Railroad: Chicago and Canada Southern Railway Company

2 lines → Chicago & Canada Southern (1873-1879) → Canada Southern Railway → Lake Shore & Michigan Southern

Merger of: The Canada Southern Railway Company, and the Toledo, Canada Southern & Detroit railroad.

Built: 1873 - line opened from Slocum Junction to Fayette, Ohio, via Dundee, Deerfield, Grosvenor and Morenci. 

Operated independently for 4 years.

Leased: 1879 to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and then to the Detroit & Chicago Railroad company which was controlled by the LS&MS. It became their Fayette Branch. Between 1893 and 1897, the line from Dundee to Grosvenor was pulled up.

In 1879, the portion of the line from Slocum Junction to Dundee was sold to the Detroit & Lima Northern (becoming the DT&I's original main line).

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This was part of a second effort by U.S. financiers to establish a Canada route for what became the Wabash railroad, to reach from a connection with them in Toledo to Buffalo and the east coast.

The C&CS established a north-south line from C&S Junction (in south Toledo, 41.6045054, -83.610365) to Detroit via Monroe which connected with the Wabash. This line crossed over the Lake Shore's Airline Yard using a long bridge.

The C&CS also established an east-west line from Gordon, Ontario, across the Detroit River by car ferry, which then headed west through Grosse Isle, Flat Rock, Dundee, Morenci to Fayette where they ran out of money. This route crossed the north-south line at Slocum Junction with wyes so that trains from Canada could continue north to Detroit and south to the Wabash connection.

When the C&CS became financially unstable, Vanderbilt interests - trying to eliminate a competitor - purchased C&CS stock and bonds and gained control, foiling the Wabash's plans. Vanderbilt parted out the north-south route to the Michigan Central (which today is the NS northbound main line) and the east-west route to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (most of which no longer exists, except for a short part used by the CN and I&O on the former DT&I route).

Some of the right of way west of Fayette to Montpelier was graded but rail was not laid. The planned route west from Montpelier to Chicago was used by the Wabash's Montpelier to Chicago division. [CAL]

Time Line

1873. The east-west route from Gordon, Ontario to Fayette, Indiana is completed.

1879. November 8. The Chicago & Canada Southern Railroad was turned over to the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Company, and is designated in LS&MS time tables as the "Fayette Branch" of that road. Superintendent Blodgett assumes control and a new time table goes into effect to-day, Sunday. The trains for the Fayette branch will now leave the Brush street depot. They will leave at 6:15 p.m. and will arrive at 9:15 p.m. [DFP-1879-1109]