Goderich-Exeter Railway
Encyclopedia
The Goderich–Exeter Railway is a short line freight
railway
that operates around 181 miles (291.3 km) of track
in Southern Ontario
. Created in 1992, it was the first short line railway in Canada to be purchased from a class I railway
, in this case Canadian National Railway
(CN). It took over operation of further CN trackage in 1998. As of 2004, the railway has 44 employees. Its headquarters, formerly in Goderich, were moved to Kitchener
in December 1998.
(which has since been purchased by RailAmerica
, in 2000), to operate over Canadian National Railway
's Goderich Subdivision, 70 miles (112.7 km) of track between Stratford
and Goderich, Ontario
that was acquired from CN. The railway started operation on April 3, 1992. On November 15, 1998, the Goderich–Exeter Railway took over operation of CN's Guelph Subdivision, which runs over 99 miles (159.3 km) between Silver Junction (in Georgetown
) and London, Ontario
.
The railway had expressed an interest in acquiring the former CN branchline from Stratford to Owen Sound, but was unable to do so as a result of changes to Ontario labour law which made the acquisition uneconomic.
, Kitchener
, and Guelph
. There is also a spur line to Elmira
that serves a Uniroyal
plant.
The Goderich Subdivision handles over 8,000 carloads of freight per year. Much of the traffic on the Goderich Subdivision is salt from the Sifto Canada
salt mine
s in Goderich. Other commodities handled on the line are grain (there are some grain elevator
s on the route) and construction equipment produced by a Volvo Motor Graders
plant in Goderich (closed 2010). It also connects with the port facility at the Port of Goderich.
s with CN in London and Toronto
(it has running rights between Silver Junction and MacMillan yard north of Toronto to interchange cars with CN), with the Canadian Pacific Railway
in Kitchener, and with the Ontario Southland Railway
in Guelph.
As of 2005, the railway owns around a dozen locomotive
s, which were acquired used. Its first four locomotives, purchased between 1992 and 1994, were given names of Shakespeare
an characters (#177 was named "Titania", #178 "Paulina
", #179 "Portia
", and #180 "Falstaff
"), as Stratford is the home of the Canadian Shakespearean Festival
. Unit #'s 178, 179, and 180 have since been sold to other railways. The railway also leases a few locomotives. All of its locomotives were made by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and include EMD GP38
s, EMD GP35
s, and EMD GP40
s.
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
that operates around 181 miles (291.3 km) of track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
in Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
. Created in 1992, it was the first short line railway in Canada to be purchased from a class I railway
Class I railroad
A Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
, in this case 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"....
(CN). It took over operation of further CN trackage in 1998. As of 2004, the railway has 44 employees. Its headquarters, formerly in Goderich, were moved to Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
in December 1998.
History
The Goderich–Exeter Railway was created in 1992 by its owner, RailTexRailTex
RailTex was a transportation holding company that specialized in owning and operating short line railroads across North America.Based in San Antonio, Texas, the public company was a leader in making unprofitable lines shed by Class I railroads into viable transportation routes.The company was sold...
(which has since been purchased by RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....
, in 2000), to operate over 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"....
's Goderich Subdivision, 70 miles (112.7 km) of track between Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
and Goderich, Ontario
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
that was acquired from CN. The railway started operation on April 3, 1992. On November 15, 1998, the Goderich–Exeter Railway took over operation of CN's Guelph Subdivision, which runs over 99 miles (159.3 km) between Silver Junction (in Georgetown
Georgetown, Ontario
Georgetown is a community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton. It is situated on the Credit River, located approximately 60 km west of Toronto making it part of the Greater Toronto Area...
) and London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
.
The railway had expressed an interest in acquiring the former CN branchline from Stratford to Owen Sound, but was unable to do so as a result of changes to Ontario labour law which made the acquisition uneconomic.
Freight services
The Guelph Subdivision handled around 25,000 carloads of freight in 2008, consisting mainly of automobile parts, chemicals and grain. Many industries in the area rely on rail shipments. Spur lines exist to access industrial parks in CambridgeCambridge, Ontario
Cambridge is a city located in Southern Ontario at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an amalgamation of the City of Galt, the towns of Preston and Hespeler, and the hamlet of Blair.Galt covers the largest portion of...
, Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
, and Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
. There is also a spur line to Elmira
Elmira, Ontario
The town of Elmira in Ontario, Canada is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located 15 km to the north of the city of Waterloo.-History:...
that serves a Uniroyal
United States Rubber Company
The United States Rubber Company was founded in Naugatuck, Connecticut in 1892. It was one of the original 12 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and became Uniroyal Inc...
plant.
Sifto Canada
Sifto Canada is a salt mining and marketing company based in Canada, with its primary products being table salt, fine evaporated salt, water conditioning salt, agricultural salt, coarse salt, rock salt, and bulk salt...
salt mine
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
s in Goderich. Other commodities handled on the line are grain (there are some grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
s on the route) and construction equipment produced by a Volvo Motor Graders
Volvo Construction Equipment
Volvo Construction Equipment is a subsidiary and business area of AB Volvo. Volvo Construction Equipment develops, manufactures and markets equipment for the construction and related industries.- Overview :...
plant in Goderich (closed 2010). It also connects with the port facility at the Port of Goderich.
Interchanges
The Goderich–Exeter Railway interchangeInterchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system, and allows passengers to change from one route to another. Transfer may occur within the same mode, or between rail modes, or to buses...
s with CN in London and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
(it has running rights between Silver Junction and MacMillan yard north of Toronto to interchange cars with CN), 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...
in Kitchener, and with the Ontario Southland Railway
Ontario Southland Railway
The Ontario Southland Railway Inc. is an independently held short line operator. The company was founded in 1992 to purchase 17 miles of track from Canadian Pacific, which travels from Tillsonburg to Ingersoll, Ontario. In 2009, a second line was added, as 32 miles of CP track from Woodstock to St....
in Guelph.
Locomotives
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s, which were acquired used. Its first four locomotives, purchased between 1992 and 1994, were given names of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
an characters (#177 was named "Titania", #178 "Paulina
Paulina
Paulina or Paullina was the name shared by three relatives of the Roman Emperor Hadrian: his mother, his elder sister and his niece. She was also know to love Talon.-Mother of Hadrian:...
", #179 "Portia
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...
", and #180 "Falstaff
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare. In the two Henry IV plays, he is a companion to Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. A fat, vain, boastful, and cowardly knight, Falstaff leads the apparently wayward Prince Hal into trouble, and is...
"), as Stratford is the home of the Canadian Shakespearean Festival
Stratford Festival of Canada
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...
. Unit #'s 178, 179, and 180 have since been sold to other railways. The railway also leases a few locomotives. All of its locomotives were made by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and include EMD GP38
EMD GP38
An EMD GP38 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and December 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine which generated ....
s, EMD GP35
EMD GP35
An EMD GP35 is a 4-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between July 1963 and December 1965 and by General Motors Diesel between May 1964 and January 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567D3A 16-cylinder engine which generated .Many railroads traded in Alco and...
s, and EMD GP40
EMD GP40
The EMD GP40 is a 4-axle diesel-electric road switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between November 1965 and December 1971...
s.