Porcupine Branch
| Porcupine Branch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Overview | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Ontario Northland Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Ontario Northland Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 11 March 1912 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Porcupine Branch is a railway line in the province of Ontario, in Canada. It runs 24 miles (39 km) from a junction with the Ontario Northland Railway main line in Iroquois Falls to Porcupine, Ontario. The line formerly continued west to Timmins. It is owned and operated by the Ontario Northland Railway.
History
The Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway's main line from North Bay, Ontario, reached Cochrane, Ontario, on 30 November 1908.[3][4] Gold was discovered in nearby Porcupine, Ontario, in 1909, leading to the Porcupine Gold Rush and demand for better transport in the area.[5] The T&NO began building west from Iroquois Falls on 30 November 1910.[6] The line reached the Frederick House River in April 1911 and Timmins on 11 March 1912.[7]
The branch hosted passenger trains such as the Northlander until 1989, when the branch was abandoned within Timmins.[8] As of 2025, the Ontario Northland is building a new station on Highway 101 at the current end of the branch for the planned resumption of the Northlander in 2026.[9]
Route
The Ontario Northland Railway designates the Porcupine Branch as part of its Ramore Subdivision, which also includes the main line between Englehart and Porquis.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b Roberts, Earl; Stremes, David, eds. (2023). Canadian Trackside Guide. Ottawa, Ontario: Bytown Railroad Society. p. 14-131. ISSN 0829-3023.
- ^ Ontario Northland Railway (17 June 1979). "Time Table No. 70" (PDF). pp. 8–9.
- ^ Surtees (1992), p. 58.
- ^ Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway Commission (1910). Eighth Annual Report of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway Commission. Toronto. p. 16.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Surtees (1992), p. 79.
- ^ Surtees (1992), p. 84.
- ^ Surtees (1992), pp. 85–86.
- ^ Bailey (2018), pp. 5–6.
- ^ "Ontario Newsroom". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
References
- Bailey, Bram (September–October 2018). "Ontario Northland at Mile Post 100: Part One – Overview of the ONR" (PDF). Branchline. 57 (5): 3–9.
- Surtees, Robert J. (1992). The Northern Connection: Ontario Northland since 1902. Captus Press. ISBN 978-0-921801-83-2.