Nice detective work. It's amazing how many lines there used to be before the car became king. I'm happy to say I used Ottawa's old Union Station on several occasions.
What a good idea, a train from Ottawa to New York. Much nicer than driving and dealing with the horrible traffic near NYC. They need to revive this line.
Many of the land has been bought back by the property owners and that Anderson golf club would have something to say about it. It's too bad the car took over. Trains are coming back in Europe we will follow eventually.
I live in Ottawa and really enjoyed your detective work. I’m amazed that in less than 100 years most of that route has been obliterated. It would’ve been fantastic if the whole length of the route had been preserved for walking or biking or whatever.
The NCC did look at making it a trail but like me they probably realized that it would be a incredibly expensive proposition as they would have had to build bridges everywhere.
My dad was involved with the removal of the line in the 1950s. You can see where it crosses Mitch Owens at Edwards, and also in Crysler where there is a nice mural on the Home Hardware. The ROW I’d also quite evident in Russel on the way to Embrun. There use to be another culvert visible in Finch, but much of it was removed when they built structures on the ROW. The junction with CPR in Finch was apparently quite busy at one time.
Thank you for that story, I have had a few along the way in making this and it is so interesting. Finch gets a lot of trains. The Finch train station is in Embrun I was told.
Love Ottawa area rail history. Appreciate this video very much. Can't up vote enough. I've spent many nights trying to follow old Ottawa region railroads on google maps, but i never get the time to actually go out and visit sites along the routes.
26:44 That pedestrian bridge is so valuable, especially back when the Sommerset pedestrian bridge didn't exist. I bumped into some European backpackers that got off at the Via Rail station. They were expecting a way to cross the highway and reach downtown. There was no bridge over the highway either at the time. Brought them to Sandy Hill via that bridge and the bike paths.
You can tell by looking an aerial photographs where old railroad grade used to be because the way the tree lines have grown and they had to be completely free of debris The trees will grow and form kind of a canopy and there will be a line through the center and once you see that you know that there used to be a railroad grade ran through there
A well done expose' on this historic railway. Your commentary is astute and well researched. Kudos to you. I would love to see your research and video on the run from Peterborough to Ottawa, via Havelock, Marmora, Madoc, Sharbot Lake and Smiths Falls. That would be cool.
Loved your video. It would have been great if the New York Central rails to Ottawa had remained in service allowing VIA - AMTRAK direct service from Ottawa to New York City. 🚂
Great video. I remember my father talking about the NY Central coming into Ottawa when he was young. I am fascinated by infrastructure telling the story of a city's inhabitants and whatever remains is worth documenting and if possible preserving.
@@OttawaOldFart When I was a kid, Ridge road use to lead down the hill to Hawthorn road. There was a station mid way. I remember someone living there. It was later taken down for the 417 Hyw
I love this video and the detail you out in. I'm happy someone is investigating and recording this interesting part of Ottawa's/Ontario's history, that's pretty much unknown to the public today.
I had heard on the radio the NCC wanted to investigate re-opening the route as a trail but that could not happen now, too much of it has been re-appropriated.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I drive by that old culvert off Ramsayville Rd nearly every day on my way to work. I knew it was part of a rail line, but I've always been curious about it...now I know the back story. Thanks again for sharing.
I really enjoyed this. You take excellent pictures with give concise narration without overlooking anything. If you enjoyed this line, you would also enjoy retracing the old Canadian Northern line from Hurdman to Hawkesbury ripped up in the 1940s, or the old Grand Trunk line between Rockland and Limoges. Lots of forgotten culverts, bridge abutments and preserved corridors.
Just looked up the line running from Hurdman to Hawkesbury and I have actually started riding that on my bicycle last summer at least that what I think but it does not run through Hawkesbury but just south of it closer to Vankleek Hill and that lines runs to Montreal but stops being a recreational path just east of the Quebec border. I do not see any other line other than a short one that runs from what looks like a quarry and the city
That line you described is the Montreal & Ottawa, an ex- CP Rail line abandoned in 1985, but is well preserved into a trail. The Canadian Northern line is farther North and skirted the Ottawa river and crossed path with Highway 17, which was built after on sections of it. You can see trestle footings in Green's Creek near Orleans, and the line is traceable from Blair rd. to Rockland, then it's intermittently visible to Hawkesbury where it once crossed the river to Grenville. The section between Rockland and Hawkesbury is hard to trace due to farming and driveways, but visible from Google Earth, very much like sections of the NYC you showed us where tree-lines are still visible.
Ok I will have to dig further I did not see any of this but will look I need another excuse to ride and it is fun. It makes sense since it was easier to build by the river. I have an uncle that lives north of Plantagenet, there might be something there. Thanks for the info.
Looking at Google maps I may have found a small section of that line between Limoge and Rockland. It is at Indian Creek Road and where it crosses a creek (assuming Indian Creek but...) if there is evidence of this it will be there as bridge abutments but just south of it there are lines of tracks leftover on farmers fields at an angle along with lines of trees (a good indication) leading to Limoge. I found in Rocklands history where this line existed.
Great job my friend! This is what I always look for and history is so important. I would love to bottle dig some of those spots for early history pieces. Now I just need to find the EARLY dumps from the 1800-1930's. Wayne.
Or get a metal detector. The old stations might have some old change in the ground. Some of these were pretty primitive, they got stops on request only.
You did a fine, fine job on this. Its interesting how the 'right of ways' have bell/gas/fiber markers at the road crossings. I've done this sort of investigation all my life. Nice to see yours. Cheers!
I traced the line South of Cornwall. The line ran through Roosevelttown, New York through Moira, New York through Tupper Junction and met the Water Level Route at Utica, New York. Where basically all American crews began and ended their tricks. Cornwall is where customs checks entering Canada were conducted as well as where Canadian NYC crews started their tricks. Hurd Junction in Ottawa is where the NY&O joined the CPR and entered Ottawa on trackers rights. And yes the NY&O serviced Finch.
Thanks for doing all this research! I lived in & around Ottawa until 1964. Took The Canadian to Vancouver that yr from old Union Stn next to Chateau Laurier. Still have an Ottawa Valley accent after 54 yrs . I 1st rode from Maxville-Ottawa by myself 1955 (only 5 yrs old) behind steam in a parlor car. I rode in brand-new coach-lounge car Ottawa-Mtrl. It had just come from Canadian Car & Foundry (still had extra screws on window ledge that workman left behind) They were taking it to Montreal to put on the Super Continental that afternoon. Cheers, Don
Thank you Daniel. I am somewhat certain, from walking many sections that the corridor is still a route for an underground communication fibre link, identified by the posts with orange wrap. Train corridors are good communication corridors because they can be serviced easily and are an existing easement. Correct me if I am wrong, may be abandoned as well now with satellites. Pana had a station.....go Pana. Also Embrun has nicely restored station and there is a former station or outbuilding moved to the main street just east in Embrun. Also another building on the road to Berwick from Chrysler. I really appreciate all the work you did.
The train went right through my father's farm! My mother used to live with her mother in Finch, Ontario in the 1950's. Every week she took this train into Ottawa and back so to visit her father in the Rideau Veteran's Hospital!!
I’m from the original cornwall in the uk. Always makes me laugh that when we “discovered” America they just built and named towns/cities after places in the uk! Maybe out of respect…. Or just laziness!! Enjoyed your vlog by the way 👍
There are many cities in this country named after European cities. Some got the name because settlers were from that area. My name was changed from it's original form to the region where they were from.
Cornwall has some history Facebook groups that talk about this line and the history at great lengths. There are placards about the history, with photos, in Cornwall at the water with detailed descriptions.
I did not know about the Facebook group that is interesting. I did see the sign I think it's in the video but I certainly have photos of it. There is also a shuttle train that was used to move cars.
Very interesting, I have searched some of that railway that you mentioned, just as you have done. A wonderful past time. I have also done a lot of the old railways around and out of Kingston and published the book "The First Spik"e which covers a half dozen of them. Pierre Burton can have his Last Spike. Seeking permission to go onto private land can be a bit intimidating at first, but generally I get a very warm welcome and a lot of new information. I call it "My door knocking" Often the land owner send you to see Bill who has some more story, and he sends you to Mary who has some artifacts and so on. Everyone enjoys the interest in their railway. Back to the railway days, There were over 200 railways in southern Ontario, I have tracked down 62 of them, and they were posted on Google Earth, but everything was deleted 3 years ago. All of that money invested in those railways was lost. All we see is a vacant trail. It was the wealth of many people, and municipalities along the way.
We as a country failed our railway by allowing it to go private. The US has a good system that is well used. Other than Toronto and Montreal I am hard pressed to find solid use. Now with Greyhound going under there are few options left.
I've ridden my bicycle down a few sections of this. I may hand this off to my kids as they are embarking on that adventure next summer. takes two cars so I will get o see it all.
We Live in Russell and have some foundations in our backyard that we believe to be from rail sheds for the Russell station. We're trying to track down photos of the Russell station.
Never assume a rail line is fully abandon. Its ALWAYS possible for them to Relay tracks down, fix up areas, fix up/replace old tracks in areas where needed. Clean up of a route and start using it again. Even if it gets turned into a Recreational area., area Paved over. Its ALWAYS possible for Railroad to come in and remove all that stuff and put Lines back in and start using it. Take a Area in New York. a Line was abandoned(considered abandoned for 60 years) Residents of the area moved in and out of the area where tracks were once laid down. They got covered over, fences put up land kindof taken over by Residents. 60 years went by without a single Train or any mentioning of Line reopening. Railroad company comes in, bulldozes fencing down, rocks, gardens, Sheds moved, grass and dirt moved. (all in a span of a few hours on one day. ) span of a month, New rail line placed down granted it was only like 200 feet of new line. so went down pretty quick. But few people were very angry cause well land got destroyed. Was a court battle. but the Residents didnt have any say in the matter. even though it was like 60 years had gone by. That land was still owned by the railroad company. Its now a active Line, the houses that were there, No longer Exist. Its been about 20 years now since then.
Yes. This is what people in Ottawa refer to as the Manotick Station and NY Line better know as Bytown Railway. It actually ran from NY to the old union station, south of Chateau Laurie. This line was a Y with another Y south shape in Ottawa on top of what is now know as uCarleton and the uOttawa making the H in old Ottawa east As it would branch down Colonel By Drive to that destination. The other line ran north Across the POW bridge into Quebec and would head north as far as Wakefield. Called the HCW where it would hit a turn table and spin back south bound. This is the line that the Animator took out of Ottawa into Manhattan, who created superman. As well this line was the life line for Ottawa before the days of highways such as the 401. Personally this line has so much history, but sadly there isn't much left other than like you said. It's a hiking trail. Ultimately what doomed this line was it was single track and single route. 1 Up and 1 down with local routes in Ottawa making 4 trips a day. I know that 1922 Culvert well beside Mitch Owens now your in my grandparents backyard where this segment of rail was still running up to 1994~1995. :) It was shortly closed after. up to the business part. and tada you're at the Science an tech museum before the H. From the Old Union Station in Ottawa it would also head north across the Alexandra Bridge toward lac leamy where it would connect with the bypass Y from uCarleton I mentioned, further heading north to Wakefield, which is the terminus.
Question? I thought rail right of ways are still there despite future development. The property owners may lay claim to that property but unless the railroad sold the easement? It still belongs to the state or railroad.
