Northern and Pacific Junction Railway

{{Short description|Railway in Ontario, Canada}}

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The Northern and Pacific Junction Railway (N&PJ) is a historic railway located in northern Ontario, Canada. It connected the Northern Railway of Canada's endpoint in Gravenhurst to the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) at Nipissing Junction, near North Bay. The N&PJ provided an almost straight line north-south route from Toronto to the transcontinental line, competing with a similar line of the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) a short distance to the west.

The railway was incorporated in 1881 as the Northern, North-Western, and Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company,{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to incorporate the Northern, North-Western, and Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company|abbr =S.C.|year =1881|chapter =45|link=https://books.google.ca/books?id=hqwNAAAAQAAJ&lpg=PA528&pg=PA161#v=onepage&q&f=false}} changing its name to N&PJ in 1883.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to amend the Act to incorporate the Northern, North-Western, and Sault Ste. Marie Railway Company, and to change the name of the said Company to the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway Company|abbr =S.C.|year =1883|chapter =67|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074701312?urlappend=%3Bseq=680}} The railway was acquired by the Northern Railway of Canada and the Hamilton and North-Western Railway in 1883.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act respecting the Hamilton and North-Western Railway Company|abbr =S.C.|year =1883|chapter =63|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074701171?urlappend=%3Bseq=430}}

Construction was commenced at Gravenhurst in 1885 and completed to a connection with the CPR in 1886, at which time the line was leased to its owners.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act respecting the Northern and Pacific Junction Railway Company|abbr =S.C.|year =1886|chapter =76|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074701031?urlappend=%3Bseq=49}} Following the amalgamation of its owners with the Grand Trunk Railway in 1888,{{Cite canlaw|short title =The Grand Trunk Railway Act, 1888|abbr =S.C.|year =1888|chapter =58|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074700900?urlappend=%3Bseq=347}} the N&PJ was merged with the GTR in 1892,{{Cite canlaw|short title =The Grand Trunk Railway Act, 1892|abbr =S.C.|year =1892|chapter =39|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074700942?urlappend=%3Bseq=558}} which later became part of the Canadian National Railways.

Principal stations along this route, from Gravenhurst are:

• Bracebridge
• Utterson
• Huntsville
• Novar
• Scotia Junction (connection to Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway)
• Emsdale
• Burk's Falls
• Sundridge
• South River
• Trout Creek
• Powassan
• Lake Nosbonsing Road (formerly Nosbonsing and Nipissing Railway)
• Callander
• Nipissing Junction (original 1886 connection with CPR, to North Bay station).