TIES TO THE PAST

By Paul Russell

From King Township Tapestry magazine, Vol. 1. No. 2. August 1997

History students learn construction of railway lines was the major impetus behind the settlement and economic development of the Canadian west. What they may not be told, however, is that railways played a major role in the formation of Ontario, in such places as King Township.

On May 16, 1853, the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railroad opened the first commercial steam railway in Canada West, now known as Ontario, on a section of track between Machell’s Corners (now Aurora), and Toronto. That line was followed by a burst of railway construction, as the line reached Richmond Hill in 1896 and Newmarket 1899.

In 1902, Robert Shelson drove in the last spike to complete a spur line, running from Oak Ridges to Schomberg. The need for this line was illustrated by an article in the Bolton Enterprise, published in the 1890’s. It noted, “Mr. Stokes, the stage driver to and from Aurora, is doing quite a business during the fair in Toronto, and he had three teams on the road every day…………and what a blessing when we have the railway through Schomberg.”

The steam train that ran on the spur line was dubbed “the Annie Rooney” by local residents, named after a comic strip trolley car that encountered many similar difficulties, such as cattle on the track.

The 22.5 kilometre (14 miles) spur line was named the Schomberg and Aurora Railway (S&A), even though its eastern end point was at Oak Ridges. From Yonge Street, it weaved its way to the Eversley train station, located on Dufferin street adjacent where Seneca College now stands. After stopping in Kettleby, the train meandered through what is now the Carrying Place Golf and Country Club, before ending its run in Schomberg.

A large map, showing the spur line’s exact route, is on display at the King Township Museum, 2920 King Road.

King residents welcomed the train. No longer did they have to haul produce to Toronto by sleigh or wagon. The agricultural industry also benefited, as grain and livestock easily reached the stockyards and grain elevators.

Mail delivery was transformed, with the Annie Rooney replacing stagecoaches. Letter and packages were now brought to the township twice daily.

Passenger travel on the trolley lines was impressive. According to one published report, the main Yonge Street line carried 350,000 passengers in 1900; 2,240,000 in 1905 and more than 11 million in 1921.

Trolley cars, powered by electricity, were introduced to Ontario in 1889. The next year, the rail line stretching up Yonge Street was electrified. The Toronto and York Radial Railway Company acquired the King spur line and its connecting tracks, replacing the steam trains with electric cars in 1916.

But just as steam engines replaced horse and carriage operations, the life of the electric trolley was similarly cut short by the arrival of a more convenient form of transportation: motorized vehicles.

Farmers relied on trucks to deliver their goods to market, and residents traveled in cars, instead of passenger trains, for visits to Toronto. Competition from bus services also led to a decline in rail travel.

By 1924, the spur line was losing approximately $5,500 annually. In 1927, it closed.