The Port Burwell Sub ran off of the St. Thomas Sub which is a rail line still in use today between Woodstock and St. Thomas. The Port Burwell Sub took its course southward from Ingersoll through Tillsonburg and on down to the shores of Lake Erie at Port Burwell. The main traffic on this section of the line was railway coal cars, off loade at Port Burwell, from the rail car ferry 'Ashtabula', which made regular crossings from Erie, Pennsylvania.
All went well until the late 1950's when upon the Ashtabula's return trip to Erie, Pennsylvania, she was struck by another ship in Erie's harbour. The ship encountered some damage but remained afloat. Alas due to the age of the Ashtabula and the estimated cost to conduct repairs it was decided to lay up the Ashatbula and hence the transportation of railway cars of coal to Port Burwell was discontinued.
During the hey day of the ferry's operation her usual cargo would consist of 24 rail cars of coal. The rail cars would be unloaded at Port Burwell and empty rail cars would be returned to Erie. The fully loaded rail cars would be formed into a train set and would be hauled by a locomotive, usually at least two locomotives, up to a point north of Port Burwell due to a fairly steep incline up out of the valley in which Port Burwell lay along the Lake Erie shore. Once at Tillsonburg the rail cars would be routed to their final destinations, some for Tillsonburg perhaps and others to Woodstock, London and other locales.