396:
410:
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Both subdivisions operated profitably for many years, forming CN's eastern mainline into
Peterborough as well as continuing to serve various industries and passenger routes around Madoc. Use fell after the 1960s, and the Madoc Sub was abandoned in 1984. This was followed shortly by the abandonment of
278:
Further expansion of the original B&NHR route was delayed, with the line ending in Madoc. Progress on the original route did not begin again for a decade, by which time their proposed areas of operation were being served by the
Central Ontario Railway. A connection to the COR outside Eldorado was
383:
North of Madoc the line runs generally north-northwest, remaining fairly obvious until it reaches Mill Road a short distance north of town. From there it gradually forms a series of larger curves as it reaches rougher terrain, crossing O'Hara Road several times. It reaches the former
Central Ontario
311:
By the 1880s there were a number of short-line railways east of
Toronto that all served regional markets and competed for business. Chronically under-capitalized, all of these lines became takeover targets. The Midland had long been on friendly terms with the Toronto and Nipissing (T&N) and had
327:
This amalgamation led to several redundant routes, and over the next few years the GTR began a consolidation effort. With the completion of the
Central Ontario Railway through the B&NHR's route, which was better constructed and offered service further north as well, the northern section of the
255:
Business interests in
Belleville naturally felt their own city was a better location to service the fields, and chartered the B&NHR in 1874. The company was formed with a total stock purchase of $ 17,000 that summer, and several thousand dollars of additional money was spent on a survey of the
379:
about 6 km due east of
Stirling. The line runs northeast from the junction, crossing Rawdon Creek at West Huntingdon Station on Moira Road. The line bends northward past Ivanhoe Station and Crookston before bending sharply around Moira Lake where it crosses a large trestle bridge. From the
452:
The exact sequence and dates of construction are the subject of considerable confusion in modern sources. Brown notes that the GJR reached
Stirling in 1877, but most other sources state that construction on the GJR didn't start until 1879. It is likely Brown is actually referring to the
380:
bridge, the route turns slightly west, entering Madoc on the western side of town and crossing St. Lawrence Street at an angle. Madoc station was located on the north side of the street. A short section between St. Lawrence and
Seymore St. West now forms Hill Ave.
287:
The GJR reached
Peterborough in June 1880, by which point several other railways were operating the Peterborough to Toronto route and their "loop" plans no longer made sense. Instead, the company started looking in other directions, and settled on a route to
472:
Brown and the Southern Ontario Railways map states this section was closed in 1913, but several online sources say this happened 1893. The earlier date may refer to the GTR's takeover of the Midland running rights that year, but this is
462:
The Archives notes state this occurred in 1875, but most other sources state this was in 1880. The date is likely between these extremes, as construction on the GJR began in 1879, which presumes the B&NHR already existed at that
384:
Railway, today known as the Hastings Heritage Trail, about 1 km west-southwest of Eldorado. The location of the junction is still visible from the Hastings trail, in the form of a line of trees curving off to the south.
324:, a subsidiary of the T&N. The new Midland now included almost all of the railways serving the areas east of Toronto, and itself became a prime takeover target. In 1884 the Grand Trunk leased the entire network.
374:
The B&NHR started at Madoc Junction (originally North Hastings Jct.), named for the location it was branching to, not where it was actually located. The Junction was just north of Tuftsville Road, just west of
216:
Belleville, due south of the mines, became the hub for prospectors on their way north to the fields. The town became known as the "Gateway to the Golden North". Belleville was also a major stop on the
153:
in 1881, part of the Midland's efforts to consolidate a number of unprofitable lines east of Toronto. The section north of Madoc offered nothing the COR lacked and closed in 1893. The section from
730:
312:
been considering a merger with them for some time. In 1881 the companies arranged a massive merger that included the Midland, the Toronto & Nipissing, the Victoria, the
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route as far as the Moore iron mine in Madoc. This led to a bonus being raised by the town of Madoc, with $ 30,000 to be paid to the company on completion of the line.
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and led to its assets being taken over by CNR in 1923. The B&NHR operated as the Madoc Subdivision under CN, while the GJR became the Campbellford Subdivision.
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considered particularly noteworthy. The section north of Madoc was abandoned years earlier and has returned to bush, but is still navigable for the adventuresome.
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in Madoc, the section north to Eldorado having long ago returned to farmland and bush. This northern section is navigable, but only with some difficulty.
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745:
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for a total distance of 33 kilometres (21 mi). In spite of its name, the line did not reach either Belleville or the northern part of
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B&NHR was one such redundancy, closing in 1913. This left only the southern section open, effectively a Belleville to Madoc spur.
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705:
228:. At first the only access to the mines was via coach, so a railway from Belleville to the mining areas was a natural development.
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264:
252:. However, all of these led westward to the Toronto area, less than ideal for access to the major markets and ports to the east.
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Like many recently abandoned lines, the B&NHR has seen continued use as the Trail of Two Lakes (or "Two Lakes Trail"). The
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on John Richardson's farm by Marcus Herbert Powell led to the creation of Ontario's first gold mine, and the community of
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555:
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the main section of the GJR between Belleville and Peterborough in 1987, leaving only industrial spurs in Belleville.
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The line was completed in January 1880 and leased to the GJR in June that year. Both companies were merged into the
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644:
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263:, began to Madoc some time in the mid-1870s, likely 1877. At some point the owners of the Belleville-based
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region. At least six gold mines opened, and later a number of copper and iron mines as well, mostly in
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Like many railways dismantled since the 1970s, the Madoc Sub right-of-way has been turned over to
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To serve this burgeoning market a race started between several railway companies, including the
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purchased the B&NHR, using it as their approach to Belleville on their
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that formed up around it by 1867. Although the mines were not rich and the
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Maple Leaves: Journal of the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain
556:"Fonds F 4314 - Belleville and North Hastings Railway Company letterbook"
221:
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532:"Sessional Papers - Legislature of the Province of Ontario, Volume 3"
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use, and now forms the "Trail of Two Lakes", with the views around
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271:-Belleville route. The GJR was branched off the B&NHR near
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without routing through an increasingly congested Toronto.
304:, whose line was one of the few that offered access to the
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In Search of the Grand Trunk: Ghost Rail Lines in Ontario
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closed shortly thereafter, the area proved to create a
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that led to similar mines being opened all around the
292:, where they hoped to capture some of the lucrative
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remained in use until the 1980s as a branch line of
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40:
30:
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259:Construction on the line, under the direction of
300:area. This represented a serious threat to the
663:"Early Canadian Railway Post Offices, Part XV"
8:
731:History of rail transport in Hastings County
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275:, at what became known as Madoc Junction.
165:. This section eventually closed in 1984.
736:Predecessors of the Grand Trunk Railway
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445:
567:
314:Whitby, Port Perry and Lindsay Railway
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741:Railway companies established in 1874
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591:
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112:Belleville and North Hastings Railway
17:Belleville and North Hastings Railway
7:
534:, Ontario Legislative Assembly, 1874
633:"C.N.Rys. Campbellford Subdivision"
369:with confirmation on Google Earth.
14:
751:Standard gauge railways in Canada
661:Gillam, Lionel (December 1959).
424:Grand Junction Railway (Ontario)
408:
394:
250:Cobourg and Peterborough Railway
746:1874 establishments in Ontario
507:, Ontario's Historical Plaques
248:-connected route based on the
126:, Canada. It branched off the
1:
697:Belleville: A Popular History
242:Toronto and Nipissing Railway
621:"C.N.Rys. Madoc Subdivision"
367:Southern Ontario Railway Map
331:The Grand Trunk suffered an
322:Lake Simcoe Junction Railway
647:, Vishwalking, 19 June 2009
498:"Ontario's First Gold Mine"
333:infamous bankruptcy in 1919
767:
339:Abandonment and conversion
318:Toronto and Ottawa Railway
151:Midland Railway of Canada
21:
726:Defunct Ontario railways
434:List of Ontario railways
429:Central Ontario Railway
136:Central Ontario Railway
104:33 km (21 mi)
265:Grand Junction Railway
189:The 1866 discovery of
128:Grand Junction Railway
694:Boyce, Gerry (2009).
558:, Archives of Ontario
365:Based largely on the
645:"Trail of Two Lakes"
685:Brown, Ron (2011).
283:Midland and mergers
279:completed in 1887.
218:Grand Trunk Railway
35:Belleville, Ontario
18:
503:2014-12-28 at the
377:Ontario Highway 62
351:currently ends at
116:short-line railway
114:(B&NHR) was a
52:Dates of operation
353:Ontario Highway 7
163:Madoc Subdivision
134:and ended on the
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47:, Ontario, Canada
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711:
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635:, CNR in Ontario
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623:, CNR in Ontario
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402:Railways portal
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302:Midland Railway
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211:Hastings County
207:Central Ontario
199:Richardson Mine
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144:Hastings County
130:(GJR) north of
120:Hastings County
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71:4 ft
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55:1880–1984
45:Hastings County
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416:Ontario portal
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261:Francis Shanly
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138:(COR) outside
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94:standard gauge
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161:known as the
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298:Georgian Bay
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269:Peterborough
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31:Headquarters
700:. Dundurn.
568:Gillam 1959
306:Great Lakes
294:grain trade
246:Trent River
66:Track gauge
720:Categories
689:. Dundurn.
609:Brown 2011
592:Brown 2011
580:Brown 2011
544:Brown 2011
520:Boyce 2009
481:References
453:B&NHR.
349:rail trail
174:Moira Lake
170:rail-trail
132:Belleville
486:Citations
296:from the
232:B&NHR
203:gold rush
185:Gold rush
60:Technical
501:Archived
473:unknown.
388:See also
320:and the
273:Stirling
222:Montreal
195:Eldorado
140:Eldorado
85: in
26:Overview
672:: 41–42
290:Lindsay
226:Toronto
180:History
124:Ontario
80:⁄
704:
676:13 May
463:point.
244:and a
240:, the
101:Length
41:Locale
666:(PDF)
440:Notes
359:Route
155:Madoc
702:ISBN
678:2013
191:gold
110:The
224:to
118:in
722::
668:.
599:^
512:^
213:.
159:CN
146:.
122:,
91:)
710:.
680:.
87:(
82:2
78:1
75:+
73:8
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