Summary

The Canadian Northern Railway built Brooklin Station in 1910 while construction of the railway was progressing eastward to Trenton and Ottawa. The building itself followed a standard design used extensively by Canadian Northern for stations in unpopulated areas. The upper floors contained the station agent’s living quarters, negating the need for separate lodgings. At the east end of the platform was a water tower that was used to refill steam locomotives. It was located in what was then a rural area on Baldwin Street about halfway between Whitby and Brooklin. The first train from Trenton arrived on October 9th, 1911, with service to Ottawa becoming available two years later in 1913. For an unknown reason, the station was renamed “Brinlook” in 1920 and retained that name until it was closed.

Due to its poor financial situation, the Canadian Northern Railway was nationalized in 1917 and it was subsequently merged into the newly-formed Canadian National Railway in 1923. As the Grand Trunk Railway was merged into the CNR for similar reasons the same year, many routes were abandoned in favour of better alternatives previously owned by one of the two former companies. The Canadian Northern route between Toronto and Napanee was gradually abandoned as it was now considered both redundant and inferior to the former Grand Trunk line. This process was hastened by the Great Depression, and passenger service over the line ended in 1936. Freight service remained over the section east of Brooklin to Oshawa until 1939, and the rails were promptly torn up afterward. Luckily, Brooklin Station was saved from the wrecking ball and preserved in its original location. Presumably it was converted into a private residence as the other surviving stations in Oshawa and Solina were. While we currently have no written sources to corroborate this, it’s been suggested through word of mouth that the station survived until 2004 when it was destroyed by a fire. Unfortunately, very little is documented about the building’s recent history. The property is now the site of a private residence just to the south of the Lyndebrook Golf Course. A concrete pillar still stands on the opposite side of the street, belonging to a railway bridge that once spanned Lynde Creek.

Condensed Station Info:

Location:	Served By:	Current State:	Date Built:	Date Demolished:
4895 Baldwin Street South	Canadian Northern (1911 – 1918) Canadian National (1918 – 1936)	Demolished(?)	1910	2004(?)