 It was formed in 1897 through a merger of three separate railway companies that John Rudolphus Booth had either purchased or created, beginning in 1879.The CAR was owned by Booth for eight years after its formation until he sold it to the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1904.For a short time at the end of the 19th century the CAR handled up to 40% of the grain traffic from Lake Huron; this was due to a combination of factors including the advent of the grain boom on the Canadian Prairies and prior to the construction of the Canadian Northern Railway's transcontinental line across Ontario, as well as prior to the opening of the Fourth Welland Canal.