Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway

Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway
Locale	Ontario, Canada
Dates of operation	1897–1959
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario

The Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway is a historic Canadian railway that operated in central and eastern Ontario from 1897 until 1959.

It was a common carrier railway, although it was primarily used to transport timber from logging operations as well as haul cargo from western Canada via the Great Lakes. Its route through Algonquin Provincial Park saw it play an important role in the park's development of the tourist industry.

The man behind the railway was John Rudolphus Booth, a 19th century Canadian lumber baron and entrepreneur.

History

The Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound Railway (OA&PS) was incorporated on July 31, 1891. The incorporation amalgamated two previous railway companies, the Ottawa and Parry Sound Railway and the Ottawa Arnprior and Renfrew Railway both incorporated in 1888. The impetus behind the railway construction was to connect it to the Canada Atlantic Railway (CAR) which connected Ottawa to Vermont. This railway network was designed to transport timber from Ontario to the New England states.

In 1892, Booth purchased the Parry Sound Colonization Railway (PSCR). Added to the planned route of the OA&PS this gave him a continuous connection between Parry Sound and Ottawa. Construction of the railway started in 1892 and lasted until 1897 when the first train ran from Ottawa to Parry Sound. In 1898, Booth created a steamship company called the Canada Atlantic Transport Company. This allowed him to transport cargo by boat and rail from Thunder Bay to Ottawa faster than any other route then in existence.

Construction proceeded west from Ottawa at a fairly steady pace. The first section between Ottawa and Arnprior opened on September 13, 1893. By the end of 1893 the railway had reached Eganville. West of this, the railway began a steady climb through a series of rolling hills as it progressed through the Algonquin Highlands. Many trestles and bridges were required which substantially increased the cost of construction. By the end of 1896 the railway was complete when it joined up with the track laid by the PSCR at the town of Scotia. A final section was added from Parry Sound to Depot Harbour in 1897, the railway's terminus.

The divisional point for the railway was built in Madawaska. This included a roundhouse and switching yard for the railway. Some local communities were upset at the choice of this site as it was fairly remote from current settlements. It was however within the timber limits of Booth's holdings. A logging only branch was established west of Madawaska, at Egan Estate. This branch was operated separately as a logging railway, under the charter of the Nosbonsing and Nipissing Railway.

In 1899, the railway was taken over by its parent company, the CAR. In 1905 the CAR was sold to Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) for 14 million Canadian dollars. The railway continued to operate and by 1910 there was sufficient commerce to support one train every 20 minutes.

While the main use for the OA&PS was freight and timber transport, its existence through the wilderness of Algonquin Park gave easy access to the area. In 1908 the railway opened a lodge called Highland Inn. The venture was very successful and several lodges and youth camps were eventually built along the railway's route through the park.

In 1923, the bankrupt GTR was nationalized by the Government of Canada and merged into the Canadian National Railways (CNR).

In 1933, an unexpected flood undermined a trestle at Cache-Two Rivers. The CNR was unable to afford repair costs and the federal government refused to provide a subsidy, thus ending through traffic for the railway. From this point traffic declined on the railway and by the end of the 1940s only a few passenger trains were running to the lodges in Algonquin Park.

CNR ended service on the western section in 1952, while service on the eastern section continued until it ended in 1959, bringing to a close rail service for much of central-eastern Ontario.

Legacy

The OA&PS trackage has been removed and its presence can only be seen due to a few scattered ruins that dot the landscape. Part of the old railway bed has been incorporated into the Upper Madawaska River Provincial Park, which runs between Whitney and Madawaska. This non-operating park uses the railroad bed as a rail trail servicing hikers, all-terrain vehicles, bicycles, and horseback riding in summer, and snowmobiles and dog-sled teams in winter. Parts of the railbed in Algonquin Provincial park have been utilized as hiking and biking trail and vehicular access to leased properties near the parkway corridor.

References

• Bell, Allan (1991). A Way to the West: a Canadian railway legend. Barrie, ON: Privately Published. ISBN 9780969491408. OCLC 28723874. 
• MacKay, Niall (1981). Over the hills to Georgian Bay : a pictorial history of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway. Erin, ON: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 9780919822405. OCLC 8515916. 

External links

• Map of Ottawa Arnprior & Parry Sound route
• The Canada Atlantic Railway Research Site