The Radial Railway
The Toronto Suburban Railway (TSR, or TSubR) was an interurban, electrified radial railway that extended from the Lambton carhouse at Dundas & Keele in the west end of Toronto to the Grand Trunk station in Guelph, with 20 stops between the two points. The completed line operated from August 12th, 1917 until bankruptcy forced its close on August 15th, 1931.
The TSR operated entirely on privately owned right-of-ways and had stops with sidings in Meadowvale, Churchville and Eldorado Park. The Churchville station was Stop 50, and was 18.8 miles from the Carhouse. It stood at the NW corner of Creditview Road and Hallstone Road. Churchville residents from the time recalled taking the train to school in Toronto and Georgetown and shipping milk to Toronto on the line. At its peak, the TSR ran trains every two hours during the week and every hour on weekends.
In the image below, you can see two milk cans awaiting pickup from the platform. Churchville had a number of dairy farms in the 1920s, including those owned by Halls, the Rollings and the Lettys. Between the platform and 7716 Creditview Road you can see a rather mysterious building that may have been built to serve the needs of the station. This building no longer exists, though residents who grew up in the village in the 1950s still recall the remains of a foundation at the spot which was, at one point, infested with snakes.
This is the site of the station now. The hydro lines still mark out the path of the Right of Way as it travels across the flats of the Credit River toward Eldorado Park, and there is still a visible mound in the earth where the station stood. You can see 7716 Creditview in the background; no sign of the other building exists anymore. There are several theories about where the Station building ended up. Some villagers believe that it was taken by the Manser family and used as a shed on their property. It is also believed that the building was taken to be used as a storage shed by the South Simcoe Heritage Railway in Tottenham.
Sunday service arriving at Eldorado Park. TSR purchased the land where Eldorado Mills' former millpond stood in 1925 for development into an amusement park. When the line closed, the township purchased it. The TSR right-of-way ran behind where the pool is now, and it is said that there are still visible remains located next door in Camp Naiveldt.
Phyllis and David Rollings in the 1920s with the station and United Church in the background. The are standing on Hallstone Road.
Undated photo of Churchville resident Harry Marshment, working on the railway. Harry was a lineman & maintenance foreman with the TSR. Photo courtesy of Glen Taramoto.
1925 advertisement for the grand opening of Eldorado Park.