service, for all 65 stations on the line, did not officially begin until the 12th of May in 1875. The availability of the railway, in all seasons, brought with it a great change for Islanders. Not only did it provide passenger service, but it also provided farmers and businesses with a quicker method of export and importing their goods. When the train did shut down, for various reasons, the inconvenience was felt by many,

displayed in an article that appeared in the Examiner in December of 1875:

The break in the line of railway at St. Peters Bay, could not, of course, be helped. Measures should, however, have immediately be taken to re-establish communication. The merchants of Souris depended upon the railway to bring their fall supplies from Charlottetown. The traders and farmers along the line depend on it to transport their produce to places of shipment... Would such a break of the line of railway be suffered to remain unmended all winter, in any other province of the dominion or in any other country of the world? Certainly not. (39)

By the 18805 the train was providing service to all of the Island’s rural communities. In the 1884 “PEI Railway Passenger Summer Timetable, stops are listed daily for the Selkirk and St. Peters station. At many of the smaller flag stations such as Five Houses or Ashton, the trains stopped only when signaled or when there was freight or passengers to be left off. The 1884 timetable contained a wealth of information for people travelling at that time. It indicated the stations, including St. Peters, where tickets could be purchased for popular US cities such as Boston, Portland, and Bangor. “Stage Connections” were listed for 17 stations on the main line. For St. Peters, stage connections Were available for Cable Head, Greenwich, and Farmington on Tuesdays and Fridays. (40) The winter timetable for that same year, which appeared in the Examiner, had trains running daily, with the exception

0f Sunday for “the East,” with St. Peters being the only official stop in the area. (41)