Canadian National Electric Railways

Canadian National Electric Railways
Overview
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario
Reporting mark	CNER
Locale	Ontario and Quebec
Dates of operation	1923–
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Canadian National Electric Railways (CNER) was a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railways created to operate a few electric lines. It was formed in November 1923, with headquarters in Toronto.^[1]

Acquired lines[]

The CNER inherited the following lines or systems from the Canadian Northern Railway and unified them under one management:^[1]

Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway - an interurban system operating on the Niagara Peninsula
Toronto Suburban Railway - Guelph and Woodbridge lines only
Toronto Eastern Railway - a line never completed

Associated lines[]

The CNER was closely associated with three railways which Canadian National Railways inherited from the Grand Trunk Railway. These railways never became a corporate part of the CNER:^[1]

- a passenger and freight operation in Oshawa, Ontario
Thousand Islands Railway - a shortline in Gananoque, Ontario - never electrified
Montreal and Southern Counties Railway - an interurban between Montreal and Granby, Quebec with a branch to Longueuil

Radial network[]

With the creation of the CNER, CNR president Henry Thornton was enthusiastic to develop Canadian National's own network of electric railways. This followed setbacks that Adam Beck had in promoting an Ontario Hydro radial network with its subsidiary the Hydro-Electric Railways.^[2]

Thornton planned to link the unfinished Toronto Eastern Railway to the Toronto Suburban Railway's Guelph line via the Toronto Belt Line Railway running through northern Toronto.^[2] There was also another plan to extend the Guelph line from its "temporary" terminal at Keele Street and St. Clair Avenue to downtown via the nearby CNR line.^[3] The CNER's Toronto Suburban district never turned a profit,^[2] and its abandonment in 1931 was the result of huge deficits from that line.^[4]

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c John M. Mills (1967). Niagara, St. Catherines & Toronto. Upper Canada Railway Society & Ontario Electric Railray Historical Association. pp. 14: Canadian National Electric Railways.
^ ^a ^b ^c Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 9 - Who Wants to Run the Radials?
^ Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 6 - The Toronto Suburban Railway
^ Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 10 - The End of The Line

External links[]

Canadian National Electric Railways on Trainweb.org

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[NS&T-Mills-1] John M. Mills (1967). Niagara, St. Catherines & Toronto. Upper Canada Railway Society & Ontario Electric Railray Historical Association. pp. 14: Canadian National Electric Railways.

[RTR9-2] Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 9 - Who Wants to Run the Radials?

[RTR6-3] Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 6 - The Toronto Suburban Railway

[RTR10-4] Robert M. Stamp (1989). Riding the Radials, Toronto's Suburban Electric Streetcar Lines. The Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1-55046-008-0. Retrieved 2016-04-16. Chapter 10 - The End of The Line

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