- Location: Grimsby, North Grimsby Township, Lincoln County
- Name: Community name taken from the Township name, which itself was taken from a community of the same name in Lincolnshire, England
- Former Community Names: The Forty
- Railway Companies: GWR/CNR, HG&B
Part A – Great Western Railway/Grand Trunk Railway/Canadian National Railway
- Original Railway: Great Western Railway Company (Grand Trunk Railway 1882, Canadian National Railway 1923) 1853-Current
- Current/Final Railway: Canadian National Railway
- Location/Address: The station was located on the west side of Ontario St (address 53 Ontario St, formally known as Depot St), north of Carnegie Ln (formerly Victoria Av)
- Railway Mileage: Grimsby Subdivision Mile 27.44
- Surrounding Building Context: The community was founded initially as a service centre for the surrounding agricultural community which in time also became a tourist destination given its proximity to Lake Ontario (Grimsby Beach, see separate listing) where an amusement park and various religious camps and vacation properties were established. The lake as well once supported a fishing industry. The arrival of the railway in 1853 placed Grimsby on the Great Western main line between Niagara Falls and Hamilton. Facilities were established that allowed for the transhipment of fruit and vegetables to area city markets. In addition, a number of factories were constructed that included several canneries, foundries and basket manufacturers (see map for details). The station was located to the north of the commercial centre of the community, which as noted served as a significant distribution point for the area fruit industry. Railway facilities included various fruit sheds and platforms, stock pen and coal sheds.
Station Origin: Original station
- Construction Date: The building was constructed with the opening of the line in 1853 by the Great Western Railway
- Architect/Builder: Unknown, reported to have been constructed by a local contractor
- Station Style: To be determined, may have been similar in design to other early Great Western stations in the area
- Exterior Architecture Details: The building was a single storey frame building with a long gable roof which extended over the platform to provide shelter, and a hexagonal operator window
- Interior Architectural Details: The station contained a passenger waiting room, operator/ticket office and a freight/baggage room
- Landscaping & Ground Details: Timber platform
- Building Costs: The building was said to have cost $600 to construct
- Destruction Date: Not applicable
- Current Use: With the construction of a new modern station in 1900, the building was moved back from the tracks and converted into a fruit shipment warehouse which changed hands a number of times over the years (Ontario & Western Fruit Co, Niagara & Falconbridge Fruit Dealers, Canadian Fruit Co, Niagara Peninsula Growers, Niagara Packers Ltd). Fruit and produce from this location was supplied throughout the country by train. In the 1980’s the building was sold to Castle Lumber, and then later occupied by Forks Road Pottery from 1997 to 2018. The structure is currently vacant, pending a new tenant (43.19573662779075, -79.5584031209911)
- Designations: The building was designated as per the provisions of the Ontario Heritage Act by the Town of Grimsby under By-law 19-55 on July 15, 2019
Station Origin: Second station
- Construction Date: A new station was constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1900. It has been reported that within a year, the building was destroyed by fire and then replaced in 1902 by a new station. Details in this regard are not fully known (GTR Building Report notes 1900 date of construction)
- Architect/Builder: Unknown
- Station Style: To be determined, the building may have been unique to the community
- Exterior Architecture Details: The building was a decorative single storey frame structure with a hip roof broken by two towers (tallest over trackside corner waiting room and second over rounded operator window)
- Interior Architectural Details: The station contained ladies and general passenger waiting rooms, a operator/ticket office, and a large freight/baggage room
- Landscaping & Ground Details: Cinder platform
- Building Costs: Unknown
- Destruction Date: In 1977, a large portion of the building along with some adjacent rolling stock was converted into a boutique food and shopping experience. Called The Village Depot, after two years this interesting initiative failed and the building was subsequently converted into a restaurant known as Keystone Kelly’s Ale House & Restaurant. A small portion of the building contained a VIA Rail passenger waiting room. Sadly, the building was destroyed by an electrical fire on December 31, 1994
- Current Use: Not applicable
- Designations: The station was given consideration to be designated by the Historic Sites & Monuments Board under the provisions of the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act in 1994 (see Report RSR-218 for further station information). The decision was positive however the loss by fire ceased any further action
Part B – Hamilton, Grimsby & Beamsville Electric Railway
- Original Railway: Hamilton, Grimsby & Beamsville Electric Railway 1892 (Hamilton Cataract Power, Light & Traction Co 1905, Dominion Power & Transmission Co 1907, Hydro Electric Power Commission 1930) 1896 – 1932
- Current/Final Railway: Hydro Electric Power Commission
- Location/Address: The waiting room for the railway was located on the ground level of a two storey brick commercial building located at the southwest corner of Oak St (now Elm St) and Main St (16 Main St E)
- Railway Mileage: Hamilton, Grimsby & Beamsville Electric Railway Mile 17.93
- Surrounding Building Context: The Hamilton, Grimsby & Beamsville Electric Railway was an electric radial line that provided frequent and convenient service to both residents and industries to points east of Hamilton. The intention was that the line would be extended out to St Catharines and hence connect with the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway however this did not transpire. It did form part of the radial network of lines that was based in Hamilton, under the ownership Dominion Power. The line unfortunately folded during the early years of the Depression. Within Grimsby, the firm did not construct a station but instead operated a waiting room and ticket office out of a leased commercial unit. It did construct a car barn and transformer building, which survived closure of the line until being demolished in 1960.
Station Origin: Original station
- Construction Date: Leased commercial building, date of building construction unknown
- Architect/Builder: Unknown
- Station Style: Not applicable
- Exterior Architecture Details: The building was a two storey red brick commercial structure
- Interior Architectural Details: The leased area contained a waiting room and ticket office
- Landscaping & Ground Details: Not applicable
- Building Costs: Not applicable
- Destruction Date: The building in which the waiting room was once in was demolished in 2017
- Current Use: Not applicable
- Designations: Not applicable
Ontario Railway Stations 