List of defunct Canadian railways

Most transportation historians date the history of Canada’s railways as beginning on February 25, 1832 with the incorporation of British North America's first steam-powered railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad. This line opened for traffic on July 21, 1836, although there are cases of animal-drawn mining tramways in Nova Scotia from the 18th century onward.

Thousands of railways followed the C&SL and were given a charter by the federal or provincial governments, although in most cases these charters never resulted in an actual line being constructed. Many of these charters were so-called "paper railways" and were absorbed into other railways, that is they existed on paper with the actual trains bearing the name of another railway or system of railways. For example, Canadian National Railways alone consisted of over some 400 railways (see Canadian National Railways-List of Companies).

The reason for these "paper" railways was the ease of getting a charter, this was often done by a major railway such as Canadian Pacific Railway or Grand Trunk Railway but, the true interests were kept hidden to keep attention away from the efforts of competing major railways to gain access to another’s territory. In other instances local interests wanted a railway to connect their community with the main line of a major railway that did not enter their town, or to connect to another major railway for competitive reasons, to get lower freight rates, something that remains to this day. In many cases these local efforts were quickly taken over by a major railway to both expand its own network and to deny its competition access to traffic.

Streetcar and interurban railways were chartered provincially, in the case of Ontario under the Street Railway Act.

Non-common carrier railways did not require a charter under the Railway Act since they were used primarily for the owners own purposes, mainly logging and mining.

American railroads always operated in Canada under charters of subsidiary railways even though most had equipment lettered only for the parent company. Most U.S. railroads also operated in Canada through subsidiary railways with one exception: Wabash Railway which had not a mile of track in Canada as it crossed southern Ontario using trackage rights granted by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. These rights still exist with present day Canadian National and Norfolk Southern.

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This list of defunct railways includes only those railways that actually came into existence. Many were taken over by other railways or had a name change and thus continued to operate trains over the same tracks. A few ceased to exist because they went out of business and were abandoned and dismantled.

For simplicity on this list, Canadian National Railways (CNR) (pre-1960), Canadian National Railway (CN) (post-1960), Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Grand Trunk Railway (GTR), and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) will be abbreviated for notations. Others will be abbreviated as required.

Also consult the list of active Canadian railways.

A

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Alberta Railway and Navigation Company			Acquired by CPR.
Alberta and Great Waterways Railway			Acquired by NAR.
Albion Railway	central Nova Scotia		Second railway in British North America. Abandoned.
Algoma Central Railway	northwestern Ontario	1899-1995	Acquired by WC.
Algoma Central and Hudson Bay Railway			Renamed AC.
Algoma Eastern Railway			Acquired by CPR in 1930 by 999-year lease
Alma and Jonquieres Railway			Merged into RS.
Atlantic and North-West Railway	southeastern Quebec, central Maine		Acquired by CPR.
Atlantic, Quebec and Western Railway			Acquired by CNR.

B

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Bay of Quinte Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Botwood Railway	central Newfoundland	?-1956	Subsidiary of AND. Sold to become GFC.
Brantford, Hamilton and Western Railway
British Columbia Electric Railway			Owned by BCH. Sold to become SRY.
British Columbia Railway	British Columbia	1972-2004	Acquired by CN.
Brockville and Ottawa Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Brockville, Westport and North-Western Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Bruce Mines and Algoma Railway
Buchans Railway	central Newfoundland		Owned by ASARCO. Abandoned.
Buctouche and Moncton Railway	southeastern New Brunswick		Acquired by CNR.
Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited	central Manitoba	1971-1999	Subsidiary of BN. Renamed to BNSFM.
Bytown and Prescott Railway |1854-1884| |Leased by CPR for 999 years| |Abandoned in 1995|

C

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Canada and Gulf Terminal Railway	eastern Quebec	?-1975	Acquired by CN.
Calgary and Edmonton Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Campbellford, Lake Ontario and Western Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Canada Air Line Railway			Subsidiary of GWR.
Canada Atlantic Railway			Acquired by GTR.
Canada Central Railway			Aquried by CPR.
Canada Coal and Railroad Company	northwestern Nova Scotia	1905-1906	Sold to become MCR&PC.
Canada Coals and Railway Company	northwestern Nova Scotia	1892-1905	Sold to become CC&RC.
Canada Southern Railway			Acquired by MCRR, later NYC. Sold to CPR and CN. Abandoned.
Canadian Atlantic Railway	eastern Quebec, Maine, western New Brunswick, western Nova Scotia	1988-1994	CPR subsidiary created to operate lines east of Montreal including DAR. Portions abandoned or sold by 1994 to NBSR, EMR, CDAC, and WHRC.
Canadian Government Railways	Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba	1915-1918	Entrusted to CNR. Corporate entity sold to CN in 1993 for $1.
Canadian National Electric Railways			Division of CNR.
Canadian Pacific Electric Lines			Division of CPR.
Canadian Northern Railway	Nova Scotia, Quebec to British Columbia	1899-1918	Nationalized into CNR.
Canadian Northern Alberta Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Branchlines Company			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Consolidated Railways			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Manitoba Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Montreal Tunnel and Terminal Company			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Ontario Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Pacific Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Quebec Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Saskatchewan Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Canadian Northern Western Railway			Constituent company of CNoR.
Cape Breton Development Corporation Railway			Sold to SCR.
Cape Breton Railway
Cape Breton Eastern Extension Railway
Caraquet Railway	northeastern New Brunswick		Acquired by CNR.
Central Canada Railway
Central Ontario Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Central Railway of New Brunswick			Acquired by CPR.
Central Vermont Railway			Also a defunct U.S. railroad. Subsidiary of GTR, later CNR. Became NECR.
Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad	southwestern Quebec	1836-1857	First railway in British North America. Acquired by M&CR.
Chatham, Wallaceburg and Lake Erie Railway			Interurban railway.
Columbia and Kootenay Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Columbia and Western Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Cornwallis Valley Railway			Acquired by DAR.
Credit Valley Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Cumberland Railway and Coal Company			Abandoned.

D

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Detroit River Tunnel Company			Subsidiary of CASO/MCRR.
Dominion Atlantic Railway	western Nova Scotia	1894-1994	Acquired by CPR in 1912, after 1988 was operated as part of CAR. Sold to become WHRC.
Dominion Coal Company
Dominion Timber and Minerals Railway			Subsidiary of CRL.

E

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway			Acquired by NAR.
Edmonton Yukon and Pacific Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Elgin and Havelock Railway	central New Brunswick		Acquired by CGR.
Erie and Huron Railway			Acquired by CASO.
Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway			Acquired by CPR. Sold 2006 to become Southern Railway of Vancouver Island.
European and North American Railway	southern New Brunswick	1857-1872	Eastern extension merged into IRC. Western extension became part of NBR.

F

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Fredericton and Grand Lake Railway	central and western New Brunswick		Acquired by CPR.

G

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Georgian Bay and Seaboard Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Glengarry and Stormont Railway
Grand Falls Central Railway	central Newfoundland	1956-1977	Abandoned.
Grand River Railway			Acquired by CPR, merged into CPEL.
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway	Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia	1914-1920	Nationalized into CNR.
Grand Trunk Railway	Ontario, Quebec, New England	1852-1923	Nationalized into CNR.
Great North West Central Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Great Northern Railway of Canada
Great Western Railway	southwestern Ontario	1853-1884	Acquired by GTR
Guelph and Goderich Railway			Acquired by CPR.

H

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Halifax and South Western Railway	southwestern Nova Scotia	1901-1918	Merged into CNoR, nationalized by CNR.
Hamilton and North Western Railway			Acquired by GTR.
Hamilton Radial Electric Railway
Harpoon Logging Railway	central Newfoundland
Hudson Bay Railway			Charter acquired by CNoR, subsequently built by CNR.
Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway			Portage railway.

I

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Inverness Railway and Coal Company			Acquired by CNoR.
Intercolonial Railway of Canada			Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR.
International Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Irondale, Bancroft and Ottawa Railway			Acquired by CNoR.

J

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Joggins Railway	northwestern Nova Scotia	1883-1892	Sold to become CC&RC.

K

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Kaslo and Slocan Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Kettle Valley Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Kingston and Pembroke Railway			Acquired by CPR.

L

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Lake Erie and Detroit Railway			Subsidiary of PM, later CO. Abandoned.
Lake Erie and Northern Railway			Acquired by CPR, merged into CPEL.
Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company			Acquired by CNoR.
Laurentian Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Lindsay Bobcaygeon and Pontypool Railway			Acquired by CPR.
London and Port Stanley Railway	southwestern Ontario	1853-1965	Acquired by CN.
Lotbinière and Megantic Railway			Acquired by CGR.

M

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Maine Central Railroad	southwestern New Brunswick		Sold and renamed GRS/ST.
Manitoba Great Northern Railway			Subsidiary of GN.
Manitoba and North Western Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Maritime Coal Railway and Power Company	northwestern Nova Scotia	1906-1961	Abandoned.
Metropolitan Electric Railway
Michigan Central Railroad			Operated in Canada as CASO.
Midland Railway of Canada			Acquired by GTR.
Midland Railway of Manitoba			Subsidiary of GN.
Millertown Railway			Subsidiary of AND. Abandoned.
Montreal and Champlain Railroad		1857-1872	Acquired by GTR.
Montreal and Ottawa Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway			Acquired by CNR.
Montreal Tramways Company
Morrissey Fernie and Michel Railway			Subsidiary of CPCC.

N

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Nakusp and Slocan Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Napierville Junction Railway			Subsidiary of DH.
National Transcontinental Railway	Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick	1912-1918	Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR.
Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway		?-1898	Acquired by GN.
New Brunswick Coal and Railway			Acquired by CPR.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Railway			Acquired by CGR.
New Brunswick Railway			Acquired by CPR.
New York and Ottawa Railway			Subsidiary of NYC.
Newfoundland Railway	Newfoundland	1892-1949	Entrusted to CNR.
Newfoundland and Northwestern Railway	Newfoundland		Acquired by NR.
Niagara Falls Park and River Railway
Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway			Acquired by CNR, merged into CNEL.
North Shore Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Northern Alberta Railways	northern Alberta	1929-1981	Acquired by CNR.
Northern Pacific and Manitoba Railway			Subsidiary of NP.
Northern Railway of Canada			Acquired by GTR.
Nosbonsing & Nipissing Railway			Abandoned.
Nova Scotia Central Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Nova Scotia Southern Railway			Acquired by H&SW
Nova Scotia Railway	central Nova Scotia	1853-1867	Merged into IRC.

O

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Ontario and Quebec Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Ontario L'Orignal Railway	eastern Ontario	1996-2001	Acquired by OCR.
Orford Mountain Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Oshawa Railway			Acquired by CNR.
Ottawa and New York Railway		?-1956	Subsidiary of NYC.
Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway			Acquired by CAR.
Ottawa Northern and Western Railway			Acquired by CPR.

P

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Pacific Great Eastern Railway	British Columbia	1913-1972	Renamed BCR.
Parry Sound Colonization Railway	Ontario	1887-1892	Acquired by OA&PS.
Prince Edward Island Railway	Prince Edward Island	1871-1918	Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR.

Q

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Quebec and Lake St. John Railway			Acquired by CNoR.
Quebec and Saguenay Railway			Acquired by CNR.
Quebec Central Railway	Eastern Townships and Beauce		Acq. by CPR 1911. Dormant from ___ ]]
Quebec, Montreal and Southern Railway			Subsidiary of DH, acquired by CN.
Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Quebec Oriental Railway			Acquired by CNR.
Quebec Railway Light and Power Company			Acquired by CNR.
Quebec Southern Railway

R

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Rutland and Noyan Railway			Subsidiary of RUT. Abandoned.

S

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
St.Eustache Railway			Acquired by CPR.
St.John and Quebec Railway			Acquired by CNR.
St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway	southwestern Quebec	1853-1853	Acquired by GTR.
St.Lawrence and Hudson Railway	Ontario, Quebec, New England	1996-2001	Subsidiary of CPR created to operate lines in eastern North America. Merged back into parent company.
St.Lawrence and Ottawa Railway			Acquired by CPR.
St.Mary's and Western Railway			Acquired by CPR.
St.Maurice Valley Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Schomberg and Aurora Railway
Shawinigan Falls Terminal Railway
Smoky Falls Railway			Subsidiary of SFPPC.
South Ontario Pacific Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Sydney and Louisburg Railway	Cape Breton Island	1895-1966	Acquired by DEVCO.

T

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Temiscouata Railway	eastern Quebec, northwestern New Brunswick	1870-1949	Acquired by CNR.
Terra Transport	Newfoundland	1977-1988	Division of CN. Abandoned.
Thousand Islands Railway			Acquired by GTR.
Thurso and Nation Valley Railway			Subsidiary of SC.
Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway	northeastern Ontario	1902-1946	Renamed to ONR.
Tillsonburg Lake Erie and Pacific Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway			Acquired by O&Q.
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway	southwestern Ontario	1892-1987	Acquired by CPR.
Toronto Suburban Railway			Acquired by CNoR.

V

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Vancouver and Lulu Island Railway			Acquired by CPR subsequently leased to BCER.
Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway			Acquired by GN.
Victoria and Sidney Railway			Subsidiary of GN.

W

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Wabash Railroad			Operated over running rights on CAL, later CN. WAB merged into NW, later NS.
Walkerton and Lucknow Railway			Acquired by CPR.
West Ontario Pacific Railway			Acquired by CPR.
Western Counties Railway			Merged with W&A into DAR.
Windsor and Annapolis Railway	Nova Scotia	opened August 18 1869	Merged with WCR into DAR.
Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore Rapid Railway

Y

Railway name	Locale	Operating years	Comments
Yarmouth and Annapolis Railway			Renamed WCR.

References

• Dorman, Robert: A Statutory History of the Steam and Electric Railways of Canada 1836-1937 Department of Transport, Canada
• Dorman, Robert: Appendix to above including addition of maps.
• Dorman, Robert; D.E.Stoltz: A Statutory History of Railways in Canada 1836-1986
• Old Time Trains
• Smith, Ivan (1998), Significant Dates in Nova Scotia's Railway History (1850- 1899). Retrieved August 16 2005.