The Northern Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway located in the province of Ontario. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway.
The railway was originally known as the Toronto, Simcoe & Lake Huron, but soon became the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron, both names referring to the three lakes the railway connected. The line ran roughly north out of Toronto to Newmarket, then northeast to Bradford and Allandale (now part of Barrie) before turning west to Collingwood. Financial difficulties and the resulting government bailout led to a reorganization of the company resulting in little more a name change to Northern Railway of Canada, in 1859. Additional lines connected to it over the years, extending the rails to Meaford and Penetanguishene to the west, and north to Lake Muskoka.
A further extension in 1880s with the combined forces of the Northern Railway and the Hamilton & North-Western Railway connected the line from Muskoka, to the transcontinental CPR at North Bay in 1886. The Northern Railway was purchased by Grand Trunk Railway in 1888, and through its amalgamation, became part of the Canadian National Railway. CNR operated the mainline as the CN Newmarket Subdivision, selling off the branches to the west, and pulling up the sections north of Barrie. It is now the Barrie line after its purchase by Metrolinx.
Read more about Northern Railway Of Canada: Early History, Growth, Consolidation and Acquisition By The GTR
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