Photo " Early Settlements of King Township"
The photo above appears on Page 123, of the late King Township historian, Elizabeth McClure Gillham's book, 'Early Settlements of King Township Ontario' The engine is part of the Aurora and Schomberg Railway, which operated from 1902 to 1927. The railway was a spur of the Yonge Street Radial line and operated between Schomberg and Oak Ridges. For a quarter of the century, the train marked a period of prosperity and change. Mrs Gillham states in her book that "the arrival of the 'Annie Rooney' was named for the comic strip of the same name, in which a trolley car was used which encountered some difficulties similar to those on the Aurora-Schomberg line - such as cattle on the track, and similar hazards". Transportation, business and livelihoods where transformed for more than two decades. In 1927 however, the railway ceased to operate because it too had outlived its usefulness. Cars and trucks were more convenient and cost-effective. A hundred year later, the old railway bed can be spotted in a number of places across the township.
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Barry Wallace
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