Summary
Whitby Station was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1913 while the construction of their lakeshore line, now known as the Belleville Subdivision, was progressing eastward to Smiths Falls. This line was built as a diversion of their original mainline to the north which was established in 1884, with the goal of serving the larger communities closer to the shore of Lake Ontario and do so at a lesser gradient than its predecessor. Whitby Station was an example of this, located along Centre Street in what was the northern reaches of Whitby at the time. The station itself was a single-storey rectangular brick structure with a hipped roof and few other architectural embellishments. The first train arrived in Whitby on June 29th, 1914, after which a total of eight trains stopped there per day.
Canadian Pacific’s passenger service to Whitby was significantly affected by the Great Depression, and specifically the resulting pool train agreement in 1933. This agreement entailed CN and CP consolidating their passenger service between Toronto and Montreal, with most trains using the more direct CN route between these two points. Despite the Depression ending with the start of World War Two, the agreement remained in effect until 1965. Train service to Whitby was halved to four per day by 1940. Ridership was further affected by the popularization of automobiles in the early to mid 20th century, which was intensified by the completion of Highway 401 through the south end of Whitby in 1952. The station was closed to passengers in 1971 and it was demolished six years later in 1977.
A postcard of Whitby station looking to the east. In addition to the semaphores attached to the station, check out the semaphore signal off in the distance to the left! All were replaced with “searchlight” signals. Photo by George Wilson, courtesy of the Whitby Public Library. 
Another postcard taken the following year in 1915, now looking in the opposite direction with a train approaching. Courtesy of the Whitby Public Library. 
4-6-2 Pacific type no. 2205 belches smoke at the platform of Whitby Station with an eastbound passenger train in tow. While this photo is undated, it appears to be from within the first few decades of the line’s opening. Courtesy of the Ross Gray Collection. 
Whitby station in 1964. Passenger service is likely sparse at this point, but the station will still operate for another 7 years. Courtesy of the Al Paterson Collection.
Condensed Station Info:
| Location: | Served By: | Current State: | Date Built: | Date Demolished: |
| Centre Street north of Beech Street | Canadian Pacific Railway (1914 – 1971) | Demolished | 1913 | 1977 |