Essex Terminal Railway
Encyclopedia
Essex Terminal Railway is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
shortline
ShortLine
Short Line is a brand name for three different Coach USA companies, Hudson Transit Lines, Hudson Transit Corporation, and Chenango Valley Bus Lines that provide local, commuter and intercity bus service in lower New York State, primarily along the Route 17 and Southern Tier corridor.-Service...
terminal railroad
Terminal Railroad
Terminal Railroad or Terminal Railway may refer to:*Terminal railroad, a railroad that operates a terminal facility*Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks*Terminal Railway of Buffalo, predecessor of the New York Central Railroad...
, running from the City of Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
through La Salle, to the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
, for a distance of approximately 21 miles (32 km). The ETR has direct connections to 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...
, 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"....
and CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
. The railway is owned by Essex Morterm Holdings.
History
The railway was founded in 1902 as a western connection of the GTRGrand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
(Now present-day CN
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"....
) to factories in the eastern end of Windsor. Construction of the line took place between 1902 and 1918. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the trains hauled military and industrial equipment (i.e. Bren Gun carriers, and trucks) from Ford Windsor and other industries, to interchanges with C.N., C.P. N.Y.C., P.M., and Wabash Railways. Its four-stall enginehouse, and main offices are on Lincoln Road in Windsor. Due to heavy development along much of the mainline, Essex Terminal runs its trains at a maximum of 12 MPH (20 km/h) in the city, and 20 MPH (30 km/h) in the county.
As a part of the urban renewal of Windsor, the railway sold several kilometers of spur lines in downtown Windsor to the City of Windsor and various developers in 1998, allowing new homes and businesses to be built along the former rail RoW. The Mainline was generally unchanged but the ETR became more dependent on down river traffic.
In September 2002, the ETR celebrated its 100th anniversary and brought its newly restored 1923 Number 9 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotive down from St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
. The company was loaned several 1930s CPR and CN passenger cars to give rides to nearby residents that celebrated with the company. Number 9 currently operates out of Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
.
Ironically, a week after the centennial celebration, the ETR had its first serious derailment in over 10 years, caused by abnormally heavy rains. Cars carrying Soybeans were involved. There were no injuries, the tracks were repaired and two nearby grade crossings repaved.
On September 12, 2007, Essex Terminal Railway had its second accident when a transport truck tried to race a slow moving ETR train across the Weaver Road at-grade crossing. ADM
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...
and Morterm Terminal are accessed by Weaver Rd. The SW-1200 locomotive clipped the rear of the trailer, tipping the transport truck onto its right side (the truck was heading west at the time and the locomotive was headed northbound) and ripped the axles off the trailer's box and frame. Aside from damage to the transport truck, the locomotive also sustained some damage to one of its couplers, which had impacted the trailer. The driver (who was from Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
) was uninjured and cooperated with Essex Terminal Railway officials and Windsor Police. Essex Terminal Railway later said in The Windsor Star that, "This is a reason why people should never try to beat a train."
In the summer of 2009 the Essex Terminal Railway signed agreements with the City of Windsor to allow 2 new rail spurs to be constructed on the west end of the city. The rail lines will serve 2 industries in the Ojibway industrial area. ETR currently has more than 15 customers in Windsor and serves several customers in the town of Amhertburg including BP Canada Energy
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
and the Windsor Salt Company