Rosedale Station was built by the Toronto Belt Line Railway in 1892. The company was taken over by the Grand Trunk Railway before operations began, and the first train arrived on July 30th of that year. To access this remote location at the floor of the Don Valley, the station was accessible for residents of the nearby Rosedale neighbourhood through a public road called Park Drive that no longer exists. The station followed a standard design that was used in multiple places on the Belt Line, including Lambton Station on the Humber Loop. It would have seen six train departures per day, all of which were commuter trains to serve the outskirts of the city. The Belt Line suffered from low ridership and service ended north of Rosedale just over two years later on November 17th, 1894. However, multiple firsthand sources indicate that a sparse commuter service was operated by the Grand Trunk between Union Station and Rosedale into the early 1900’s. In any case, Rosedale Station and the track it was situated on remained in place.
In early 1906, the Canadian Northern Railway was in the process of constructing their line southward through the Don Valley. Despite their intention for an independent line into the city, a scuffle between Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk crews near Rosedale prompted city officials to force the Grand Trunk to share its former Belt Line tracks with Canadian Northern from Rosedale to Union Station. Rosedale Station was adapted by Canadian Northern as both a passenger station and divisional headquarters. The offices of the latter were located on the second floor. On paper, this is where the Canadian Northern lines in Toronto began and ended. The trackage southward from Rosedale remained under Grand Trunk ownership and all Canadian Northern trains were subject to Grand Trunk operating rules over this section. The first Canadian Northern train arrived at Rosedale on November 19th, 1906. In 1911, a new line to Trenton opened from a point in the Don Valley about three kilometres north of Rosedale Station, increasing the number of trains that stopped there. Transcontinental service from Toronto began in 1915, and these trains would stop at Rosedale as well. At its peak in the mid-1910’s, a total of twelve trains were due to stop at Rosedale each day. Unfortunately, the station was destroyed by fire in 1917 and never saw a replacement. A train order office called Rosedale remained on timetables for several years afterward.
The railway line Rosedale Station was once situated on is now Metrolinx’s Richmond Hill Line, also known as the Canadian National Bala Subdivision.
This heavily degraded photograph is the only known image of Rosedale Station, likely taken during the early 1900’s. 
A lifelong resident of the area identified by the photographer as “Mr. McArthur” stands on the concrete base that once supported Rosedale Station’s boiler in 1955. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library Archives.
Condensed Station Info:
| Location: | Served By: | Current State: | Date Built: | Date Destroyed: |
| Park Drive | Toronto Belt Line (1892 – 1894) Canadian Northern (1906 – 1917) | Demolished | 1892 | 1917 |