# List of defunct Canadian railways

Most transportation historians date the history of Canada's railways as beginning on February 25, 1832, with the incorporation of British North America's first steam-powered railway, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad (C&SL). This line opened for traffic on July 21, 1836, although there are cases of animal-drawn mining tramways in Nova Scotia from the 18th century onward.
Thousands of railways followed the C&SL and were given a charter by the federal or provincial governments, although in most cases these charters never resulted in an actual line being constructed. Many of these charters were so-called "paper railways" and were absorbed into other railways, that is they existed on paper with the actual trains bearing the name of another railway or system of railways. For example, Canadian National Railways alone consisted of over some 400 railways (see List of Canadian National Railways companies).
The reason for these "paper" railways was the ease of getting a charter. This was often done by a major railway such as Canadian Pacific Railway or Grand Trunk Railway, but the true interests were kept hidden to keep attention away from the efforts of competing major railways to gain access to another's territory. In other instances local interests wanted a railway to connect their community with the main line of a major railway that did not enter their town, or to connect to another major railway for competitive reasons, to get lower freight rates, something that remains to this day. In many cases these local efforts were quickly taken over by a major railway to both expand its own network and to deny its competition access to traffic.
Streetcar and interurban railways were chartered provincially, in the case of Ontario under the Street Railway Act.
Railways that were not common carriers did not require a charter under the Railway Act since they were used primarily for the owners' own purposes, mainly logging and mining.
American railroads always operated in Canada under charters of subsidiary railways even though most had equipment lettered only for the parent company. Most U.S. railroads also operated in Canada through subsidiary railways with one exception: Wabash Railway which had not a mile of track in Canada as it crossed southern Ontario using trackage rights granted by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. These rights still exist with present-day Canadian National and Norfolk Southern, which runs into Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario. It formerly ran through Montreal, Quebec, but service was stopped due to such services causing traffic congestion.
This list of defunct railways includes only those railways that actually came into existence. Many were taken over by other railways or had a name change and thus continued to operate trains over the same tracks. A few ceased to exist because they went out of business and were abandoned and dismantled.
For simplicity on this list, Canadian National Railways (CNR) (pre-1960), Canadian National Railway (CN) (post-1960), Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), Grand Trunk Railway (GTR), and Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) will be abbreviated for notations. Others will be abbreviated as required.
Also consult the list of active Canadian railways.
* Top
* 0–9
* A
* B
* C
* D
* E
* F
* G
* H
* I
* J
* K
* L
* M
* N
* O
* P
* Q
* R
* S
* T
* U
* V
* W
* X
* Y
* Z

## A

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Alberta Railway and Navigation Company | Lethbridge, Alberta to Great Falls, Montana | 1889-1912 | Acquired by CPR. |
| Alberta and Great Waterways Railway | Alberta, British Columbia | 1929-1981 | Acquired by NAR. |
| Albion Mines Railway | Pictou County, Nova Scotia | 1829-c.1890 | First railway and first use of metal rails in British North America; horse-drawn until 1838. Abandoned. |
| Algoma Central Railway | Algoma and Cochrane Districts, Northeastern Ontario | 1899–1995 | Acquired by WC. |
| Algoma Eastern Railway | Algoma and Sudbury Districts, Northeastern Ontario | 1911–30 | Acquired by CPR on July 14, 1931 by 999-year lease. |
| Alma and Jonquières Railway | Herbertville, Quebec and Lake St. John to a point between Grand Decharge and Petite Decharge and from St. Joseph d'Alma to Jonquieres | 1912-37 | Merged into RS. |
| Atlantic and North-West Railway | southeastern Quebec, central Maine | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Atlantic, Quebec and Western Railway | Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec | 1907-1923 | Acquired by CNR. |

## B

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Bay of Quinte Railway | southeastern Ontario | 1897–1910 | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway | Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario | 1889–1919 | Continued operations and renamed to Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway. |
| Botwood Railway | central Newfoundland | 1908-1956 | Subsidiary of AND. Sold to become GFC. |
| Brantford, Hamilton and Western Railway | | | |
| British Columbia Electric Railway | | | Owned by BCH. Sold to become SRY. |
| British Columbia Railway | British Columbia | 1972–2004 | Acquired by CN. |
| Brockville and Ottawa Railway | eastern Ontario | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Brockville, Westport and North-Western Railway | eastern Ontario | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Bruce Mines and Algoma Railway | | | |
| Buchans Railway | central Newfoundland | | Owned by ASARCO. Abandoned. |
| Buctouche and Moncton Railway | southeastern New Brunswick | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Burlington Northern Manitoba Limited | central Manitoba | 1971–1999 | Subsidiary of BN. Renamed to BNSFM. |
| Bytown and Prescott Railway | eastern Ontario | 1854–1884 | Leased by CPR for 999 years. Abandoned in 1995. |

## C

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Canada and Gulf Terminal Railway | eastern Quebec | ?-1975 | Acquired by CN. |
| Calgary and Edmonton Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Campbellford, Lake Ontario and Western Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Canada Air Line Railway | | | Subsidiary of GWR. |
| Canada Atlantic Railway | central, eastern Ontario, western Quebec | 1890–1914 | Acquired by GTR. |
| Canadian Atlantic Railway | Quebec via Maine to New Brunswick | 1988–1994 | Part of CPR mainline east of Lac-Mégantic, divested 1994 as Canadian American Railroad (bankrupt 2001) and later MM&A (bankrupt 2013). Portion east of Brownville is Irving's New Brunswick Southern Railway. |
| Canadian American Railroad | Quebec to Maine | 1994–2002 | Iron Road Railways segment of CP's former Canadian Atlantic Railway from Lennoxville to Brownville, Maine, bankrupt 2001. |
| Canadian Pacific | British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec | 1881–2023 | Acquired and Merged with the Kansas City Southern Railroad to form CPKC. |
| Canada Central Railway | | | Acquired by Canadian Pacific. |
| Canada Coal and Railroad Company | northwestern Nova Scotia | 1905–1906 | Sold to become MCR&PC. |
| Canada Coals and Railway Company | northwestern Nova Scotia | 1892–1905 | Sold to become CC&RC. |
| Canada Southern Railway | | | Acquired by MCRR, later NYC. Sold to CPR and CN. Abandoned. |
| Canadian Atlantic Railway | eastern Quebec, Maine, western New Brunswick, western Nova Scotia | 1988–1994 | CPR subsidiary created to operate lines east of Montreal including DAR. Portions abandoned or sold by 1994 to NBSR, EMR, CDAC, and WHRC. |
| Canadian Government Railways | Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba | 1915–1918 | Entrusted to CNR. Corporate entity sold to CN in 1993 for $1. |
| Canadian National Electric Railways | | | Division of CNR. |
| Canadian Pacific Electric Lines | | | Division of CPR. |
| Canadian Northern Railway | Nova Scotia, Quebec to British Columbia | 1899–1918 | Nationalized into CNR. |
| Canadian Northern Alberta Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Branchlines Company | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Consolidated Railways | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Manitoba Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Montreal Tunnel and Terminal Company | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Ontario Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Pacific Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Quebec Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Saskatchewan Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Canadian Northern Western Railway | | | Constituent company of CNoR. |
| Cape Breton Development Corporation Railway | | | Sold to SCR. |
| Cape Breton Railway | | | |
| Cape Breton Eastern Extension Railway | Stellarton to Sydney, NS | 1890 | Constituent part of IRC |
| Caraquet Railway | northeastern New Brunswick | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Central Canada Railway | | | |
| Central Maine and Quebec Railway | Quebec, Maine, Vermont | 2014-2020 | Acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway |
| Central Ontario Railway | | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Central Railway of New Brunswick | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Central Vermont Railway | | | Also a defunct U.S. railroad. Subsidiary of GTR, later CNR. Became NECR. |
| Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad | southwestern Quebec | 1836–1857 | First common carrier railway in British North America. Acquired by M&CR. |
| Chatham, Wallaceburg and Lake Erie Railway | | | Interurban railway. |
| Columbia and Kootenay Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Columbia and Western Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Cornwallis Valley Railway | Kentville to Kingsport, NS | 1890-1892 | Acquired by W&AR. |
| Credit Valley Railway | Toronto to St. Thomas, ON | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Cumberland Railway and Coal Company | Springhill Junction to Parrsboro, NS | 1883-1962 | Abandoned. |

## D

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Detroit River Tunnel Company | | | Subsidiary of CASO/MCRR. |
| Devco Railway | Cape Breton, NS | 1968-2001 | Former DOSCO coal hauler, assets acquired by Sydney Coal Railway |
| Dominion Atlantic Railway | western Nova Scotia | 1894–1994 | Acquired by CPR in 1912, after 1988 was operated as part of CAR. Sold to become WHRC. |
| Dominion Coal Company | | | |
| Dominion Timber and Minerals Railway | Laurentian Mountains (Western Quebec) Kilmar, Black Lake, Lachute, Marlean | 1916-1981 | Subsidiary of CRL. |
| Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway | Minnesota to Winnipeg Manitoba / Port Arthur ON | | Originally a CNoR railway by the name of Duluth, Rainy Lake and Winnipeg Railway. Now a subsidiary of CN - by way of GT and then merged with WC (both are CN companies). |

## E

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway | | | Acquired by NAR. |
| Edmonton Yukon and Pacific Railway | | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Elgin and Havelock Railway | central New Brunswick | | Acquired by CGR. |
| Erie and Ontario Railway | | | Acquired by CASO. |
| Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. Sold 2006 to become Southern Railway of Vancouver Island. |
| European and North American Railway | southern New Brunswick | 1857–1872 | Eastern extension merged into IRC. Western extension became part of NBR. |
| Englewood Railway | Northern Vancouver Island | 1917-2017 | Sold to Western Forest Products 2006. |

## F

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Fredericton and Grand Lake Railway | central and western New Brunswick | | Acquired by CPR. |

## G

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Galt and Preston Street Railway | Cambridge, Ontario | 1894–1908 | Renamed the Galt, Preston, and Hespeler Street Railway after Hespeler line was built. |
| Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway | Cambridge, Ontario | 1894–1908 | Merged into the Berlin, Waterloo, Wellesley, and Lake Huron Railway. |
| Georgian Bay and Seaboard Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Glengarry and Stormont Railway | | | |
| Grand Falls Central Railway | central Newfoundland | 1956–1977 | Abandoned. |
| Grand River Railway | Waterloo Region, Ontario | 1914–1931 | Acquired by CPR, merged into CPEL. |
| Grand Trunk Pacific Railway | Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia | 1914–1920 | Nationalized into CNR. |
| Grand Trunk Railway | Ontario, Quebec, New England | 1852–1923 | Nationalized into CNR. |
| Great North West Central Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Great Northern Railway (U.S.) | | | A trans U.S. railway that had a railway in the BC Fraser Valley competing with CP for the natural resources. |
| Great Northern Railway of Canada | | 1892-1907 | between Rivière-à-Pierre, Quebec, and Hawkesbury, Ontario |
| Great Western Railway | southwestern Ontario | 1853–1884 | Acquired by GTR |
| Guelph and Goderich Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Gunflint and Lake Superior Railroad | Lakehead Region (Ontario and Minnesota) | 1902–1909 | |

## H

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Halifax and South Western Railway | southwestern Nova Scotia | 1901–1918 | Merged into CNoR, nationalized by CNR. |
| Halifax City Railroad | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1866-1876 | Horse-drawn operations; assets acquired by Halifax Street Railway Company, 1886. |
| Halifax Electric Tramway | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1895-1917 | Acquired by Nova Scotia Tramways and Power Company, Limited in 1917. |
| Halifax Street Railway | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1886-1895 | Became Nova Scotia Power Company in 1889. |
| Hamilton, Grimsby and Beamsville Electric Railway | Hamilton-Niagara Peninsula, Ontario | 1894 - 1931 | interurban railway. |
| Hamilton and North-Western Railway | | | Acquired by GTR. |
| Hamilton Radial Electric Railway | | | |
| Harpoon Logging Railway | central Newfoundland | | |
| Hudson Bay Railway | | | Charter acquired by CNoR, subsequently built by CNR. |
| Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway | | | Portage railway. |

## I

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Inverness Railway and Coal Company | | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Intercolonial Railway of Canada | Quebec City to Halifax | 1872-1918 | Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR. |
| International Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Irondale, Bancroft and Ottawa Railway | | | Acquired by CNoR. |

## J

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Joggins Railway | northwestern Nova Scotia | 1883–1892 | Sold to become CC&RC. |

## K

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Kaslo and Slocan Railway | Kaslo BC to Slocan BC, Central Kootenay Region | 1895-1955 | Acquired by CPR. |
| Kelowna Pacific Railway | Okanagan Valley, British Columbia | 1999 - 2013 | Entered receivership July 2013. CN once again operates a portion of the line. The Vernon to Kelowna portion is under abandonment procedures. |
| Kettle Valley Railway | Midway BC to Hope BC, Southern Interior Route | 1915–1961, all except Penticton area until 1989 | Acquired by CPR. |
| Kingston and Pembroke Railway | Kingston to Renfrew | 1884-1913 | Acquired by CPR, dismantled 1950s. |
| Kitchener and Waterloo Street Railway | Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario | 1919–1927 | Continuation of Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway. Taken over and municipalized by the City of Kitchener under its Public Utilities Commission. |

## L

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence Junction Railway | Richelieu River valley of southeastern Quebec | 1879–1880 | Leased to the South Eastern Railway 1880. Acquired by CPR 1887. |
| Lake Erie and Detroit Railway | | | Subsidiary of PM, later C&O. Abandoned. |
| Lake Erie and Northern Railway | | | Acquired by CPR, merged into CPEL. |
| Lake Manitoba Railway and Canal Company | | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Laurentian Railway | | | Lower Laurentian acquired by Great Northern of Canada, later by CNoR. |
| Lindsay, Bobcaygeon and Pontypool Railway | | | Acquired by CPR by 999-year lease. |
| London and Lake Erie Railway and Transportation Company | Southwestern Ontario | 1909–1918 | Abandoned - Formerly South Western Traction Company. |
| London and Port Stanley Railway | southwestern Ontario | 1853–1965 | Acquired by CN. |
| Lotbinière and Megantic Railway | Saint-Jean-Deschaillons, Sainte-Philomène and Lyster (Mégantic) | 1889-1909 | Merged to Quebec Railway, Light, Heat and Power Co (QRLHP), acquired by CGR. |

## M

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Maine Central Railroad | southwestern New Brunswick | | Sold and renamed GRS/ST. |
| Manitoba Great Northern Railway | | | Subsidiary of GN. |
| Manitoba and North Western Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Manitoulin and North Shore Railway | Northeastern Ontario | | Reorganized as Algoma Eastern Railway, subsequently largely abandoned. |
| Maritime Coal Railway and Power Company | northwestern Nova Scotia | 1906–1961 | Abandoned. |
| Massawippi Valley Railway | Eastern Townships of Quebec | 1870-1990 | Leased by Quebec Central Railway (CPR) 1926–1990, abandoned, tracks removed 1992. |
| Metropolitan Electric Railway | | | |
| Michigan Central Railroad | | | Operated in Canada as CASO. |
| Midland Railway of Canada | | | Acquired by GTR. |
| Midland Railway (Canada) | Hants County NS | 1901-1905 | Acquired by DAR. |
| Midland Railway of Manitoba | | | Subsidiary of GN. |
| Millertown Railway | | | Subsidiary of AND. Abandoned. |
| Montreal and Champlain Railroad | | 1857–1872 | Acquired by GTR. |
| Montreal and Ottawa Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. CP operates to Rigaud, line from Rigaud to Ottawa abandoned and sold to Via Rail. |
| Montreal and Vermont Junction Railway | | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway | Farnham, Quebec/Brownville, Maine | 2003-2013 | Sold in bankruptcy to Fortress Investments as Central Maine and Quebec Railway |
| Montreal Tramways Company | | | |
| Montreal Suburban Tramway and Power | | | Owned Dominion Park |
| Morrissey Fernie and Michel Railway | | | Subsidiary of CPCC. |

## N

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Nakusp and Slocan Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Napierville Junction Railway | Rouses Point, NY to Delson Jct. QC | | Subsidiary of DH. |
| National Transcontinental Railway | Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick | 1912–1918 | Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR. |
| Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway | Troup BC to Ft Sheppard BC | 1893-1993 | Acquired by GN Fruitvale to US border still in use for Atco Forest Products. |
| New Brunswick Coal and Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Railway | | | Acquired by CGR. |
| New Brunswick Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| New Westminster Southern Railway Company | | | Subsidiary of GN. |
| Newfoundland Railway | Newfoundland | 1892–1949 | Entrusted to CNR. |
| Newfoundland and Northwestern Railway | Newfoundland | | Acquired by NR. |
| Niagara Falls Park and River Railway | | | |
| Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway | | | Acquired by CNR, merged into CNEL. |
| Nicola, Kamloops and Similkameen Coal and Railway Company | Spences Bridge BC to Nicola BC | 1907–1989 | Acquired by CPR. |
| North Shore Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Northern Alberta Railways | northern Alberta | 1929–1981 | Acquired by CNR. |
| Northern Pacific and Manitoba Railway | | | Subsidiary of NP. |
| Northern Railway of Canada | | | Acquired by GTR. |
| Nosbonsing & Nipissing Railway | | | Abandoned. |
| Nova Scotia Central Railway | | | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Nova Scotia Southern Railway | | | Acquired by H&SW |
| Nova Scotia Railway | central Nova Scotia | 1853–1867 | Merged into IRC. |
| Nova Scotia Tramways and Power | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1917-1928 | Became Nova Scotia Light and Power Company, Limited, 1928 |
| Nova Scotia Light and Power | Halifax, Nova Scotia | 1928-1949 | Rail operations ceased 1949; converted to electric trolley coaches |

## O

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Orangeville Brampton Railway | Orangeville To Brampton, Ontario | 2000-2021 | |
| Okanagan Valley Railway | Okanagan Valley, British Columbia | 1998 - 2009 | Shut down due to lack of business. |
| Ontario and Quebec Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Ontario and Rainy River Railway | Rainy River, Ontario | 1886 – 1900 | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Ontario L'Orignal Railway | eastern Ontario | 1996–2001 | Acquired by OCR. |
| Orford Mountain Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Oshawa Railway | | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Ottawa and New York Railway | Eastern Ontario | 1898–1957 | Subsidiary of NYC. |
| Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway | | | Acquired by CAR. |
| Ottawa Northern and Western Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |

## P

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Pacific Great Eastern Railway | British Columbia | 1913–1972 | Renamed BCR. |
| Parry Sound Colonization Railway | Ontario | 1887–1892 | Acquired by OA&PS. |
| Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway | Quebec | 1880–1903 | Merged with Ottawa Northern and Western Railway. |
| Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway | Ontario | 1889–1938 | Abandoned |
| Preston and Berlin Railway | Waterloo Region, Ontario | 1857 | Short-lived line connecting the city of Berlin (Kitchener) to the town of Preston. Line was later sold to GTR and became part of the Galt Subdivision. |
| Prince Edward Island Railway | Prince Edward Island | 1871–1918 | Operated by CGR, entrusted to CNR. |

## Q

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railroad and Steamboat Company | Regina to Prince Albert | 1885–1906 | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Quebec and Lake St. John Railway [fr] | Quebec to Roberval | 1880–1906 | Acquired by CNoR. |
| Quebec and Saguenay Railway | | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Quebec Central Railway | Eastern Townships and Beauce | | Acquired by CPR 1911. Dormant 1994–2000, and again from 2006. |
| Quebec, Montreal and Southern Railway | | | Subsidiary of DH, acquired by CN. |
| Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Quebec Oriental Railway | | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Quebec Railway Light and Power Company (Quebec, Montmorency & Charlevoix Railway) | Quebec-La Malbaie | | Acquired by CNR. |
| Quebec Southern Railway | | | |

## R

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Red Mountain Railway | Rossland to Paterson BC | 1897–1921 | Subsidiary of Great Northern Railway. Also named Columbia and Red Mountain Railway in Washington State. |
| Rutland and Noyan Railway | | | Subsidiary of RUT. Abandoned. |

## S

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Shaw Logging Railroad | Prairie River, SK area | 1907-1917 | |
| St. Eustache Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| St. John and Quebec Railway | | | Acquired by CNR. |
| St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad | southwestern Quebec | 1853-1853 | Acquired by GTR. |
| St. Lawrence and Hudson Railway | Ontario, Quebec, New England | 1996–2001 | Subsidiary of CPR created to operate lines in eastern North America. Merged back into parent company. |
| St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| St. Mary's and Western Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| St. Maurice Valley Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Schomberg and Aurora Railway | | | |
| Shawinigan Falls Terminal Railway | | | |
| Smoky Falls Railway | | | Subsidiary of SFPPC. |
| South Ontario Pacific Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| South Western Traction Company | Ontario | 1902–1908 | Became London and Lake Erie Railway and Transportation Company. |
| Sudbury and Copper Cliff Suburban Electric Railway | Greater Sudbury, Ontario | 1915–50 | Converted to bus operations. |
| Sydney and Louisburg Railway | Cape Breton Island | 1895–1966 | Acquired by DEVCO, line to Louisbourg is now defunct. |

## T

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Temiscouata Railway | eastern Quebec, northwestern New Brunswick | 1870–1949 | Acquired by CNR. |
| Terra Transport | Newfoundland | 1977–1988 | Division of CN. Abandoned. |
| Thousand Islands Railway | Eastern Ontario | 1884–1958 | Acquired by GTR. |
| Thurso and Nation Valley Railway | Thurso to Duhamel, Quebec | 1927–1986 | Subsidiary of SC. |
| Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway | Northeastern Ontario | 1902–1946 | Renamed to ONR. |
| Tillsonburg Lake Erie and Pacific Railway | Southwestern Ontario | 1896-1958 | Acquired by CPR in 1904 and entity ceased to exist by 1958. |
| Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway | South-west Ontario | 1871–1883 | Acquired by O&Q. |
| Toronto and Nipissing Railway | south-central Ontario | 1871–1883 | Amalgamated into Midland Railway of Canada. |
| Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway | southwestern Ontario | 1892–1987 | Acquired by CPR. |
| Toronto Suburban Railway | Southwestern Ontario, Southern-Ontario | 1891–1931 | Acquired by CNoR. |

## V

| Railway name | Comments |
| Vancouver and Lulu Island Railway | Acquired by Canadian Pacific subsequently leased to British Columbia Electric Railway. |
| Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway | |
| Vancouver, Westminster and Yukon Railway | ran from New Westminster to Vancouver along the Brunette and Still Creeks on modern CN alignment. Owned by lumberman John Hendry, it wanted to bridge the Second Narrows and go north. |
| Victoria and Sidney Railway | Subsidiary of Great Northern Railway. Known as "the Cordwood Limited" |
| Victoria Terminal Railway and Ferry Company | later acquired by the Great Northern Railway |

## W

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Wabash Railroad | | | Operated over running rights on CAL, later CN. WAB merged into NW, later NS. |
| Walkerton and Lucknow Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| West Ontario Pacific Railway | | | Acquired by CPR. |
| Western Counties Railway | | | Merged with W&A into DAR. |
| Windsor and Annapolis Railway | Nova Scotia | opened August 18, 1869 | Merged with WCR into DAR. |
| Windsor and Hantsport Railway | Nova Scotia | 1994 to 2011 | |
| Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore Rapid Railway | | | |
| Winnipeg Transfer Railway | Manitoba | formed 1889, charter issued March 31, 1890 | Operated in Winnipeg's Exchange District. In 1987 City of Winnipeg acquired spur lines in Exchange District to convert to roads. |

## Y

| Railway name | Locale | Operating years | Comments |
| Yarmouth and Annapolis Railway | | | Renamed WCR. |