PAUSE a moment as you cycle or walk the Saugeen Railtrail and listen for the sounds of history.  For close to one hundred years the trains of the Canadian National Railway, formerly the Wellington Grey and Bruce Railway/Grand Trunk Railway transported locally manufactured goods and farm produce destined for distant markets.  In addition to freight there were also mail and passenger cars.

In the mid 1800s the citizens of Bruce County were well aware of the need for a railroad and set about to get one.  Initially there were competing bids for the new rail line.  One would end in Kincardine while the other would end in Southampton.  After a narrow victory, of close to 300 votes and allegations of vote fixing, a contract was awarded to the Wellington Grey and Bruce Railway to complete a rail line within three years through to Southampton.  To support this endeavour Bruce County Council, through a debenture, posted a bonus of $250,000.00 for the completion of the rail line. The line was completed in December 1872.

The economic benefit to the area was quickly realized when an excellent grain crop of over 200,000 bushels, at a price of $1.15 per bushel, was shipped over the new line the first year.

The rail line was not only for the shipping and receiving of raw materials and manufactured goods.  The passenger service provided the opportunity for people to travel within the County and it gave much easier access to the rest of the world.  It also proved an excellent means for people from the cities to access our local beaches and facilities.  One home coming reunion in 1907 had 800 people arrive by train. This gave rise to more resort facilities becoming available in the area.

The initial service to the area included both freight and passenger trains but by 1931 they were combined into ‘mixed trains’.  Further cutbacks saw mail delivery stopped in 1957 and freight service discontinued by 1959.  The ‘day liner’, a self propelled rail car that was designed to offer rapid transit to Toronto in approximately five hours continued to serve the area until 1970.  With no freight or passenger services remaining the track was decommissioned in 1980 and the tracks were removed in 1984.  The removal of the local tracks coincided with similar actions across North America.  This gave rise to the ‘Rails to Trails’ movement across North America which endeavoured to use abandoned rail beds for multi use activity trails.  In our community of Saugeen Shores the local government came through by providing financial support to the volunteers in the community who wanted to develop the abandoned rail bed between the communities of Southampton, Saugeen Township and Port Elgin as a walking and bicycling trail.  Today we know and enjoy it as the Saugeen Railtrail.

Reference material and photographs from the archives of the Bruce County Museum & Cultural Centre.

JC Hemming