Hamilton and North-Western Railway
| Locale | Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | –1879 |
| Successor | Northern and Northwestern Railway |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Headquarters | Hamilton, Ontario |
The Hamilton and Northwestern railway was a standard gauge railway in southern Ontario. Based in Hamilton, it was to help the city compete with Toronto.
A charter was granted to the Hamilton & Port Dover Railway (H&PD) in 1835, to construct a line to Port Dover. Funding was short, and nothing was built. The charter was revived in 1853, and the H&PD was officially incorporated. The H&PD incurred enormous costs constructing the line up Hamilton Mountain.
In 1869, the Hamilton & Lake Erie Railway (H&LE) was established, taking over the defunct H&PD. The line reached to Jarvis by 1873. In 1875, the H&LE merged with the Hamilton & Northwestern Railway (H&NW). The line reached Port Dover by 1878.
Another branch ran northwards towards Barrie, with a sub-branch splitting and proceeding to Collingwood. Towns serviced include Brampton, Beeton, Tottenham, Alliston, Lisle, Creemore, Glen Huron. Various Simcoe county municipalities had subsidized construction to create competition. However, in June 1879, the Hamilton and North Western merged with its competitor to become the Northern and Northwestern Railway. The Grand Trunk Railway gained control in 1887. The Grand Trunk became the Canadian National in 1923. The Collingwood branch was closed in 1955.
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