Names and numbers
GTR 30th District, Rockland Branch
1905 – 1923
CNR Hammond Subdivision
1923 – Abandonment
Clarence Creek Branch
1927 – 1937
Locations
- Cheney mile 5.28
- Hammond mile 7.72
- Clarence Creek mile 11.86
- Rockland mile 15.96
History
31 facts
| Date | Statement | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1889-03-11≤ | The Canada Atlantic also has under consideration a scheme to build a branch line from Rockland on the Ottawa River to their main line above Casselman. A report the next day says they 'may also construct a line from Rockland to Casselman, during the summer, to catch the lumber trade from that point.' | Ottawa Journal 1889-03-11(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Free Press 1889-03-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Canada Lumberman 1889-04-01(Repeats, nearly verbatim, that 'The Canada Atlanti...) | |
| 1892-10-27 | A public meeting was held to consider a bonus for a branch from South Indian. W.C. Edwards, an advocate of railways, argued the Montreal and Ottawa would be the best choice; it was decided to wait to see what Clarence township would do. The item is tagged 'Hammond' (a Canada Atlantic/OA&PS subdivision) and datelined at Rockland, matching the site's 'Rockland Branch'. But it never names a company for the proposed branch, and reads as debating whether the Montreal and Ottawa (not the CAR) would be the better line to bonus. Filed here on the operator's instruction despite that ambiguity. | Ottawa Citizen 1892-10-27(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1893-03-04 | The ratepayers of Rockland village voted (on March 3rd) to grant a $6,000 bonus to the Central Counties railway for a branch from South Indian to Rockland. | Ottawa Free Press 1893-02-18(Announcing the upcoming vote: "it is thought that ...),Ottawa Free Press 1893-03-04(Reporting the result, "yesterday". Transcribed by ...) | |
| 1893-03-31≥ | By the end of March 1893, work had commenced on the new branch of the Central Counties railway between South Indian and Rockland, for which the Rockland bonus had been granted: gangs of men were clearing the route of timber, and tenders for construction were under consideration, with the contract to be awarded shortly. | Ottawa Free Press 1893-03-18(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Ottawa Citizen 1893-03-31(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-08-25 | Rockland Branch is being rushed. The building of the line of the Central Counties railway from Rockland to Casselman is booming. Six miles of the line are already graded and soon the laying of the iron from the South Indian terminus — from which point operations are being conducted — will be commenced and the construction train will be gradually pushing onward towards the Rockland lumber piles. The road will run in an almost straight line from South Indian to Rockland, touching at the Stewart quarries. On first of January the road is expected to be completed when it will be handed over, after government inspection, to the Canada Atlantic company, who have agreed to operate the line. Only two small bridges will be necessary to build, that over Bearbrook Creek being the one of any considerable account. Rockland is the only municipality granting a bonus up to the present time, $6,000 being the sum voted, conditional upon completion within the year. | Ottawa Journal 1894-08-25(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-10-29 | The work on the Central Counties railway is being rapidly pushed forward and the line will probably be open for traffic the coming winter. | Ottawa Journal 1894-10-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-11-02 | Work on the branch line to Rockland is progressing rapidly, the grading is nearly finished and next week will see part of the rails and ties in position. | Ottawa Free Press 1894-11-02(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-11-12 | The Central Counties Railway have commenced distributing ties and rails on their new line. | Ottawa Journal 1894-11-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-11-12 | Mr. James Shanly, chief engineer of the United Counties railway, in an interview yesterday said the whole line from South Indian, on the Canada Atlantic, to Rockland, on the Ottawa River, a distance of seventeen miles, would be completed and trains running shortly after the new year. "We will begin track laying on Monday morning and a good gang of men will rush the work ahead quite rapidly," he said. He expects a large passenger and freight traffic will develop itself from the day the new railway is opened. The Canada Atlantic have leased the road and will run it in connection with their system. | Ottawa Free Press 1894-11-12(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-11-13 | Mr. Jas. Shanley, chief engineer of the United Counties railway, was in Montreal yesterday. He stated that track laying would be begun at once between South Indian and Rockland. This line will be 17 miles in length and will be completed early in the new year. The new road will be operated by the Canada Atlantic Railway, who have leased it for a term of years. | Ottawa Journal 1894-11-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1894-11-20 | The first rails on the new railroad between South Indian and Rockland are being laid. | Ottawa Journal 1894-11-20(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1895-04-19 | Surveyors are engaged today surveying the sidings into W.C. Edwards and Co.'s yards. | Ottawa Journal 1895-04-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-04-26 | The Rockland and South Indian Railway will be opened for traffic in a short time. Regular trains will stop at The Brook and Clarence Creek where stations are being erected. | Ottawa Journal 1895-04-26(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-04-29 | The Central Counties Ry. Co. have resumed work on their line and expect to commence ballasting shortly. | Ottawa Citizen 1895-04-29(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-07-04 | Messrs. E.J. Chamberlain, M. Donaldson and J. Graham of the C.A.R. Company have inspected the new railway line from South Indian to Rockland. It is probable the C.A.R. Company will take over the line. New stations have been erected at Cheney's and Clarence Creek, and another is to be put up at Rockland. Mr. Geo. Tomlinson was the contractor for the stations, and has received many compliments for his work. | Ottawa Citizen 1895-07-04(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-07-24 | A correspondent from the rising village at Cheeney's station where a post office has just been opened, writes as to signs of progress along the line of the new branch of railway running from South Indian to Rockland. Freight is now carried through to the lumber town on the Ottawa, but passenger traffic has not been begun owing to the fact that ballasting is in progress; this work is expected to be completed in five or six weeks and then regular passenger service will be begun. Two stations have been completed, one at Cheeney's and the other at Clarence Creek. The buildings were examined yesterday by Reeve Landry and Deputy Reeve Touchette on behalf of the township of Clarence which voted $1,000 towards their construction; the work was pronounced first class and contractor Tomlinson complimented. At Cheeney's there is a regular hum of business: in addition to the post office there is a carding mill, a saw mill and a general store, and a survey of the proposed village has just been completed. | Ottawa Journal 1895-07-24(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-07-29 | Rockland July 29 - about 175 of our citizens took in the picnic at South Indian on Thursday last and report a very good time. An excursion train left here at 9.30 with the Rockland contingent and the Cumberland Football Club and their admirers. At Clarence creek and Cheney's station their number was increased considerably. At 7 o'clock the train left for home where a pleasant surprise awaited the passengers: the band and a large number of citizens were at the station and gave the boys a rousing reception. | Ottawa Journal 1895-07-30(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-08-31 | The delegation of strikers from the Rockland branch of the Central Counties railroad, who visited the city yesterday afternoon, met with very little success in their quest for satisfaction. They were after the manager of the new road, Mr. Hibbard, but were unable to locate him, and started in to secure a guarantee from other quarters for their arrears in pay. Today the men are reported to have taken full possession of the line, spiking the switches to effectually prevent the running of trains. They have also taken legal advice as to the best way of securing a settlement of their claims. A consignment of cattle from W.C. Edwards' farm at Rockland was to have been shipped yesterday for the Industrial fair in Toronto, but the employees would not allow it to proceed to South Indian where the cars would take the Canada Atlantic railway line; the cattle were taken out of the cars and brought up to the city on board the Empress instead. A special train having on board Mr. E.J. Chamberlain, general manager on the C.A.R., left the city this morning, for the purpose, it is said, of arranging matters with the dissatisfied employees. | Ottawa Free Press 1895-08-31(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...),The Equity, Shawville 1895-09-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-09-05 | The strike on the Central Counties Railway is now over. The one hundred and forty men who struck last week for their arrears in wages went back to work on Monday morning. The difficulty has been settled by the C.A.R. agreeing to complete the line, taking it altogether out of the hands of the contractors and reengaging the men. The company however does not assume any of the contractors' indebtedness, but will merely finish the line as rapidly as possible and pay the men once a fortnight. Mr. Jno. Graham, C.A.R. roadmaster, now has charge of the work. Two trains are busy ballasting the remainder of the road, and it is expected to open passenger service over the line from Rockland to South Indian, where the road taps the C.A.R. main line, in time to bring people into Ottawa for the exhibition. | Ottawa Journal 1895-09-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-09-20 | The completion of the Rockland branch is being pushed forward rapidly, but the intention to have the line ready to run passenger trains over it for exhibition week can not be carried out. The line will not be ready for passenger service before the middle of next month. | Ottawa Journal 1895-09-20(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-09-25 | Passenger trains are to commence running on the Rockland branch of the Central Counties Railway on October 1. Freight trains are now being run on the line. A gentleman who had considerable to do with the construction of the branch states that it is going to prove a greater benefit than ever was expected. | Ottawa Citizen 1895-09-25(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...),Ottawa Free Press 1895-09-25(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-10-04 | Unpaid laborers on the C.C. Ry. want redress. Petition by 140 employees to Ontario government. The employees are said to be six and seven months in arrears of wages and their united claims will exceed $15,000. Since the line has been taken over for completion by the Canada Atlantic Ry. the men have been paid regularly on the 14th of each month. If the work progresses as quickly as it has done since the change the road will be ready for passenger traffic between Rockland and South Indian within three weeks. This line will be an important feeder of the C.A.R. Mr. George A. Mountain, chief engineer of the C.A.R., went down to the Rockland branch today. | Ottawa Journal 1895-10-04(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-10-18 | C.A.R. to Rockland [Churcher: printed as 'Rockcliffe' in the issue, evidently an error]. The Rockland branch of the C.A.R. is almost complete. The last touch on the work of construction is expected to be put on this week and the company propose running regular passenger trains over the branch next week. | Ottawa Citizen 1895-10-18(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-11-05 | One of the construction engines on the Central Counties railway ran off the track on Saturday by the spreading of the rails and fell over into the ditch on its side. A gang of men were employed raising it on Sunday. | Ottawa Journal 1895-11-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-12-05 | New Branch of the C.A.R. will be opened Monday. The government inspection of the Rockland branch of the C.A.R. will take place tomorrow or Saturday and the line will be formally opened on Monday next. The Rockland branch is seventeen miles in length and extends from South Indian on the main line of the C.A.R. to Rockland. There are four stations on the line: The Brook, Cheneys, Clarence Creek and Telephone Road. About a mile and a half from Rockland a branch diverges off to Edwards lumber yards through which several sidings have been laid; almost the entire cut of Edwards mill will be shipped out over this line and the C.A.R. to the American markets. The construction of the road was begun about a year ago by the Central Counties Railway, who carried on the work until a few months ago when, being financially embarrassed, the completion of the line was given over to the C.A.R. | Ottawa Journal 1895-12-05(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1895-12-09 | Rockland Branch Now Open for Traffic. The Rockland branch of the C.A.R. was opened for freight and passenger traffic this morning and agents appointed at Clarence Creek and Rockland. The government inspection of the railway tracks from the C.A.R. at South Indian to Rockland took place on Saturday and proved satisfactory, the result being that passenger traffic was commenced this morning. The line is 17 miles in length. | Ottawa Journal 1895-12-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...),Ottawa Free Press 1895-12-09(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...),Mercury 1895-12-13(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, Ottawa Railway H...) | |
| 1909-04-19 | Floods have finished their work on the Ottawa division of the G.T.R. and on the Rockland branch, where a swollen stream carried away a culvert; the gap in the track, which was about two miles from Rockland, has been patched up and trains are running through again. Superintendent Morley Donaldson, who went to Pembroke to investigate trouble in that vicinity, found that the streams had all gone down, and there was no more danger of delay through high water. | Ottawa Citizen 1909-04-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...) | |
| 1910-07-19 | An attempt to wreck the G.T.R. pay car, due here last night, was made between 6 and 7 o'clock, about three miles from the village on the Rockland branch. At a concession crossing some miscreant tore up the crossing in broad daylight and laid planks across the rails. The engineer of the pay car engine noticed the obstruction and rapidly threw on the brakes; the car was going slow and nothing serious happened. The people here feel that it is unfortunate that this attempt at wrecking should occur on the eve of the strike; citizens generally repudiate the thought that railway employees had anything to do with it, but think some miscreant took advantage of the occasion to throw suspicion on the railway men. Reported the same week in the Chesterville Record (1910-07-21), which places the obstruction at mileage 13 and describes trainmen finding two further planks laid on the track beyond the first. | Ottawa Journal 1910-07-19(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher in 'Local Railway...),Chesterville Record 1910-07-21(Transcribed by Colin J. Churcher, same collection,...) | |
| 1923 | Operation discontinued between Limoges and Clarence Creek | CNR Limoges map | |
| 1927 | Dismantled between Limoges and Clarence Creek | CNR Limoges map | |
| 1937 | Dismantled between Clarence Creek and l'Original Sub The stub of the branch that existed between 1927 and 1937 was called the Clarence Creek Branch | CNR Limoges map(https://churcher.crcml.org/circle/Plans/Hammond02....) |