Fonds F 0172 - Great Western Railway Company fonds

The Great Western Railway company was incorporated in 1834 as the London and Gore Railroad Company, then changed its name to the Great Western Rail Road in 1845, and to the Great Western Railway in 1853. Promoters Allan Napier MacNab (a lawyer and politician), and four Hamilton merchants (Isaac and Peter Buchanan, R.W. Harris, and John Young) secured government guarantees which in turn attracted American and British investment which allowed the completion of its main line (Niagara Falls-Hamilton-London-Windsor) on 27 January 1854. The company operated primarily in Southwestern Ontario, (1,280 km of track) with an additional 288 km of track in neighbouring Michigan. The company experienced early financial success but after the economic depression of 1857 fell on hard times because of a combination of internal management struggles, increased local competition (especially from the Grand Trunk Railway), rapid expansion, and poor construction practices. The GWR was an important stimulus to the economy in Southwestern Ontario, but relied on American traffic (taking a short cut through Ontario between New York and Michigan) for 40-60% of its gross revenue, and was therefore heavily affected by consolidation and increased competition from rival American rail companies. In order to compete more effectively, the GWR merged in 1882 with its longtime local competitor the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1882, thereby disappearing into the 19th century’s major rail line through Ontario and Quebec which would become part of the Canadian National Railways (CN) in 1923. Much of the original GTR line (including GWR track after 1882) was still used by CN and VIA Rail in the early 21st century.

Sources: Peter A. Baskerville, “Great Western Railway,” in The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada (7 February 2006; updated 24 July 2015), https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-western-railway ; James H. Marsh, "Grand Trunk Railway of Canada," in The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada (7 February 2006; updated 3 June 2015), https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/grand-trunk-railway-of-canada (both accessed 3 August 2021).