan |
Distance — 16.92 miles
1. Train service
Service on this Branch is a Mixed Train each way daily, except Sunday, handled by train and crew operating Hamilton-Simcoe-Port Rowan-Simcoe-Port Dover-Hamilton. The service has been the same in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937. The schedule, as shown in Timetable dated January 9, 1938, is as follows:—
| No. 233 | Lv. | Hamilton | 9.10 a.m. |
| Lv. | Simcoe | 11.24 a.m. | |
| Ar. | Port Rowan | 12.25 p.m. | |
| No. 238 | Lv. | Port Rowan | 2.45 p.m. |
| Ar. | Simcoe | 3.45 p.m. | |
| No. 236 | Lv. | Simcoe | 3.50 p.m. |
| Ar. | Port Dover | 4.30 p.m. | |
| No. 235 | Lv. | Port Dover | 5.00 p.m. |
| Ar. | Simcoe | 5.23 p.m. | |
| No. 238 | Lv. | Simcoe | 5.24 p.m. |
| Ar. | Hamilton | 7.10 p.m. |
2. Brief historical review
| Opened for operation | - | 1889 |
| Built under the Charter of | - | The South Norfolk Railway Co. under Act 50-51 V. Chap. 86 of Canada, dated June 23, 1887. |
On May 24, 1888, the South Norfolk Railway Co. was amalgamated with the Grand Trunk, Georgian Bay and Lake Erie Railway Company, which on April 1, 1893, amalgamated with the Grand Trunk Railway Company of Canada, finally becoming part of the Canadian National Railway System, in 1923.
3. Physical characteristics of line to be abandoned
| (a) | - Rail | - 60 lb. Barrow rolled in 1888; switches obsolete |
| (b) | - Bridges | - Two pile trestles, fair condition |
| (c) | - Culverts | - Good condition |
| (d) | - Ballast | - Sand - badly in need of resurfacing |
| (e) | - Ties | - Mainly softwood untreated, very poor condition |
| (f) | - Max. Grades | - Northbound 1.1% |
| - Southbound 1.0% | ||
| (g) | - Curvature | - 3 degrees maximum |
| (h) | - Drainage | - Fair |
| (i) | - Snow conditions | - Not servere |
| (j) | - Buildings | - Station and other buildings are generally in poor condition |
Location of line proposed for abandonment is shown coloured Red on the accompanying map.
4. Brief description of territory served
The country served is a prosperous well settled farming country producing chiefly apples, small fruits, tobacco, etc. During recent years there has been an annual increase in the acreage of apples and tobacco, but on account of the establishment of cold storage facilities at Simcoe and tobacco warehouse at Delhi, the apples and tobacco are being trucked principally to these points for storage and furthermore.
There has been some development of summer resorts along the lake shore but very little business as accrued to the railway on this account.
Port Rowan is the centre of a considerable fishing industry and some volume of rush traffic is shipped by express.
There is practically no industrial development in this section, the few industries presently operating being quite small and of a more or less local nature.
Following are particulars of communities served, population, industries, railway facilities, etc.
| Location | Pop. of Towns & Villages 1931 Census | Dist. from nearest Ry. Station on Abandonment (Miles) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vittoria | 7.4 Simcoe | 9 car siding—No industries. | |
| Walsh | 8.5 Simcoe | 2 car siding—Saw mill. | |
| Forrestville | 13.0 Delhi | 2 car siding—Lumber & fuel dealer, feed, flour & fertilizer dealer. | |
| St. Williams | 16.0 Delhi | 6 car siding—Furniture manufacturers, Ontario Forestry Branch, boat builder, 2 feed dealers and 3 chicken hatcheries. | |
| Port Rowan | 689 | 21.0 Delhi | 6 car siding—Coal dealer, grain and building supply dealer, Imperial Oil. 17 car passing siding. |
5. Statement of revenues and expenses
A. Year 1934
1. Gross C.N.R. Revenues (See Schedule "A" attached for details)
| Revenues accruing to | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Passenger | $ 677 | $ 643 | $ 1,320 |
| Freight | 2,234 | 13,836 | 16,070 |
| Express | 903 | 7,308 | 8,211 |
| 2,128 | 2,128 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 385 | 385 | |
| Totals | $ 6,327 | $ 21,737 | $ 28,114 |
2. Expenses (Out-of-pocket only)
| Expenses incurred on | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Maintenance of way & structures* | $ 12,260 | $ 12,260 | |
| Transportation | 12,608 | 12,608 | |
| Other expenses | 3,322 | 3,322 | |
| (50% Oper. Ratio on freight and express) | 10,572 | 10,572 | |
| Totals | $ 28,190 | $ 10,572 | $ 38,762 |
*Excludes supervision
3. Loss from operation
| Loss from operation of Branch Line | $ 21,863 | |
| Deduct net earnings on Balance of Systems: | ||
| 50% Freight and Express | $ 10,572 | |
| 100% Passenger & Miscellaneous | 643 | 11,215 |
| System Loss | $ 10,648 |
B. Year 1935
1. Gross C.N.R. Revenues (See Schedule "B" attached for details)
| Revenues accruing to | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Passenger | $ 750 | $ 709 | $ 1,459 |
| Freight | 2,003 | 12,417 | 14,420 |
| Express | 892 | 7,211 | 8,103 |
| 2,128 | 2,128 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 384 | 384 | |
| Totals | $ 6,157 | $ 20,337 | $ 26,494 |
2. Expenses (Out-of-pocket only)
| Expenses incurred on | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Maintenance of way & structures* | $ 9,150 | $ 9,150 | |
| Transportation | 13,557 | 13,557 | |
| Other expenses | 3,301 | 3,301 | |
| (50% Oper. Ratio on freight and express) | 9,814 | 9,814 | |
| Totals | $ 26,008 | $ 9,814 | $ 35,822 |
*Excludes supervision
3. Loss from operation
| Loss from operation of Branch Line | $ 19,851 | |
| Deduct net earnings on Balance of Systems: | ||
| 50% Freight and Express | $ 9,814 | |
| 100% Passenger & Miscellaneous | 709 | 10,523 |
| System Loss | $ 9,328 |
C. Year 1936
1. Gross C.N.R. Revenues (See Schedule "C" attached for details)
| Revenues accruing to | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Passenger | $ 738 | $ 700 | $ 1,438 |
| Freight | 1,939 | 12,012 | 13,951 |
| Express | 752 | 6,081 | 6,833 |
| 2,135 | 2,135 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 404 | 404 | |
| Totals | $ 5,968 | $ 18,793 | $ 24,761 |
2. Expenses (Out-of-pocket only)
| Expenses incurred on | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Maintenance of way & structures* | $ 8,771 | $ 8,771 | |
| Transportation | 13,716 | 13,716 | |
| Other expenses | 3,312 | 3,312 | |
| (50% Oper. Ratio on freight and express) | 9,047 | 9,047 | |
| Totals | $ 25,799 | $ 9,047 | $ 34,846 |
*Excludes supervision
3. Loss from operation
| Loss from operation of Branch Line | $ 19,831 | |
| Deduct net earnings on Balance of Systems: | ||
| 50% Freight and Express | $ 9,047 | |
| 100% Passenger & Miscellaneous | 700 | 9,747 |
| System Loss | $ 10,084 |
D. Year 1937
1. Gross C.N.R. Revenues (See Schedule "C" attached for details)
| Revenues accruing to | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Passenger | $ 850 | $ 964 | $ 1,814 |
| Freight | 3,048 | 18,987 | 22,035 |
| Express | 720 | 5,819 | 6,539 |
| 2,128 | 2,128 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 425 | 425 | |
| Totals | $ 7,171 | $ 25,770 | $ 32,941 |
2. Expenses (Out-of-pocket only)
| Expenses incurred on | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Branch Line | Balance of System | ||
| Maintenance of way & structures* | $ 9,889 | $ 9,889 | |
| Transportation | 11,952 | 11,952 | |
| Other expenses | 3,336 | 3,336 | |
| (50% Oper. Ratio on freight and express) | 12,403 | 12,403 | |
| Totals | $ 25,177 | $ 12,403 | $ 37,580 |
*Excludes supervision
3. Loss from operation
| Loss from operation of Branch Line | $ 18,006 | |
| Deduct net earnings on Balance of Systems: | ||
| 50% Freight and Express | $ 12,403 | |
| 100% Passenger & Miscellaneous | 964 | 13,367 |
| System Loss | $ 4,639 |