The London and Port Stanley Railway (L&PS or L&PSR) was a Canadian

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

located in southwestern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. It linked the city of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

with

Port Stanley Stanley (; also known as Port Stanley) is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. It is located on the island of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2016 census, the city had a popula ...

on the northern shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also h ...

, a distance of approximately .

History

The L&PS was one of the first railways to be built in Ontario, with construction starting in 1856. It provided connections between London, St. Thomas and

. It was built primarily to facilitate trade with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, particularly of wood and coal. As a result of its rail connection, a substantial investment was made in the port facilities of Port Stanley, which in turn attracted American and Canadian shipping. Until 1932, coal from

Conneaut, Ohio Conneaut ( ) is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Creek northeast of Cleveland. The population was 12,841 at the 2010 Census. Conneaut is located at the far northeastern corner of the state. ...

was transported via railway car ferries to Port Stanley. The railway also proved popular with local residents, particularly in the summer when many commuters utilized the system to travel to Port Stanley's beach and resort facilities. However, the railway's service was not always impeccable, as it also earned the nicknames ''Late & Poor Service'', ''Lost & Presumed Sunk'', and ''Lean, Push & Shove''. Originally, the railway operated steam locomotives, with the first passenger train arriving in 1856. In 1914 the line was leased by the City of London, which proceeded to electrify it. The City bought the line outright in 1950, 36 years into its 99-year lease. During the 1950s passenger traffic suffered from automobile competition, and passenger operations were suspended in February 1957. The Canadian National Railways purchased the line in 1965. The /narhf.org/?p=5976 London & Port Stanley Railwaywas /narhf.org/?p=5976 inductedinto the

North America Railway Hall of Fame North America Railway Hall of Fame (NARHF) is a not-for-profit organization housed in the recently restored Canada Southern Railway Station in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. It was founded to maintain, preserve and honor railway history with the i ...

/www.narhf.org (NARHF)in 2008 in the "Local" category for "Communities, Business, Governments and Groups" for those who have made significant contributions or achievements relating to the railway industry. The L&PS made good use of the

Canada Southern Railway Station The Canada Southern Railway Station (CASO) is a former railway station in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. The station was built by the Canada Southern Railway (CSR) in 1873 as both a railway station and its corporate headquarters.Ontario Heritage ...

in St. Thomas (home to /www.narhf.org NARHF) helping to make it one of the busiest station in the country in the early 20th century. The portion of the line from London to St. Thomas is now part of the CN Talbot Subdivision, while the St. Thomas to Port Stanley portion is operated by the

Port Stanley Terminal Rail The Port Stanley Terminal Rail (PSTR) is a heritage railway that passes over the historic tracks of The London and Port Stanley Railway (L&PS) between Port Stanley and St. Thomas, Ontario. The tourist trains began operating in 1983, after volunt ...

Rolling Stock

Boxcab electric locomotive L1, electric interurban 14 and the Port Stanley incline cars are preserved at the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas. Trailer 3 and motor cars 4 and 8 are preserved at the

Halton County Radial Railway The Halton County Radial Railway is a working museum of electric streetcars, other railway vehicles, buses and trolleybuses. It is operated by the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association (OERHA). It is focused primarily on the history of t ...

, near Rockwood, Ontario. The latter is operational, while the former two are stored awaiting restoration. A boxcar from circa 1929 is preserved in

Whitby, Ontario Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...

at The Station Gallery.

Gallery

Port Stanley station of the London and Port Stanley radial raiilway

References

External links

Review of the London and Port Stanley Railway
for MSTS (Now OpenRails) {{DEFAULTSORT:London Port Stanley Railway Rail transport in London, Ontario History of rail transport in Elgin County Rail transport in St. Thomas, Ontario Defunct Ontario railways Canadian National Railway subsidiaries Interurban railways in Ontario Electric railways in Canada

History

Rolling Stock

Gallery

See also

References

External links