Since our model railroad is inspired by the city and county we live in, we thought it might be nice to show the history of the real railroads of Essex County and Windsor, Ontario. All 150+ years of history are below.
RAILROADING IN ESSEX COUNTY
| 1854 | Great Western Railway comes to Windsor (then GTW, then CN) |
|---|---|
| 1874 | Canada Southern arrives in Essex County (to Amherstburg) |
| 1880/06 | Ontario and Quebec (CP) arrives in Windsor |
| 1882 | Michigan Central leases the Canada Southern Railway |
| 1884 | CASO/MC 'cutoff' line to Windsor from Essex built |
| 1885 | CP comes to Windsor |
| 1887 | Construction of Leamington & St. Clair railroad completed |
| 1888/12 | Opening of the Lake Erie, Essex and Detroit River Railroad |
| 1902 | ETR formed and begins laying trackage |
| 1903/01 | Pere Marquette obtains the LE & DR (formerly LEE&DR) |
| 1905 | Construction of the Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore interurban begins |
| 1907 | The Essex depot survives explosion number one |
| 1910/07 | Detroit River Rail tunnel opens |
| 1920 | ETR completes track laying to Amherstburg |
| 1932/09/15 | The Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore interurban ceases operations |
| 1947/06 | LE&DR merged into C&O |
| 1952 | NYC ceases electric operations through the tunnel |
| 1953 | The last NYC steam-pulled passenger train departs Windsor (eastbound) |
| 1953 | The NYC Windsor roundhouse closes |
| 1955/12 | C&O gets tunnel trackage rights and moves the ferries to Sarnia |
| 1957 | C&O Station in Walkerville demolished |
| 1961 | CN Waterfront passenger station closes |
| 1961 | 'Temporary' passenger station opened at CN Walkerville - It's still there! (well, was...) |
| 1962 | CN introduces the 'wet noodle' herald |
| 1968 | CP introduces the 'multimark' herald |
| 1971/07 | CP ends RDC passenger service to Windsor |
| 1975/10 | Amtrak begins operations through Southern Ontario |
| 1975 | Local chapter of Canadian Railway Historical Association (CRHA) begins restoration of Essex depot |
| 1976 | VIA Rail Canada begins nation-wide passenger service |
| 1976 | The Bombardier LRC is introduced |
| 1976/06/16 | Last run on the Amherstburg branch - McGregor to Amherstburg |
| 1976/01/15 | Last Penn Central westbound freight (BM-7) in Canada |
| 1976/09/10 | CN westbound pasenger #77 derails at Tecumseh (Lesperance Rd.) |
| 1976/03 | C&O closes Harrow and Kingsville depots |
| 1976/04/01 | Conrail is born |
| 1977/08/18 | ETR trades in SW8 102 for EMD SW1500 113 (to be 107) |
| 1977/10/23 | CN #73 derails at Windsor (Lauzon Rd.) |
| 1978/08 | PM Tower (ETR & C&O) torn down |
| 1978/01/21 | World record flatload of lumber in Windsor (110K boardfeet) |
| 1978/04/16 | Ex-CP 2860 with BC museum train visits Windsor |
| 1979/01/31 | Last run of the Amtrak Niagara Rainbow through Southern Ontario |
| 1979/10/17 | N&W's last operating F7A 3725 heads dead to U.S. |
| 1979/05 | ETR obtains PC caboose 23045 [Now privately owned in West Windsor] |
| 1980/06/24 | GTW officially acquires remaining 50% of DT&I from Penn Co. |
| 1980/04 | C&O begins painting Canadian Geeps in Chessie scheme |
| 1981/02/16 | CP celebrates 100th anniversary |
| 1981/09/31 | GTW takes over remaining 50% of D&TSL from N&W |
| 1982/04 | VIA Walkerville depot modernization completed |
| 1982/04/24 | VIA demonstrates new LRC equipment at Windsor |
| 1982/05/03 | The LRC begins regular service into Windsor |
| 1985/08/08 | CP/SOO begin Chicago/Montreal container service |
| 1985/05/01 | CN & CP acquire Conrail's Canadian Division (CASO) |
| 1986/12 | The F40PH enters VIA service |
| 1986/06/15 | Windsor NYC roundhouse torn down |
| 1986/04/11 | ETR obtains AC GP9 172 (becomes 102) |
| 1986/07/06 | CP begins Manual Block System operation on Windsor Sub. |
| 1987/01/19 | CN begins direct service to U.S. (trains 383/382) |
| 1987/04/25 | ETR runs National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) charters to Amherstburg |
| 1988 | ETR becomes all GM with sale of 101 and 103 (to La Salle Pkg), and 106 (to A&M) |
| 1988/04 | Detroit Michigan Central Depot closes |
| 1989/07/17 | CP westbound 507 derails near Windsor south dropping containers onto Tecumseh Road |
| 1989/07/20 | A westbound CSX local derails at washout (due to 7-10 inches of rain) near Kingsville |
| 1989/07 | The CP Windsor Star spur is pulled out of service and the ETR diamond signals removed |
| 1989/11/25 | ETR obtains Cartier GP9 #59 (renumbered 108) |
| 1980/10/20 | Fire at CP docks destroys 60-100 vehicles loaded in multi's |
| 1980/10/01 | CN converts from MBS to DOB (Daily Operating Bulletins) |
| 1990/04 | Due to deteriorating track conditions, the CSX locals now run in dalight if on their own track |
| 1990 | Last online industry closes on ETR factory branch. Line soon torn up. |
| 1990/10 | CN's waterfront yard closes (last spike ceremony - Nov. 30th) |
| 1990 | CN's two-track main to Chatham now operated as single mainline |
| 1990/11/24 | ETR obtains two CP wide-vision vans |
| 1990/06 | CN Chatham Sub. between Windsor & Chatham single-tracked |
| 1990/01/01 | Windsor railway tunnel flooded by broken water main |
| 1990/01/15 | Federal policies force reduction in VIA services |
| 1990/06 | CN purchases CSX line from Tecumseh Rd (mp2) to Oldcastle (mp8), plus mile around Leamington |
| 1990/12 | THe town of Essex takes possession of the Essex depot |
| 1990/01 | CP starts running cabooseless trains |
| 1991/12 | The Windsor-Essex chapter of the CRHA winds down. |
| 1991/09 | The gate tower at CN Walker Road (Walkerville) removed from service |
| 1991/05/07 | CP begins Detroit Toronto NS Roadrailer service |
| 1991/09/16 | Pelton diamond removed and signals shut off |
| 1991/07/27 | CN waterfront roundhouse levelled by fire |
| 1991/11/19 | Pelton tower razed |
| 1992/03 | CP Operator jobs moved to Toronto |
| 1992/01 | ETR's chopped caboose heads to the States |
| 1992/01 | New tunnel project planned for Sarnia |
| 1992/01/01 | CN North America absorbs GT, CV, DW&P |
| 1992/04 | CSX Local 1 terminated |
| 1992/04 | CN not to upgrade Windsor tunnel; CP to go ahead alone |
| 1992/06 | B&SW 3-foot railroad last run - equipment to Heritage Village |
| 1992/07 | CN Stoney Point depot damaged in fire (again and for the last time) |
| 1992/01 | CN starts running cabooseless trains |
| 1992 | CN starts lifting westbound (north) track between Essex and Tilbury |
| 1993 | Last trains run on CASO from Windsor to Leamington. CN abandons the line shortly after, donating it to Essex Regional Conservation Authority. Chrysler Canada donates money to ERCA to convert it to a rail trail in exchange for naming rights. |
| 1993/06 | City to gate grade crossings and bring in no-whistle bylaws. |
| 1993/05 | CP dual-flag scheme appears in area |
| 1994/05 | CP/NS Railbarge services terminated |
| 1994/05 | North (westbound) tube dimensions increased for double stacks and TOFC (trailer on flat car) |
| 1994/05/17 | CN Windsor South closes. CTC Control moves to Toronto |
| 1994 late | CSX freight station in Walkerville damaged by fire |
| 1995 | CN opens new Sarnia tunnel - much of CN's Windsor traffic rerouted through Sarnia |
| 1995 | Rails on CASO, Amherstburg Branch and Leamington Spur removed, converted into Chrysler Canada Greenway from Oldcastle to Ruthven |
| 1995/03 | CSX freight station in Walkerville razed |
| 1995/06 | CSX begins running rights throughout the CASO Subdivision. |
| 1996/11/11 | CN Windsor South depot burns down |
| 1996/07 | CP Rail begins (returns to) Canadian Pacific Railway |
| 1997/09 | CPR introduces new image with gold beaver herald |
| 1999/06 | Conrail absorbed (shared) by NS and CSX |
| 1999/11 | ETR acquires ex-IC SW14 1475; renumbered to 104 |
| 1999 | CN makes new connection at Pelton from CASO to Pelton spur |
| 2000 | CP adds new yarding and siding from Lauzon Rd to Walker Rd. |
| 2001/09 | Leamington Branch torn up - rail removed |
| 2001/11 | Southwood Hotel (across from CN Windsor South depot location) damaged by fire; repaired |
| 2001/11 | Last VIA LRC locomotive run |
| 2001/late | VIA acquires new locomotives (9xx-series) from GE. In service |
| 2002 | STL&H officially disappears into CP fold |
| 2002 | CN gets Roadrailer contract - trains how handled through Sarnia |
| 2002? | CP takes over control of tunnel from CN |
| 2002/09 | ETR #9 (0-6-0) visits Windsor for week long ETR 100th anniversary. Accompanied by a VIA Renaissance trainset |
| 2003/06 | Royal Hudson CP 2816 makes an appearance |
| 2004/06 | Royal Canadian Pacific (RCP) visits - CP 1401, 1900, 3084 |
| 2005/late | New acquisitions from GE appear, minus the 'Golden Rodent' |
| 2005/late | New F40PH Budweiser scheme for VIA promotion of 2006 Superbowl in Detroit |
| 2009 | New grade separation completed at Walker Rd. |
| 2007 | easternmost 1 km of CASO Amherstburg branch converted into paved rail trail within the Town of Essex by ERCA. |
| 2010/06 | 4-stall roundhouse at CP Windsor yard razed |
| 2010/late | VIA starts construction of new Windsor/Walkerville station |
| 2011/early | New grade separation completed at Howard Ave. |
| 2015 | CASO tracks from Pelton to Chatham removed from service. ERCA considers conversion into another rail trail from Pelton to Tilbury |
| 2017/04/27 | Remaining sections of CASO Amherstburg branch converted into gravel rail trail, with a generous donation from Cypher Systems Group (in exchange for naming rights). Two former rail bridges over streams near McGregor were also repaired. |
| 2017/late | ERCA begins extending trail through grasslands owned by Essex Pollution Control Plant (sewage treatment) to Victoria Street and Highway 3 traffic lights. |
This page’s information was created in 2011 by Ken Garber, updated on November 13, 2017, by Shawn Colley. Corrections and additions are welcome. Many thanks to those who have already done so!