History

The Burford Subdivision has as its origin the Norfolk Railway (NR), which was incorporated on January 23, 1869 to build from Lake Erie to the Great Western Railway (GWR) at Paris; however, no construction was started under the original charter.

On March 24, 1874, the NR became the Brantford, Norfolk & Port Burwell Railway (BN&PBR), which was authorized to build from Port Burwell on Lake Erie through Tillsonburg to the GWR in Brantford. In February 1877 the GWR, seizing the opportunity to create a "loop line" from Brantford to its Canada Air Line Railway at Tillsonburg, leased the BN&PBR and assumed its final construction costs. The GWR opened from Brantford to Tillsonburg on January 1, 1878 and to the Canada Air Line Railway at Tillsonburg Junction in December 1878, perhaps after the completion of the bridge over Stoney Creek.

By April 30, 1978, the 2.4 miles from Tillsonburg to Tillsonburg Jct. was abandoned and the Burford Subdivision terminated at the CPR transfer. The bulk of the former Burford Subdivision (Burford to Tillsonburg) was abandoned in late 1987/early 1988 followed by Brantford to Burford in 2001/2002. Approximately one mile of the former Burford Subdivision between Branford and the former LE&NR crossing remain service.

Footnotes

Special Instruction No. 19 applicable west of Burford.

Rules 41 and 44 applicable.

Brantford—

*Coal only.

Distance junction switch Dunnville and Burford Subdivisions to station 0.32 mile. Normal position of switch, mileage 0.21 is for eastward trains. (See Dunnville and Dundas Subdivision footnotes.)

Air Brakes must be in service on all cars when being moved between Brantford (Dundas Subdivision) and Brantford, Colborne Street.

All movements over Dalhousie Street (B.T.C. 56086), Colborne Street (B.T.C. 58559) and switching movements over Market Street (B.T.C. 57432), West Colborne Street (B.T.C. 66128) and Chatham Street (B.T.C. 67148) must be protected by member of crew.

Norwich Jct.—

Trains may leave without terminal clearance.

Tillsonburg—

Eastward trains only, require terminal clearance..

Tillsonburg Jct.—

Trains may leave without terminal clearance.

Emergency telephones

Mileage	10.30	Tool house.
Mileage	22.03	Second pole, west of junction switch, Otterville Subdivision.
Mileage	31.00	Box on pole.
Mileage	33.70	Southwest corner, tool house.

Railway crossings at grade

Mileage
1.05	Crossing Lake Erie and Northern Railway; interlocking.	(B.T.C. 71724)
1.45	Crossing Lake Erie and Northern Railway; automatic interlocking. No derail.	(B.T.C. 67088)
33.13	Crossing Canadian Pacific Railway; interlocking.	(B.T.C. 68880)

Yard limit signs

Brantford	19,799 feet west of Junction Switch, Dunnville Subdivision.
Norwich Junction	Yard limits extend 2,000 feet east, and 2,300 feet west of east switch to Otterville Subdivision.
Tillsonburg	4,040 feet east of station to junction switch of Cayuga Subdivision.

Speed restrictions

	Miles per hour
Yard engines	15
Other trains	25
Auxiliary crane over bridges M 3.19 and 5.12	5

Permanent Slow Orders

Mileage					Miles per hour
0.00	to	2.62	Brantford—Junction with Dunnville Subdivision and Brant St., first east of T.H. &. B. Transfer.	(B.T.C. 28224)	10
0.42			Brantford—Grey Street	(B.T.C. 74126)	10
0.62			Brantford—Chatham Street	(B.T.C. 67143)	10
0.69			Brantford—Nelson Street	(B.T.C. 72409)	10
0.87			Brantford—Dalhousie Street	(B.T.C. 56086)	10
0.93	to	1.17	Approach L.E. & N. Crossing	(B.T.C. 71724)	10
0.94			Brantford—Colborne St.	(B.T.C. 61325)	10
1.12			Brantford—Greenwich St.	(B.T.C. 65919)	10
1.22			Brantford—Market Street	(B.T.C. 57432)	5
1.31	to	1.63	Approach, L.E. & N. crossing	(B.T.C. 67088)	10
10.47			Burford—Maple St.	(B.T.C. 72377)	10
32.37	to	32.85	Curve and light rail		20
32.85	to	33.41	Approach C.P.R. crossing	(B.T.C. 68880)	15
33.66			Tillsonburg—passing over Tillson's Spur Track		10
33.94			Tillsonburg—Ralph Street, first west of station	(B.T.C. 35649)	15
34.08			Bridge, Stoney Creek		15

For further speed restrictions see page 28.

Engine and Car Restrictions

Heaviest engine permitted to operate over Stoney Creek Viaduct just west of Tillsonburg station	2117 class.
Heaviest car permitted to operate	210,000 lbs.
Heaviest auxiliary crane permitted	160 tons.

Other tracks

	Car capacity	Points face	Mileage
Mt. Vernon	6	W	7.69
Burford Sand Co.	8	E	11.63
Transfer to C.P.R.	5	E	33.27

Way freights

Leave

Brantford

7.15

a.m.

ex. Sun.

to

Tillsonburg and return.

Train order offices

Station	Hours of Service	Days of Service
Burford	8.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.	Mon. to Fri. incl.
Tillsonburg	8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.	Mon. to Fri. incl.

Diagram showing location of train phone wires

Face direction named: Count cross arms from the top down.

Look West Brantford to Tillsonburg

Look West Tillsonburg to Tillsonburg Jct.

Train phone wires marked

Note—

Emergency telephone wire must be hooked up as close as possible to the pole, first scraping any corrosion off the pole line wire in order to establish contact with the train dispatcher.

Chronology