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t Ed Tyres purchased the Georgetown railway station to use as a dairy. and quickly became a popular mode of easy transportation. People could make a quick trip in to Toronto, as Lucy Maud Montgomery would often do from Norval. The Georgetown author William Alexander Fraser would head from his Main Street residence to Toronto. Most of the Sunday schools in Georgetown would hold their annual picnics in Eldorado Park, near Churchville (now in Brampton), using the radial to get there, as did the local businessmen's association. Extra cars would be put on to accommodate the traffic coming to Georgetown for the annual Drummer's Snack festivities in July. Young people from town would pack a picnic lunch, catch the train on Main Street, and for five cents they would ride as far as Limehouse, where they would hop off and play among the caves in behind the Fifth Line near the ballpark, before catching the train back to Georgetown in time for supper. Local merchants used the radial to ship freight. An advertisement for an auction sale at lot 15, 9th concession Esquesing read "All radial cars will let you off stop 65; 2 minutes walk from farm gate. Refreshments served to those arriving early." In December of 1914 the radial railway carried one extra special celebrity. Wemyss' Variety store on the Main Street proclaimed that Santa Claus would "arrive on the 3:20 radial car... and he wants all the boys and girls in Georgetown and vicinity to give him a hearty welcome." (See image right). After all it's anticipation, the life of the Toronto Suburban Radial Railway was a very short one. Although well used, it was plagued with financial woes its whole life. Automobiles and buses were becoming increasingly popular as roadways and highways were much improved. With very little ceremony, the life of the radial came to an end with the last train traveling through on August 15, 1931, the crew picking up the lamps from the switches as it went, and saying goodbye to the crowds who gathered along the way to have one last look. ety w With very little ceremony, the life of the radial came to an end with the last train travelling through on August 15, 1931 Even back then, copper was a precious commodity, and with the closure of the line, a couple of men from Hamilton thought they could cash in on some easy money. It took several all-night vigils by local constables in Acton, but they were able to capture two young men in the process of stealing 1,500 feet of copper wire from the lines. It was an expensive lesson, netting the pair two years in the Guelph reformatory! It was not until December 1934 that the actual de-construction of the rail line started to take place. Ed Tyres purchased the silent Georgetown railway station to use as a dairy. Georgetown Dairy ran out of that building for a great many years. The spot is now occupied by Canada Trust. In Acton, J.B. Mackenzie purchased the station to live another life as a residential dwelling. So once again, we are looking to the past for `new' ideas. Perhaps the electric train will eventually come back through the sideroads of Halton Hills, but judging by the length of time it took to construct that original short line, it is not something we can get too excited by for the near future. We have been there-- done that! ay. se he as n, ack S SPRING · 2011 9 S I D E R O A D S O F H A LT O N H I L L S you w o h s Let us Boost the o how t Price of g Sellin by e m o H Before Your 0,000 $10-5 DESIGN WITH HEART HOME STAGING AND REDESIGN After JANET KNOX 519-853-1749 designwithheart@hotmail.com www.designwithheart.ca