Port Stanley Terminal Rail

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Passengers on the PSTR

The Port Stanley Terminal Rail is a heritage railway that passes over the historic tracks of the The London and Port Stanley Railway (L&PS) between Port Stanley and St. Thomas. The tourist trains began operating in 1983, after volunteers started maintaining the abandoned L&PS train corridor.

1 History
2 Present Day
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

The first passenger train reached Port Stanley in July 5th 1856. Use of the line increased until 1943, when the end of gas rationing and the increased use of automobiles caused a slow decline in passenger traffic. On February 1st 1957, passenger service ended on the L&PS line.^[1]

Afterwards, the rail continued to carry freight traffic, especially between St. Thomas and London, Ontario. The rail section between St. Thomas and London fell into disrepair and was finally abandoned in 1982 after a washout.

When the line was officially abandoned, a group of residents created the Port Stanley Terminal Rail Inc. and purchased the rail to be used as a heritage railway. After rebuilding the tracks, the group finally received a Provincial railway charter to operate trains between the cities of St. Thomas and Port Stanley in 1987.

[edit] Present Day

PSTR Conductor

Currently, the railway has four historic diesel locomotives from the 40's and 50's and nine passenger cars.^[2] Trains leave the Port Stanley railway station on most summer weekends (and more daily during the high tourist season) for an hour-long ride that ends up in St. Thomas. Additionally, a number of special train rides are scheduled throughout the year, like the Santa Express which runs in December.

Because the L&PS railway line does not connect to a train station in St. Thomas, passengers may not board the train in downtown St. Thomas; all passenger boarding is done in Port Stanley.

The line is run and maintained through a volunteer effort.