Blair in Cambridge in Waterloo Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Galt - Berlin Railway

Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 19, 2024

1. Galt - Berlin Railway Marker

Inscription. In 1870, the Grand Trunk Railway decided it required a branch line between Galt and Berlin (now Kitchener). The route followed the west bank of the Grand River through Blair, Doon and German Mills. By 1874 several freight and passenger trains a day passed through. Blair. Because of the German (Deutsch) origins of Berlin; the train was nick-named the "Dutch Mill".

By 1932 passenger service was discontinued and the railway station was demolished. Freight service dwindled and in 1961 the tracks were finally lifted. Portions of this former railway now serve as a city trail system.

A masonry wall constructed of mortar requires solid footing installed below the frost line which is about 1.2 metres in Cambridge. Without a footing structure built in this manner, the mortar joints would crack after the first winter.

A dry (not mortared) stone wall, on the other hand is not dependent on footing structures. Without any mortar, the wall joints can flex with the frost making it impossible to tell that the wall has moved at all.

Typically, a dry stone wall falls apart from the tơp down. The lower stones rarely come

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out of place until the stones above are gone. Without mortar there is nothing to keep the stone wall intact except for their weight. Consequently, it is important in dry stone wall construction to place the heaviest stones on top to hold the rest of the wall in place. For increased stability, a dry stone wall's base should be slightly wider than the top, with the exposed face sloping slightly toward the centre of the wall because of these construction techniques that dry stonewall that you see along the trail is largely unchanged, even through it was built over one hundred years ago.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 43° 23.045′ N, 80° 23.058′ W. Marker is in Cambridge, Ontario, in Waterloo Region. It is in Blair. It is on Blair Road half a kilometer east of Fountain Street South, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1636 Blair Road, Cambridge ON N3H 4R8, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in

Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 19, 2024

2. Galt - Berlin Railway Marker

Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Blair Bridge (a few steps from this marker); The Founder of Preston (approx. 2.4 kilometers away); Preston Towne Centre (approx. 2.4 kilometers away); Preston Cenotaph (approx. 2.4 kilometers away); Otto Julius Klotz (approx. 2.5 kilometers away); Doon Presbyterian Church (approx. 2.9 kilometers away); Doon School of Fine Arts 1948-1966 (approx. 3 kilometers away); Homer Ransford Watson (approx. 3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cambridge.

1916 map showing the route of the Galt-Berlin portion of the Grand Trunk Railway image. Click for full size.

3. 1916 map showing the route of the Galt-Berlin portion of the Grand Trunk Railway

1898

4. Blair GTR Station, 1898

Source: Kitchener Public Library (public domain)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 5, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 4, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 4, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.