In 1845, the cities of Montreal, Quebec, and Portland, Maine, agreed to build two railways that would meet at some point between them. John A. Poor, on behalf of Portland, chartered the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railway Company (A.St.L.). Alexander Galt of Sherwood, Quebec, chartered the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway Company (St.L.A.). However, construction was often delayed due to financial concerns, especially on the Montreal side.
Meanwhile, in 1852, the Canadian government and British contractors began planning
what was going to be, at the time, the longest railway in the world. The government
wanted to build a main rail line (or "trunk") connecting all settled areas of
Canada to railways with an Atlantic port. Existing railways were not expansive
enough, and canals were useless when they froze over in the winter. The first
conception of this "grand trunk" railway would have stretched from Hamilton (and
the Great Western Railway) to Montreal (where
it would connect with the St.L.A.). However, an unfinished line from Montreal
to Toronto, Ontario, inspired Prime Minister Hincks to change his plans for the
G.T.R.
Instead of simply connecting various other lines, the G.T.R. would amalgamate or lease these lines under its own name. The G.T.R. was re-conceived along the following lines:
The
G.T.R. would, at that point, stretch from Sarnia on the western border of Southern
Ontario, to Quebec City in the east, and south-east to Portland, Maine.
The original plan for a 330-mile line from Montreal to Hamilton had grown into a 1,100-mile expanse across some of the most-populated areas of the country. The expected cost rose from £3 million sterling to £9.5 million.
Unfortunately for residents of Hamilton, the new plan did not include their city.
They would have to wait until the G.T.R. amalgamated with the Great
Western Railway.
The two railways amalgamated in 1882. The reasons for the union were, essentially,
efficiency and cost-saving. By bringing the two railways together, they could
eliminate duplication of directors and other officials. Also, the G.T.R. could
save mileage by using the more direct routes of the G.W.R.,
especially those routes through Hamilton.
While the G.T.R. took over all the assets of the former G.W.R., it did not make any changes to the routes or stations in Hamilton. The station at Stuart Street continued to serve in this company as it had in the last one.
On April 28, 1889, an accident occurred in close proximity to the site of an earlier
tragic accident that had involved the Great Western
Railway. Over 20 people were killed, and another dozen were injured, when
a train derailed at the "Y" junction between Copetown and Dundas, Ontario. According
to the coroner's jury, a combination of a broken wheel and exessive speed was
to blame for the loss of life. 
In 1919, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (G.T.P.R.), a holding of the G.T.R., became unable to continue profitably. The G.T.R., its parent company, was having troubles of its own and was not able to save the G.T.P.R. The Dominion Government took over the stock of the two rails, and all of the G.T.R.'s other holdings, in 1919. In 1923, the G.T.R. and G.T.P.R. became amalgamated with the Canadian National Railways.
An interesting fact about the G.T.R. is that Thomas Alva Edison worked at the Stratford branch as a telegraph operator. He was fired for neglecting his work in favour of his hobby, inventing.
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