Rod Clarke's TG&B and T&N Diaries
Background
Rod Clarke is the author of Narrow Gauge Through The Bush, the definitive history of two narrow gauge railways that were built almost simultaneously following their incorporation in 1868 north-west (Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway) and north-east (the Toronto & Nipissing Railway) of Toronto. The objects were to break the traffic and wood fuel monopolies of the Northern Railway of Canada, to open up the hinterlands to the economic and social benefits of railway transportation, and last but not least to bring in the grain to supply the needs of their sponsor, the Gooderham & Worts Distillery.
This book built on previous essays on these two railways, but the emphasis of this work is on the engineering and operation of the routes, the rolling stock, the buildings and structures; as well as on the backgrounds of the engineers, contractors and manufacturers who built and supplied equipment to them, but the author notes that "aside from the technical aspects of this work, the book is also very detailed in its treatment of the political and social history of the times that led to the building of these railways, so it is of much broader interest than to the immediate rail fan community.
I particularly enjoyed describing the often amusing, sometimes scandalous, manoeuvring between the railway promoters, business people and local politicians to get bonus by-laws passed to help finance the lines. There is also interesting material on the origins and lives of the labourers who built these railways."
The book also sheds light on the politics and economics of narrow gauge railways. It is now out-of-print, but is the definitive work on the emergence of these two railways that contributed vastly to the development of Ontario in the nineteenth century.
Years of meticulous research went into the making of this history, and Rod has kindly granted permission for publication of his newspaper research.
The Author
Notes:
- Rod's research covers 1865 to 1874 for the TG&B, and 1867 to 1883 for the T&N.
- These pages appear as scanned by the author. They were selected for his research from newspapers that Rod was able to copy at the Archives of Ontario and at various local libraries.
- The newspaper is indicated by an abbreviation. The list of abbreviations appears below.
- Readability is entirely dependent on the quality of the microfilm machine of the day, the condition of the newspaper, the type size used by the paper, and the limitations of the reproductive process to present these pages here. Some newspaper printed with very small type sizes, and it may be necessary to use a magnifying glass or the on-screen zoom-out zoom-in feature to read some of the pages.
- Some articles appeared in full and often multiple columns, so that they have been reproduced here on successive pages, denoted as e.g. 1/2 2/2, and the reader will have to look for the overlap.
- Dates appear either written out in full as in "May 30, 1867", "30 May 1867" or in international format (18) 67 05 30.
- Additional material re the TG&B also appears in Carl Riff's Railway History Diaries (see under CPR Bruce Division and Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway); and for both the TG&B and the T&N also under Quick Railway Histories and other Information.
Newspaper Abbreviations:
BT Brampton Times
GR Galt Reporter
GS Goderich Signal
HE Huron Expositor
HS Hamilton Spectator
ME Markham Economist
MFC Mount Forest Confederate
OS Orangeville Sun
OSA Owen Sound Advertiser
TG Toronto Globe
TL Toronto Leader
UJ Uxbridge Journal
WC Whitby Chronicle
The Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway
1865-1866
1867 Feb to May
1867 Jun to Nov
1867 Dec 10 PW&PP Ry (WC)
1868 Jan to Feb
1868 Mar to Apr
1868 Jun to Aug
1868 Sep to Oct
1868 Nov to Dec
1869 Jan to Mar
1869 Apr to Jun includes TG&B prospectus May 20
1869 Jul to Sep
1869 Oct to Dec
1870 Jan to Mar
1870 Apr to Jun
1870 Jul to Aug
1870 Sep
1870 Oct to Nov
1870 Dec
1871 Jan to Mar
1871 Apr to Jun
1871 Jul to Aug
1871 Sep
1871 Nov 3 formal opening
1871 Oct to Dec except formal opening
1872 Jan to Mar
1872 Apr to Jun
1872 Jul to Sep includes AGM
1872 Oct to Dec construction train accident nr Owen Sound
1873 Jan to Mar
1873 Apr to Jun completion to Owen Sound (June)
1873 Jul to Sep includes AGM
1873 Oct to Dec
1874 Jan to Oct
1874 Nov to Dec
Toronto & Nipissing Railway
1867
1867 handwritten entries
1868
1868 handwritten entries
1869 Jan Feb
1869 Mar Apr
1869 May Jun
1869 Jul
1869 Aug Sep
1869 Oct
1869 Nov
1869 Dec
1870 Jan Feb
1870 Mar May
1870 Jun Aug
1870 Sep Oct AGM, new Kingston loco
1871 Jan Mar Joseph Gould loco
1871 Apr rails to Goodwood
1871 May
1871 Jun Jul
1871 Aug
1871 Sep opening to Uxbridge, AGM
1871 Oct Dec
1872 Jan Jun
1872 Jun Dec (Sep AGM)
1873 Jan Jun (May Coboconk to be terminus - death of John Shedden)
1873 Jul Dec (Sep AGM)
1874 (Feb boiler explosion Stouffville)
1875
1876 LSJR to Sutton to be operated by the T&N
1877
1878 fatal accident between Uxbridge and Goodwood
1879 freak collision with team south of Stouffville, no one injured
1880
1881 to be converted to the standard gauge
1882 car shops, Uxbridge
1883 Uxbridge engine house fire
Note: Some additional information is also at Narrow Gauge For Us