Caption: If only I'd seen a train here - I'd be in heaven, but I have to resort to the kind folks who share their memories on this site and elsewhere as I was a bit too young when this all came to an end. I'm not much of a station photographer, but having spent a lot of time documenting the CSX/C&O remnants in Ontario over the years I had to make the trip to Ridgetown to photograph it and this is my effort. And guess what, it's still there and still the Signals department HQ in 2017. Will it last into 2018 is the question.. and for how much longer?For a view in 1976 see Arnold's photo here

And some interesting tidbits that may shed light into why all of this still exists despite being 50 miles from live rail:

• The Lake Erie and Detroit River Railway company STILL exists
  
  
• The LE&DR Continued to meet in Walkerville, annually to conduct their AGM as little as 8 years ago
  
• The LE&DR's office is now in Toronto at the Royal Bank Plaza (Likely just a paper office) however
  
• The LE&DR has three directors, two in Jacksonville, and one in Montreal, a CSX Traffic manager.
  
• CSX has only 30 subsidiaries and most are real estate or other non transportation assets, the LE&DR is one of the handful of remaining transportation subsidiaries existing as part of CSX in 2017. The Montreal division is the St. Lawrence and Adirondack Railway company and is operated in a similar manner.
  
• It's my knowledge, aside from some land in St. Thomas (Tim Hortons) the entire right of way from St. Thomas to Windsor is still owned by the LE&DR and leased to CSX, except for the Windsor/Walkerville portions which are leased to CN. I don't think much if anything has been sold off for real estate purposes, etc. Heck, St. Thomas is still a brownfield and the turntable pit is still in place... Canadian real estate should be quite valuable to any US company - you can buy 10 houses in Deslher or Fostoria for the price of a single plot of land in Ontario.
  
• Sarnia to Wallaceburg is also still owned by the LE&DR and leased to CSX as part of a running rights agreement.
  
• Chatham to Blenheim - the rail, ties, and signals above the dirt is owned by CN, but the land is STILL owned by LE&DR and leased to CN - when CN leaves town, LE&DR still owns the right of way - this was the deal struck in 2006.
  
• Chatham to Wallaceburg, should have been fully transferred to the region of Chatham-Kent and LE&DR SHOULD have no ownership interest in it of any kind - the only reason I say should is I haven't seen the contract.. and you just don't know what was agreed to.