Port Dover in Norfolk County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Railways
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 25, 2022
1. The Railways Marker
Port Dover joined Canada’s railway boom in the late 1800s. The Port Dover & Lake Huron was the first train to enter the village in 1875. The Hamilton & Lake Erie Railway, completed in 1878, linked the harbour communities of Port Dover and Hamilton, providing a belated alternative to the Welland Canal. An amalgamation in 1881 of some early railways by the Grant Trunk Railway included the PD & LH. In 1916, a third railway, the Lake Erie & Northern, created an electric interurban system between Galt and Port Dover, using the Grand Trunk tracks to reach the GTR station. In 1923, the GTR became part of the Canadian National Railways. Over the years, Port Dover’s many daily trains transported fish, agricultural products and tourists. They also carried coal, which arrived by ship. By the 1960s, local rail use was abandoned. The Lynn Valley Rail Trail between Port Dover and Simcoe is now a recreational path. The GTR station was relocated here, where locomotives were turntabled at the roundhouse nearby.
[other photo captions]
• The Lake Erie & Northern arrives from Galt and Brantford.
• Trains went out onto the pier to take coal-carrying rail cars from ships. This shows passenger cars on the pier in about 1906.
• A Grand Trunk locomotive steams by the foot of Main St. past the boat livery and Kolbe Fish Company. Circa
this page online
Project Partners: Port Dover Harbour Museum, Port Dover Enhancement Association,
Port Dover Board of Trade and Port Dover/Woodhouse & District Community Foundation
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 42° 46.998′ N, 80° 12.072′ W. Marker is in Port Dover, Ontario, in Norfolk County. Marker is on Saint George Street just west of Harbour Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located along the sidewalk, beside the former Grand Trunk Railway station building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5 Saint George Street, Port Dover ON N0A 1N0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Port Dover Lighthouse (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Summer Garden (about 90 meters away); Commercial Fishermen Monument (about 120 meters away); The Capture of Detroit / La Prise de Détroit (about 180 meters away); The Norfolk Tavern (about 210 meters away); Kahlenberg Engine (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); My Kahlenberg Dream - Harry B. Barrett (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); From Schooners to Steam Tugs (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Dover.
2. Marker detail: The Port Dover Train Station
Summer 1906
Summer 1906
Also see . . .
1. The Port Dover & Lake Huron Railway. Excerpt:
The Port Dover & Lake Huron Railway was a line built to connect Port Dover, ON, Canada with Woodstock, ON, about 40 miles north. The company was formed in 1872, with completion of the road to Woodstock completed in 1875. In 1876, the railway would extend northerly to Stratford, ON, where it met the Stratford & Lake Huron Railway, from which it extended points north and westerly, nearly to Lake Huron.(Submitted on November 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
The Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway ran from Hamilton to Port Dover, about 40 miles, providing trans-shipping service between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and with connections, to Lake Huron at Georgian Bay.(Submitted on November 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Lake Erie and Northern Railway (Wikipedia). Excerpt:
The Lake Erie and Northern Railway was an interurban electric railway which operated in the Grand River Valley in Ontario, Canada. The railway owned and operated a north–south mainline which ran from Galt in the north to Port Dover on the shore of Lake Erie(Submitted on November 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)in the south.
3. Marker detail: A locomotive at the turntable, near the present Harbour & St. George Streets.
4. Marker detail: Visitors from Norwich and Woodstock at the station, circa 1916.
5. Marker detail: The Port Dover Train Station in 1926
The horse-drawn omnibus will take visitors to one of the downtown hotels.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 25, 2022
6. The Railways Marker
Looking south. Former Grand Trunk Railway station building on the right.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 69 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 18, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
