Grand River Railway
Overhead, originally 600 V DC, 1500 V DC after 1921 | |
Length | 30 km (19 mi)[1] |
---|
Grand River Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Grand River Railway (
History
Background
Preston and Berlin Railway
Starting in the 1850s,
In the following year of 1856, the
Early street railways


The
The first such railway in the region was the Galt and Preston Street Railway (G&P), which began operations with half-hourly service in 1894.[3] With Preston boosters still concerned about the potential effect of the railway on their town's economy, the plan ensured that Preston would be the location of many operational aspects of the railway, including the power house, car barns, and machine shops. A year later, in 1895, it was extended to Hespeler and renamed the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway (GP&H),[4] connecting the three largest settlements of what 80 years later would become the amalgamated city of Cambridge. In the same year, the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway began to take steps to modernize its service by converting its horse cars to run on electric power. This proved unsuitable and a consortium of local businessmen, impatient at the lack of progress, purchased the railway and outfitted it with new, purpose-built electric trams, which were manufactured in Peterborough.
Canadian Pacific Railway influence
The Canadian Pacific Railway had from the beginning taken an interest in the Galt and Preston Street Railway, then the Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway, as an electric freight service would provide a convenient way to serve smaller freight customers profitably, due to the ability for electric locomotives to reverse without requiring a loop, as steam locomotives did. The G&P's charter, ostensibly mostly to provide Preston travellers with a connection to the Canadian Pacific via Galt, as well as to facilitate regional passenger transportation in general, provided Canadian Pacific an opportunity to "piggyback" and increase its freight operations. The Grand River area had long been dominated by the Grand Trunk Railway, and Canadian Pacific sought ways to compete with the Grand Trunk. With its close relationship with Canadian Pacific, the G&P provided free freight service to Canadian Pacific's depot in Galt, drawing business away from the Grand Trunk and provoking an all-out freight war. In the truce agreed upon by both companies, Berlin remained Grand Trunk territory, while both railways would continue to serve Galt.[5] Canadian Pacific, meanwhile, took control of the GP&H indirectly by buying up a controlling stake in the company through a proxy, its own General Superintendent J. W. Leonard, already laying the groundwork for the undermining of its agreement with the Grand Trunk.[6]
By the turn of the century, there was an explosion in plans for railway lines to serve Berlin, Preston, and Galt; the
As CP's consolidation of lines with freight potential had been ongoing, the City of Berlin made a successful bid to take over the
Canadian Pacific Electric Lines
In 1931, the Grand River Railway was consolidated with the Lake Erie and Northern Railway (LE&N), another Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary, to form the Canadian Pacific Electric Lines (CPEL). Under unified CPEL management, the two services were advertised in tandem, and LE&N rolling stock received repairs at the Grand River Railway's Preston barn. During the same year, the Grand River Railway advertised hourly service on every day except Sunday between Galt, Hespeler, Preston, and Kitchener, from 5:50 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., and nine trains a day (except on Sundays) to Waterloo, reflecting Waterloo's lesser importance and smaller population at the time.[11] The Lake Erie and Northern, with its longer line and lower ridership, advertised primarily for summer excursion trips to Port Dover from the hot and crowded urban centres to the north, and during other parts of the year was largely sustained by its freight business.
Decline of passenger service
Bus services

Bus services became increasingly common throughout the 1920s and 1930s as more roadways were paved, fuel prices decreased, and bus manufacturing began to scale up. Canadian Pacific followed these trends with the founding of its Canadian Pacific Transport Company, which was used to supplement and/or replace some train journeys.
Collisions with automobiles
Throughout the 1930s, collisions between interurban cars and private
- In January 1930, the earliest reported collision at Cedar Grove Avenue in Kitchener occurred when Joseph Zinger, while driving his automobile, crashed into a Grand River Railway interurban car.[13]
- on 1 August 1931, Charles Frank Houston died while pinned under his car following a collision with a Grand River Railway train at the Centreville crossing. A coroner's inquest later found that he had suffocated to death. The inquest absolved the train crew of blame, but "recommended the installation of visible warnings and signals at the crossing."[14]
- In July 1932, Leander Cressman of New Dundee was driving along Mill Street in Kitchener when his motor car collided with a Grand River Railway train, critically injuring him. He died later in hospital.[15]
- On 15 December 1937, Reginald E. Simpson, the local manager for the
- On 12 October 1946, Earl Hutchins, who was from Toronto, was driving through the Grand River Railway crossing in Centreville when his automobile was crushed by an interurban car. Similarly to the Simpson incident almost ten years earlier, Hutchins and his three passengers were killed.[18] His wife subsequently claimed $50,000 in damages against the railway.[19]
Overall service cuts
Amidst these events, regular passenger service to Waterloo was discontinued, after having previously been cut back to Allen Street from Erb Street. In early March 1938, it was reported that cars had only carried an average of five passengers per trip, with revenues to the company of $4.52 and expenses of $21.86 per day. The end of service was supported by the Waterloo town council, which deemed railway whistles and horns a nuisance.[20] Interurban cars were replaced by bus service, necessitating a linear transfer for passengers at Queen Street.[21] Ironically, passenger ridership in the overall system had yet to hit its peak, which would be nearly 1.7 million riders in 1940.[22]
Despite the overall success of the combined CPEL railway system, post-Second World War social trends began to cause a drop in ridership as regional travellers became increasingly likely to own and drive cars. The beginning of residential subdivision development stimulated population growth outside of the historic downtowns of Berlin (by then renamed to Kitchener), Galt, and Preston, and they began to fall victim to urban decay. In the years following the 1919 Canada Highways Act, which provided stimulus funding for highway development, it became more practical and desirable to travel intercity by car, and development and urban planning began to adjust to car-centric transportation with road widening, highway development, creation of low-density residential housing subdivisions, and demolition of many urban buildings to provide parking, creating an induced demand feedback loop that favoured further car-centric development, while many railway systems were discontinued or statically maintained, without significant expansion of track, upgrades to rolling stock, or sometimes even basic maintenance; the Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway, which had been put under the management of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission, was rendered disabled even before its planned shutdown due to damage to the overhead electrical wires which was not repaired.
In 1946, the combined Canadian Pacific Electric Lines system had a continuous 75.61-mile (121.68 km) mainline, while carrying 1.5 million passengers and over half a million tons of freight.[23] This represented a decline in passenger traffic of almost 200,000 riders per year compared to the peak in 1940. Meanwhile, Canadian Pacific Transport Company bus service was extended through Kitchener, and train and bus service began to alternate hourly. This followed a general trend, as train service was replaced with bus service on many railways, creating a downward spiral as ridership declined and train journeys with low ridership were cut or replaced with bus service.[24]
It was around this time that Canadian Pacific began to plan for total abandonment of passenger services along the line, even as freight carloads and profitability increased. In its first bid to discontinue service in 1950, Canadian Pacific's application was denied by Canada's
Shifting industrial base
By the 1960s, Kitchener's industrial base began to shift to the suburbs. Manufacturing in Canada had begun to suffer due to numerous economic factors, and 19th century-style downtown factories, which were often rail-served, were declining and being phased out in favour of decentralized systems of suburban factories which were served by both trucks and rail, or in some cases wholly relied on the
Plan No. 1251
This shift to the suburbs spurred the most extensive modification ever made to the railway's
Passenger service
The Grand River Railway's passenger services were an evolution from earlier streetcar services. Mainline service was half-hourly since the start of the Galt and Preston Street Railway, and the Hespeler branch also received half-hourly evening service in 1920.[29]
Rolling stock
In the rail transport industry, the term rolling stock refers to easily moveable assets owned by railways, usually rail cars, which could be either self-propelled or hauled by a dedicated locomotive.
In 1921, with the switch to 1500 V operation and integration of the Grand River Railway and Lake Erie and Northern Railway rolling stock, the Grand River Railway used
Locomotives
Number | Manufacturer | Cab type | Built | Retired | Fate | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GRR 222 | Box | 1904 | Rebuilt in 1921 for 1500 V service.[31][30] | |||
GRR 224 | Baldwin-Westinghouse
|
Steeple | 1907 | Rebuilt in 1921 for 1500 V service.[31] | ||
GRR 226 | Preston Car Company | 1904 | Steel freight motor configured for multiple-unit service.[30] | |||
GRR 228 | Preston Car Company | Steeple | 1921 | 1961 or later | Scrapped | Used along with LE&N 337 to haul the last ever passenger trip on Grand River Railway tracks on 30 September 1961, which used a number of CPR coaches as all interurban cars had already been disposed of. Iowa Terminal Railroad in July 1963. It was assigned a number as Iowa Terminal Railroad 82, but was never used or repainted from its previous colour scheme, and was eventually scrapped in 1968.[33]
|
GRR 230 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | Steeple | August 1930 | August 1971 | Preserved | Originally Salt Lake and Utah Railroad 106. Acquired by the CPEL in July 1946 after the SL&U shut down. Put into service as GRR 230. Rebuilt from 63 to 82 tons in 1953. Sold to the Cornwall Street Railway in November 1962 and was renumbered CSR 17. Transferred to CN Rail in 1971. Retired in August 1971 and preserved in Cornwall, Ontario.[34][35] Put on public display in August 1981. Serial number BLW 61456 |
Passenger, combine, and express cars


Most of the Grand River Railway's passenger
Number | Type | Manufacturer | Built | Retired | Fate | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GRR 21 | Passenger | Ottawa Car Company | 1907 | before 1929 | Scrapped | 64-seat wooden car which was originally Preston and Berlin Street Railway 21. It was inherited by the Grand River Railway. The motor from the car was sold prior to 1929 and it was scrapped at Preston in 1935.[30] |
GRR 31 | Passenger | Ottawa Car Company | 1907 | before 1929 | Scrapped | 64-seat wooden car which was inherited from the GP&H/P&B. The motor from the car was sold prior to 1929 and it was scrapped at Preston in 1935.[30] |
GRR 622 | baggage
|
Preston Car Company | 1921 | Steel baggage car designed for multiple-unit operation with passenger cars. Part of the 1921 order.[31]
| ||
GRR 624 | Combine | Preston Car Company | N/A | 34-seat steel combine car. The rebuilt and renumbered GRR 866.[31] | ||
GRR 626 | Combine | National Steel Car | 1947 | Scrapped | The last interurban car built in Canada.[37] Scrapped on 21 May 1957.[38] | |
GRR 824 | Passenger | Ottawa Car Company | 1910 | An inherited GP&H/P&B street railway wooden car which was rebuilt for 1500 V and electric multiple unit operation.[31] Rebuilt in 1923.[30] It disappears from the roster within ten years after this.[39] | ||
GRR 826 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1911 or 1912[30] | Originally Preston and Berlin Street Railway 205. A 64-seat wooden passenger car.[30] Originally built for 600 V operation, then rebuilt for 1500 V and electric multiple unit operation.[31][40] | ||
GRR 828 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1911 or 1912[30] | Originally Preston and Berlin Street Railway 215. A 64-seat wooden passenger car.[30] Rebuilt for 1500 V and electric multiple unit operation.[31] | ||
GRR 842 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | 64-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order.[31] | ||
GRR 844 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | 64-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order.[31] | ||
GRR 846 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | 68-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order.[31] | ||
GRR 848 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | 1955 | Scrapped | 68-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order.[31][41] |
GRR 862 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | 1955–56 | Scrapped | 68-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order. Overhauled at the CPR Angus Shops in Montreal in 1947. Scrapped at Preston in 1956.[42] |
GRR 864 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | Scrapped | 68-seat steel passenger car.[30] | |
GRR 866 | Passenger | Preston Car Company | 1921 | mid 1930s | Rebuilt | 68-seat steel passenger car.[30] Part of the 1921 order. Severely damaged by fire at one end in August 1933. Rebuilt as a baggage/express/passenger combine car in 1937 and renumbered as GRR 624.[31] |
Infrastructure
Trackage
Throughout its existence, the Grand River Railway's infrastructure changed to reflect the priorities and prosperity of its owners. Its complex track network included the constituent railways it had been formed from, as well as related, but separate, railways such as the Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway. As the system aged, its physical infrastructure came to reflect an increasing emphasis on freight, as well as the capacity to carry heavier trains. Lighter rails which were more suitable for single passenger cars than freight trains were gradually replaced. For example, the very light 56-lb. rails on the Hespeler branch line were replaced with 65-lb. rails in the early 1910s,[43] and most of the mainline between Preston and Kitchener was relaid with 85-lb. rails in 1918.[44] In comparison, Canadian Pacific began in 1921 to generally replace the 85-lb. rails on the lines it directly maintained with 100-lb. rails, and some American railways started using rails as heavy as 130 lbs. Maintenance cost savings, safety, and the ability to use heavier locomotives were cited as major reasons for the mainline railways to use heavier rails.[45]
Despite its success during its heyday of the 1910s–20s, the Grand River Railway primarily represented a consolidation and modernization of existing railway infrastructure and trackage, and little expansion occurred. The most significant proposed expansion of trackage was a northwestern extension of the mainline from Waterloo. Had it been built, the extended line would have curved to the west through
Stations
Emerging as it did from late-19th century
One of the most significant stations was
With interurban trains banished from King Street in Kitchener after 1919, a basic wooden station was built in 1921 near the railway crossing at Queen Street,
Legacy

Much of the Grand River Railway's track continued to function as freight track for decades after passenger service was discontinued, but significant sections were removed in the 1980s, including the Hespeler branch, of which some portions are now the Mill Run Trail. Urban sections in Kitchener-Waterloo were largely also dismantled in the 1980s and replaced by the Iron Horse Trail in 1997, which features a number of plaques commemorating Kitchener's railway and industrial heritage. Perhaps most decisively, the junction that joined the GRNR and LE&N at Main Street in downtown Galt was also removed along with the LE&N track leading south to Paris, severing the original branch line laid down by the Great Western Railway in 1855, and ending rail traffic between the north and south halves of the Grand River valley.
A remnant of the Grand River Railway mainline, designated as the
The Grand River is also referenced in the name of
Starting in the 1990s, planners and local government officials began to revisit the idea of a rapid transit system in the region. This culminated in the Ion rapid transit light rail system which opened to the public on 21 June 2019.[52] Ironically, this system (ION Stage 1) does not include either Galt or Preston, the original hubs for regional rail, and is instead centred on Kitchener-Waterloo. It does, however, use a similar right of way in some areas as the Grand River Railway, such as along Caroline Street in Waterloo. Ion Stage 2, which as of 2019 is still in the public consultation phase, would once again provide a passenger rail connection between Galt, Preston, and Berlin (Kitchener).[53][54]
See also
- Grand River Transit
- Halton County Radial Railway
- Idylwild Park
- Interurban
- John Douglas Moore
- List of Ontario railways
- Preston and Berlin Street Railway
- List of defunct Canadian railways
- History of rail transport in Canada
References
Citations
- ^ "Grand River Valley". Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ "Preston and Berlin Railway: A Short-Lived Line". Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 9.
- ^ Bean, Bill (24 October 2014). "LRT began in Galt and Preston in 1894". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 14.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 15.
- ^ a b Miller, William E. (19 July 2004). "PRESTON & BERLIN STREET RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED PRESTON & BERLIN RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED". Electric Lines in Southern Ontario. Trainweb. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 26.
- ^ "CAMBRIDGE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON WATERLOO REGION'S LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT". Waterloo Region. 19 January 2017. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b Cain 1972, p. 40.
- ^ "Canadian Interurban Electric Railroads - 1930's - 1940's Grand River Railway Lake Erie & Northern Railway". 14 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "CAN'T CUT OUT HORN". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 81, no. 89. 5 November 1937. p. 3 – via Waterloo Public Library.
The horn which recently replaced the whistle on Grand River Railway radial cars cannot be toned down or removed, the town is informed in a letter from the Company. Residents along the railway have complained of the new horn as a nuisance, disturbing their sleep.
- ^ "MOTOR CAR HIT BY RADIAL CAR". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 44, no. 3. 16 January 1930. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "SUFFOCATION CAUSED DEATH OF HOUSTON". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 45, no. 34. 20 August 1931. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "NEW DUNDEE MAN KILLED AT CROSSING". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 46, no. 27. 7 July 1932. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Action for Damages As Result of Death Reginald Simpson". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 82, no. 17. 1 March 1938. p. 8 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Claim $86,155.23 Damages Against Grand River Ry". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 82, no. 27. 5 April 1938. p. 3 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Four Persons Killed In Crossing Crash Near Kitchener". Ottawa Journal. 14 October 1946. p. 1.
- ^ "Railways Asked $50,000 Damages". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 90, no. 2. 10 January 1947. p. 8 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Grand River Ry. Stops Passenger Service to Town". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 82, no. 20. 11 March 1938. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 28.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 46.
- ^ "'Electrics' still popular mode". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 132nd Year, no. 24. 17 June 1987. p. 5 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 51.
- ^ Cain 1972, p. 29.
- ^ "Asks Retention of Grand Railway". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 93, no. 34. 25 August 1950. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Superior Box Company Closed By Strike". The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 104. 4 August 1960. p. 1 – via Waterloo Public Library.
- ^ "Accession GA148 - Kaufman Footwear fonds". University of Waterloo. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ "INCREASED SERVICE ON G.R.R." The Waterloo Chronicle. Vol. 65, no. 52. 23 December 1920. p. 11 – via Waterloo Public Library.
The Grand River Railway is running a half hour service from 4.50 to 7.20 o'clock p.m. daily.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "ROSTER OF EQUIPMENT OF THE GRAND RIVER RAILWAY, LAKE ERIE & NORTHERN RAILWAY AND PREDECESSOR LINES". UCRS Bulletin. No. 16. Upper Canada Railway Society. April 1944. Retrieved 25 February 2021 – via CNR-in-Ontario.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Miller, William E. (13 October 2009). "Grand River Railway". Electric Lines in Southern Ontario. Trainweb. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- ^ Sandusky 2010.
- ^ Miller, William E. "LE&N 337 & GRR 228". Electric Lines in Southern Ontario. Trainweb. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ "Preserved Ontario" (PDF). Bytown Railway Society. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Weir, Laurie (5 February 2021). "Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario receives locomotive donation from Cornwall". Toronto.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Grand River Railway". Canada-Rail.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Merrilees 1963.
- ^ a b c d e "A TRIBUTE TO THE LAST ELECTRIC INTERURBAN CAR BUILT IN CANADA: GRAND RIVER RAILWAY 626". Trainweb.org. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Mills 1977, p. 18.
- ^ Sandusky 2010, p. 141.
- ^ County of Brant Public Library Digital Collections. "Grand River Railway 848 Departs from Brantford". Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via OurOntario.ca.
- ^ Sandusky 2010, p. 144.
- ^ Mills 1977, p. 10.
- ^ a b Mills 1977, p. 15.
- ^ "Heavier Rails for Heavy Traffic". Railway Age. Vol. 85, no. 1. Simmons-Boardman Publishing. 7 July 1928. pp. 209–212.
- ^ "WILL DISCUSS MANY TOPICS: General Meeting of Board of Trade Has Big Program". The Waterloo Chronicle–Telegraph. Vol. 63, no. 34. 21 August 1919. p. 9.
- ^ "THE WELLESLEY EXTENSION". The Waterloo Chronicle–Telegraph. Vol. 63, no. 35. 28 August 1919. p. 2.
- ^ Breithaupt 1917, p. 20.
- ^ Flanagan, Ryan (22 June 2016). "Grand River Hospital's Freeport campus marks 100-year milestone". CTV News. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ a b Mills 1977, p. 21.
- ^ Mills 1977, p. 20.
- ^ Weidner, Johanna (8 May 2019). "Ion launch date set for June 21". Waterloo Region Record. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Sharkey, Jackie (8 February 2017). "There's still wiggle room in the Region of Waterloo's LRT plans for Cambridge". CBC. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Stage 2 ION". Region of Waterloo. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
Bibliography
- Breithaupt, W. H. (1917). "Waterloo County Railway History". Fifth Annual Report of the Waterloo Historical Society (PDF) (Report). Kitchener, Ontario: Waterloo Historical Society. pp. 14–23 – via Transport Sourcebook.
- Cain, Peter F. (6 May 1972). The Grand River Railway: A Study of a Canadian Intercity Electric Railroad (Thesis). Department of History, Waterloo Lutheran University.
- Merrilees, Andrew (1963). "THE RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK INDUSTRY IN CANADA: A History of 110 Years of Canadian Railway Car Building". Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- Mills, John M. (1977). "Chapter I: Galt, Preston & Hespeler Street Railway, Grand River Railway". Traction on The Grand: The Story of Electric Railways along Ontario's Grand River Valley. Railfare Enterprises. pp. 3–26. ISBN 0-919130-27-5.
- Sandusky, Robert J. (July–August 2010). Murphy, Peter; Smith, Douglas N. W. (eds.). "Canadian Pacific Electric Lines – History Overview" (PDF). ISSN 0008-4875. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
Further reading
- OCLC 237973.
- Kirkwood, M. W. (1939). Canadian Pacific Electric Lines.
- Roth, George; Clack, William (April 1987). Canadian Pacific's Electric Lines: Grand River Railway and the Lake Erie & Northern Railway. ISBN 0919487211.
External links
- Grand River Railway at Trainweb.org