A Canadian Branchline Railroad Exploration in Rural Ontario, Canada. HD

Hello everyone! Here is a bit of a different and unique video for this week, one that focuses on a branchline railroad in rural Ontario, one that focuses on days gone by in the town of Stratford, Ontario, all while displaying the present-day railroad and its operations. You may have heard of the town of Stratford for its dedication to the fine arts and fine arts performances such as musicals and plays, but over one-hundred years ago, it was an important town on the Grand Trunk Railway system. In those days, Stratford was a railroad-based town with a large engine repair and maintenance facility, which still stands today, approximately 1/4 a mile away from the Stratford Station. Stratford also had a pretty sizable yard which is still in use to this day and the line through Stratford, believe it or not, was a mainline for the Grand Trunk Railway in those days. In 1923, Canadian National had acquired Grand Trunk, but it kept the operations at Stratford intact and Stratford still served as an important town on the CN system. However, by 1960, things began to change. In the early 1960s, the engine shop closed as a result of CN moving from steam to diesel power, and by the 1970s, the mainline through Stratford was thought as redundant to the CN mainline through London, and thus the line through Stratford was downgraded. As a result, the yard was also downgraded and Stratford was no longer seen as a vital town to the Canadian National Railway. That being said, not all is lost. The yard and the line around Stratford is still used by the Goderich-Exeter Railway, a shortline that serves the local grain industry and other industries from Stratford to Kitchener, Guelph, as well as the London and Toronto suburbs, with car exchanges with the Canadian Pacific in Kitchener and with the Canadian National in Toronto. In addition, as you will see in the video, Via Rail Canada also passes through Stratford and has four daily trains. All in all, this video is dedicated to a by-gone era and the legacy it has left, as well as a display of railroad industry evolution. I hope you enjoy the video! -N&W475.