Orangeville-Brampton Railway
Encyclopedia
The Orangeville-Brampton Railway is a 55 kilometres (34.2 mi) long short line railway between Orangeville
and Streetsville Junction in Mississauga
Ontario
. It passes through the City of Brampton
and the Town of Caledon
.
At Streetsville, the OBRY connects with the Canadian Pacific Railway
Galt Subdivsion. At Brampton, it crosses the Canadian National Railway
Halton Subdivision at grade, but no interchange traffic is handled. North of Brampton, the railway winds through the Niagara Escarpment
, and is notable for a curved,349 metres (1,145 ft) long trestle
over the Credit River
and Forks of the Credit Road near Belfountain in Caledon.
The railway's main purpose is to service several industries in Orangeville and Brampton, but since the fall of 2004, OBRY has operated a public excursion train, marketed as Credit Valley Explorer, between Orangeville and Snelgrove (the northern edge of Brampton).
Freight trains, operated by Cando Contracting Limited for OBRY, make weekday round trips between Orangeville and Mississauga.
(CVR), with construction completed to Orangeville (with a branch to Elora
) in 1879. The CVR was purchased by the CPR, which joined the tracks of the CVR with a former rival, the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TGB), at Orangeville, in effect extending the line north from Orangeville to the TGB's terminus in Owen Sound
.
Scheduled passenger service between Toronto and Owen Sound via Brampton and Orangeville ended in 1970, the Elora branch was abandoned in 1987, and the Orangeville-Owen Sound trackage was abandoned in 1995.
The Town of Orangeville purchased the Missisauga-Orangeville trackage from the CPR in 2000 to ensure the line's continued existence. The line is now managed by the Orangeville Brampton Rail Development Corporation.
Orangeville, Ontario
Orangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-History:Before European settlers, Orangeville was thought to be a native hunting ground...
and Streetsville Junction in Mississauga
Mississauga, Ontario
Mississauga is a city in Southern Ontario located in the Regional Municipality of Peel, and in the western part of the Greater Toronto Area. With an estimated population of 734,000, it is Canada's sixth-most populous municipality, and has almost doubled in population in each of the last two decades...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It passes through the City of Brampton
Brampton, Ontario
Brampton is the third-largest city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada and the seat of Peel Region. As of the 2006 census, Brampton's population stood at 433,806, making it the 11th largest city in Canada. It is also one of Canada's fastest growing municipalities, with an average...
and the Town of Caledon
Caledon, Ontario
Caledon is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. In terms of land use, Caledon is somewhat urban, though it is primarily rural in nature...
.
At Streetsville, the OBRY connects with the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
Galt Subdivsion. At Brampton, it crosses the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
Halton Subdivision at grade, but no interchange traffic is handled. North of Brampton, the railway winds through the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
, and is notable for a curved,349 metres (1,145 ft) long trestle
Trestle
A trestle is a rigid frame used as a support, especially referring to a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by such frames. In the context of trestle bridges, each supporting frame is generally referred to as a bent...
over the Credit River
Credit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km²...
and Forks of the Credit Road near Belfountain in Caledon.
The railway's main purpose is to service several industries in Orangeville and Brampton, but since the fall of 2004, OBRY has operated a public excursion train, marketed as Credit Valley Explorer, between Orangeville and Snelgrove (the northern edge of Brampton).
Freight trains, operated by Cando Contracting Limited for OBRY, make weekday round trips between Orangeville and Mississauga.
History
Most of the current OBRY route was built in the 1870s by the Credit Valley RailwayCredit Valley Railway
The Credit Valley Railway was a shortline railway that operated in Southern Ontario, Canada from 1871 to 1883. Engineered by James Ross, its mainline went from Toronto to Orangeville with branchlines from Cataract to Elora and Streetsville to St. Thomas. It was acquired by the Ontario and Quebec...
(CVR), with construction completed to Orangeville (with a branch to Elora
Elora, Ontario
Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture, its artistic community and the geographically significant Elora Gorge.-History:...
) in 1879. The CVR was purchased by the CPR, which joined the tracks of the CVR with a former rival, the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway (TGB), at Orangeville, in effect extending the line north from Orangeville to the TGB's terminus in Owen Sound
Owen Sound, Ontario
Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...
.
Scheduled passenger service between Toronto and Owen Sound via Brampton and Orangeville ended in 1970, the Elora branch was abandoned in 1987, and the Orangeville-Owen Sound trackage was abandoned in 1995.
The Town of Orangeville purchased the Missisauga-Orangeville trackage from the CPR in 2000 to ensure the line's continued existence. The line is now managed by the Orangeville Brampton Rail Development Corporation.
External links
- Cando Contracting - OBRY
- History of the Credit Valley Railway From the Ontario Railway History Page by Robert Hughes.
- Credit Valley Explorer Tour Train