History of Railroads in Niagara

872019 History of Railroads in Niagara

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Railroads in the Niagara Peninsula

Part I Before the trains came

The Niagara Peninsula is a region of great historical geographic and economic importance

Surrounded by important waterways (Lake Ontario Lake Erie and a series of rivers including the

Niagara River) its proximity to the United States as well as its mild climate have beeninstrumental in the development of the region

Some of the most important changes to occur in the region took place well before the arrival of

the first trains The first Welland Canal (built by William Hamilton Merritt) opened 1829 to

allow ships to circumvent the Niagara Falls The canal was expanded and improved over several

decades as the map below shows

The impact of the Welland Canal

The Niagara peninsula was transformed the mainly rural region became increasingly

industrialized ndash evolution of the region from rural to urban New people Influx of construction workers (mostly Irish) in order to build the various

canal works populations increased but there was a noticeable surplus of men whichremained noticeable until about 1851

New types of labour Ongroing commitments in terms of employment continuousdemands for supplies equipment repairs and maintenance

New industry Construction of mills to favourable sites where differences in water leveloccurred this leads to a redistribution of industrial activity in the peninsula with flour



2

mills saw mills woollen mills various mills concerned with the metal products andshipyards each being drawn to the line of the canal

Improved movement of people and goods ndash no longer need to rely entirely on poor roads

and the portage system

Growth of urban centres in particular St Catharines

BUT the towns on the portage routes lose their importance most notably the town of

Chippawa

See John N Jackson St Catharines Ontario Its Early Years Belleville ON Mika Publishing

Company 1976 p244

Questions

1 Before the arrival of the railway what were the main means of transportation in southern

Ontario and the Niagara region more specifically

2 What impact did the building of the Welland Canal have on the region and on the city of

St Catharines more specifically



3

Part II The railway era arrives in the Niagara Region

Overview

The Great Western Railway began operations in 1853 from Niagara Falls throughThorold St Catharines Grimsby and Hamilton to London

In 1854 the line was extended from London to Chatham and Windsor After 1855 the GWR accessed New York state railways using the Railway Suspension

Bridge at Niagara Falls This was the second suspension bridge at the Falls but the firstthat supported a railway

Credit Jackson and Wilson p84

By 1856 branch lines had been built from Komoka to Sarnia and from Hamilton toToronto

The Welland Railway opened in 1856 to assist the movement of goods along the canal

In 1869 the Canada Air Line Railway was chartered by the Great Western as an alternateroute to the Canada Southern It ran a distance of 150 miles from Fort Erie through

Welland Junction (Dain City) Canfield Tilsonburg and St Thomas to a junction with theGreat Western at Glencoe The Canada Air Line Railway became part of the Great

Western in 1871 prior to completion in 1873

In 1882 the Great Western Railway became part of the Grand Trunk Railway

As you can see by this map in 1907 the Niagara region was served by a number of train lines

including local electric lines that linked smaller towns to larger centres



4

In 1910 the GTR started a passenger shuttle service from Fort Erie to Buffalo using a self-propelled steam dummy

At one time the Fort Erie railway yard servicing the International Bridge was the third

largest in Canada

Building the Great Western Railway ndash From Hamilton to Niagara Falls

Great Western Railway built railway from the American frontier on the Detroit River tothe Niagara River

More than 7500 men worked in gangs on the 45-mile route from Hamilton to the Niagara

River as during the construction of the Welland Canal the Great Western relied heavily

on an Irish labour force

In the St Catharines area the biggest tasks were the bridging of Twelve Mile Creek and

laying track across the escarpment east of town where many cuts and embankments wereneeeded

Excitement fear and farce

Newspapers from the 1840s and 1850s reported widespead excitement regarding the eventual

arrival of the railroads The St Catharines Journal of 21 October 1847 reported bdquoIt is with greatpleasure that we announce the commencement of this great and important link of communication

between the Eastern and Western States‟



5

Although many parts of the Niagara Peninsula had already experienced an influx of immigrant

workers during the construction of the Welland Canal the arrival of railroad gangs brought both

new opportunities and considerable concern The men had to be housed and fed which provideda extra business for the local farmers to sell their products but the men could also be aggressive

and threatening

The historian William Rannie describes the experience of the people of Lincoln

bdquoFirst through Lincoln came the surveyors followed during the winter of 1851-52 byobstreperous construction gangs Comprising the largest part of the construction force were the

Irish immigrants who had fled the famine in their homeland They were a rootless irresponsible

lot suffering under the brutal and dishonest behaviour of subcontractors and straw bosses and

they returned their treatment in like measure Farmers along the route constantly lost chickensand other livestock to the workers and pay-day brawls occurred regularly A tendency grew to

deplore the railway and everything connected with it The dog had earned a bad name It

persisted in railway public relations for many years to come‟ (William Rennie Lincoln The

Story of an Ontario Town p95)

Nonethless when the Hamilton-Niagara Falls line was officially opened on 1 November 1853

crowds came to cheer on the arrival of the bdquoIron Horse‟

An article in the Niagara Mail described how dignitaires were carried from Hamilton to Niagara

Falls bdquowith loud cheers from the crowds assembled at every convenient point to witness the first

cars drawn by a locomotive‟

The St Catharines Journal exclaimed that it was bdquowith astonishment as well as pleasure that theIron Horse was seen passing along in all the dignity of steam‟

But this first run did not go as smoothly as had been hoped between Thorold and St Davids the

track sank into soft ground which made the locomotive run off the track Nobody was injuredbut the dignitaries were forced to continue their route by horsedrawn omnibus What a

disappointment




6

A station mired in controversy

Much controversy arose amongst the inhabitants of St Catharines who complained about the factthat because its station was quite a way to the west of the town centre that St Catharines was not

a railway centre on the new system Already in 1853 an indignant visitor noted that the StCatharines station bdquobye the bye is as inconveniently situated as can be‟

This fact was also highlighted in the 1881 prospectus for the St Catharines and Niagara Central

Railway which described how the station was separated by bdquothe heavy intervening obstacle of thedeep valley of the old Welland Canal‟ which bdquoreduces the value of its services to the traffic of

that city to a minimum It is freely conceded and lamented as the greatest mistake in the annals of

St Catharines that the inhabitants declined to furnish the moderate amount of aid required by the

projectors of the Great Western Railway as the condition for crossing the Welland Canal and thelocation of the line directly in to and through the town ‟

Reaching St Catharines from the station meant taking a wagon or horsedrawn omnibus and

struggling up and down the steep slopes of Twelve Mile Creek then facing possible delays whileslow-moving ships passed through the canal

The much-maligned St Catharines station Credit Jackson and Wilson p86

Questions

1 How did local inhabitants of the Niagara Peninsula respond to the construction of the

railroads

2 Explain why people may have had differing opinions regarding the arrival of the bdquoIronHorse‟ How did its construction affect different people (businessmen and professionalsvs farmers and workers men vs women)



7

Part III Long-term impact of the railways

1 Urban transformation

New towns ndash During the construction of the canal small settlements had emerged along interiorhighways such as Fonthill Ridgeville Fenwick and Boyle on the Canboro Road The railways

also spawned some new settlements such as Stevensville Netherby and Brookfield on the line of

the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway

The village of Victoria is an example of a new town founded as a result of the railways

Credit Panko p10

Smaller towns with railroads such as Beamsville Jordan and Vineland experienced significant

growth thanks to improved access to them These towns were now within easy reach of larger

centres (in particular Hamilton) These towns would also grow and become wealthier and moresuccessful once the Niagara fruit industry took off in the 1860s and 1870s

A greater contribution to urban growth was that the railways connected the larger existing centresand enhanced their growth potential They gave a new impetus to the development of frontier orborder towns which became rail bridge crossings on the Niagara River and termini for Canadian

railways

The town of Merritton which had sprung up as a canal shanty town housing construction

workers now became an important centre thanks to its new bridge linking its two locks The

importance of the town‟s water power and new industrial prospects were advertised in 1855 bythe GWR to attract industry bdquoAny company who will invest not less than $100000 in erecting



8

durable stone buildings and machinery for the purpose of manufacturing Iron Cotton or WoolenGoods ndash to be in operation by the 1st January 1857 ndash may have the choice of the best site with

all the water power and grounds for the erection of buildings required for the establishment free

of rent or any other charge‟

In St Catharines real estate advertisement promoted the area surrounding the new station known

as Western Hill According to theSt Catharines Constitutional ldquoThis property is very pleasantly

situated in a very healthy locality and is rendered valuable by its proximity to the Railway

Depot Ship Yard Mills and other places of businessrdquo

On the other hand towns that were not linked by rail either diminished in importance ordisappeared completely Small centres and hamlets such as Thirty Glen Elgin and Tintern could

not grow because they were bypassed by the railroad St Catharines an important centre thanks

to the Welland Canal did not grow like the city of Hamilton some historians argue that this

happened to St Catharines because its train station was built outside the main city centre

The President of the St Catharines Historical Society John Burtniak has written about the

bdquovanished villages‟ of Niagara

lsquoSt Johns on the Short Hills - Probably the village with the greatest potential to be something

bigger it was established early by Benjamin Camby and John Darling around 1790 Camby

immediately established a saw mill Soon afterwards St Johns became a prominent industrialvillage complete with grist mills fulling mill woolen mills iron foundry potashery tannery

brickyard schools churches and a post office The fate of the village took a sour turn with the

opening of the Welland Canal which drew away people and commerce The final blow was whenthe railroads were constructed and no lines were built through St Johns‟

2 Economic impact

Use of local resources ndash Stone and timber used in the construction of the railroads

New businesses develop ndash Mowing machines and other agricultural machinery to build the

railroads manufactured in the area machinery directly related to the maintenance of the railways

also needed ndash new industries emerge

New types of employment related to the operation of the railways ndash conductors engineers ticket

collectors porters etc

Industrial development ndash Mills and factories of all sorts developed throughout the region butmainly where the canal and the railways met The railways rendered the area more favourable for

industrial development on a large scale by opening up wider sources of materials and national

and even continental markets



9

Development of Niagararsquos fruit industry

The railways lead to the commercialization of agriculture in the region This is perhaps one of the

greatest impacts on the Niagara Peninsula which remains to this day Canada‟s fruit-growing

centre

Prior to 1861 most fruit was grown for personal and local consumption The railways promptedfarmers to grow for larger markets trains allowed for the rapid shipment of fresh produce tonational and international markets

bdquoBaskets of fruit were loaded onto wagons in Niagara orchards and taken to bdquopeach cars‟ at therailway station Barrels of apples were shipped to England and baskets of peaches and small

fruits to the Canadian markets By the turn of the century the railways exported fruit the distant

towns with speed and efficiency Fruit graded by shippers by six pm could be in Ottawa or

Montreal by six the next morning without transhipment St Catharines an important shippingpoint and business centre for this new industry by 1900 exported by water to the Toronto and

Montreal markets and by rail to all parts of Canada a total of almost 13 million pounds of fruit‟(Jackson pp92-93)

In this portion of a 1928 fire insurance map showing the Grimbsy train station you can see that

the Niagara Packers Limited fruit wharehouse was located on the rail lines

Credit Grimsby Museum Collection

It was not only fresh fruit that was transported across the country and beyond Fruit and other

food processing was undertaken with creameries canneries wineries and bottling plants all

emerging next to rail lines New forms of employment in agricultural industries were the directresult of the arrival of the railroads



10

Cherry Packing on Linus Woolvertons Farm (circa 1901)


ED Smith‟s fruit-packing house (circa 1897)Credit Grimsby Museum Collection

Helderleigh Fruit Farms (circa 1896)




11

Grimsby fruit shipping shed (circa 1914)


bdquoIn 1881 Senator E D Smith invented and built the first blower car for shipping fruit by trainPreviously train cars were packed with ice and had drainage in the floor to allow the water from

melting ice to escape In his modified railway car E D Smith continued to use ice cut from his

pond in winter The blower car was equipped with a fan that blew across the ice cooling the air

and working like a refrigerator This new train car allowed fruits to be shipped for longer periods

of time and over greater distances without spoilage Farmers profits increased because of adecrease in spoiled fruit‟ (information courtesy of the Grimsby Museum)

Main Street in Grimsby with C P R Blower Cars on HG amp B Electric Railway Lines (circa 1922)




12

3 Environmental impact ndash New sights sounds and smells

Spur lines served the established and new industrial sites Passenger depots freight stationsfencing cuttings embankments bridges cut through the local landscape water tanks cords of

wood coaling platforms for locomotives tall signal gantries freight yards and warehouses andgrain elevators were regular sites at the stations

Lines of track separated residential areas within towns Despite the fact the trains allowed for

better mobility they also created a barrier effect on movement Consider the expression bdquofrom thewrong side of the tracks‟ What does it mean and how do you think it developed

Trains also added noise dirt and smoke pollution to nearby housing areas

Look at the photograph below Just imagine how this piece of land might have looked when it

was an apple orchard




13

4 Impact on populations

Obviously the effect of the railroads on urban growth employment industry and the environment

had a huge impact on people‟s lives But there are other ways in which everyday living was

transformed by the arrival of the bdquoIron Horse‟

Personal travel

The trains improved mobility and distances between towns was dramatically reduced A St

Catharines timetable for 1854 listed five trains a day in each direction To the east there were

stations at Thorold and Niagara Falls 30 minutes away by the fastest train To the west therewere stations at Jordan Vineland Beamsville Grimsby and Stoney Creek en route to Hamilton

London and Windsor Hamilton could be reached in about an hour London in 5 hors and

Windsor in 9 hrs Cross-border travel and the movement of populations between Canada and the

United States was also improved Think about the impact this would have had on immigration

Freight passenger light express a mail express and a night express were advertised People no

longer had to rely on the canals or bad roads Unlike the canal the railway service operated year-

round

There is evidence that early rail travel was not particularly comfortable and could be slow but

over the years improvements were carried out to make the cars bigger and faster and to maketrain travel more enjoyable

The concept of time ndash Standard time and time zones were introduced in the 1880s to assist with

preparing train timetables

New and improved means of communication ndash Mail can be delivered faster to more distant

locations telegraph followed lines of track and made immediate communication possible

between adjacent communities

Telephone arrived in St Catharines in 1878 with the first switchboard opening in 1879 Bell

Telephone Company established an exchange in 1883 by 1885 Bell has 114 subscribers long-

distance calls to New York and Quebec City possible y 1895 2300 phones by 1915

New dangers

Trains brought new kinds of danger to everyday life Farmers worried about their cows being

struck by passing cars But it was not only livestock and wild animals that were vulnerable

Newspapers regularly reported on the horrific accidents that occurred when individuals either felloff moving trains or were hit while crossing or walking along tracks

St Catharines Journal February 2 1854 reported

FRIGHTFUL DEATH ndash We are pained in having to chronicle the accidental killing of two

estimable individuals in this neighbourhood since our last issue On Thursday Mr George



14

Darby who was employed about the steam excavator on the railway east of us fell on the trackjust before the dirt cars and had his head smashed by the wheels passing over it He leaves a wife

and two children ()

St Catharinesrsquo Weekly News reported on December 19 1872

Fatal Accident Brakesman Killed at GWR Station ndash

As the freight train ahead of the 855 pmpassenger train was going east the Station Master hailed the train to stop stating there was a mankilled Mr Halner Captain Sheldon and Mr Alex Bain then proceeded with him to the spot

immediately where they found the man lying across the track his hat and mitts about three feet

from the body Death must have been instantaneous as his entrails were completely torn out Theengine and nine cars passed over him The Station Master then arrived and with the assistance of

the gentlemen present conveyed the body to the freight house An inquest is being held on the

body to-day

Read the following obituary taken from St Catharines‟ The Daily Standard Monday October 4

1897 What does it reveals not only with regard to the new dangers posed by railroads but about

rural life in Niagara at the turn-of-the-century



15

5 Tourism

The increasingly intricate network of railroads throughout the Niagara Peninsula had a major

impact on the development of the tourist industry in the region Niagara Falls became a prime

tourist destination and the town itself expanded in order to accommodate the growing number of visitors

Niagara Falls features prominently in the Grand Trunk Railway‟s bdquoSummer Resorts‟ and bdquoTourisTravel‟ brochures both published in the early 20th-century

Credit Grand Trunk Railway (1880) p14

Thanks to the improved means of transportation St Catharines become a spa resort town TheSpringbank Hotel Welland House and the Stephenson House became famous for their medicinal

waters and therapeutic mineral baths American tourists in particular visited the baths In 1861

Hugh Neilson a local from St Catharines noted in his diary bdquoWent downtown in the Bus to theStephenson House great lot of Yankees there‟





17

Historian Alun Hughes writes of the visit bdquoFriday September 14 () the royal party leftLondon by train for Niagara Falls A brief stop at Ingersoll was followed by a longer one at

Woodstock and at Paris they transferred from the magnificent state car specially built by the

Great Western Railway to an even more opulent one constructed by the Buffalo and Lake Huron

Railway At Brantford where lunch was provided the Toronto Globe spoke of ldquoan array of handsome ladiesrdquo tossing bouquets‟ (bdquoThe Prince of Wales at Niagara‟ in the September 2009

Newsletter of the Historical Society of St Catharines p5)



18

Historian Ian Radforth writes that

bdquoOnly a little controversy swirled in Canada around the decisions made with respect to the

prince‟s accommodations Isaac Buchanan a prominent Hamilton merchant closely connected to

the Great Western Railway publicly accused Rose and the government of showing a preferencefor spending money lavishly in places on the route of the Grand Trunk Railway (the railwayclosely associated with the Conservatives) to the neglect of rival places without Grand Trunk

connections‟ (Royal Spectacle The 1860 visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada p31)

Movement of troops ndash In 1866 forces were sent by the Welland rail line to repel the Fenians

who had invaded Niagara

Questions

1 How do you think the arrival of railways improved people‟s lives in the Niagara Region

2 Can you think of any negative impacts



19

Bibliography

Annual Report of St Catharines Board of Trade for the year 1900 St Catharines 1901

Grand Trunk Railway The St Catharines Well (nd 1900)

---------- Summer Resorts (1880)

------------- Tourist Travel (1900)

Grimsby Museum Grown in the Garden of Canada The History of the Fruit Industry in

Grimsby Ontario Accessed through wwwvirtualmuseumca

Hughes Alun bdquoThe Prince of Wales at Niagara‟ September 2009 Newsletter of the Historical Society of St Catharines

Jackson John N St Catharines Ontario Its Early Years Belleville ON Mika Publishing

Company 1976

Jackson John N and John Burtniak Railways in the Niagara Peninsula Their Development

Progress and Community Significance Belleville ON Mika Publishing Company 1978

Jackson John N and Sheila M Wilson St Catharines Canadarsquos Canal City St Catharines ON

The St Catharines Standard Limited 1992

Panko Andrew and Peter Bowen Steam in Niagara Fonthill ON NiagaRail Publications 1983

Radforth Ian Royal Spectacle The 1860 visit of the Prince of Wales to Canada Toronto U of T

Press 2004

Rannie William Lincoln The Story of an Ontario Town Lincoln WF Rannie 1974

Shipley Robert St Catharines Garden on the Canal Burlington ON Windsor Publications Ltd

1987

Tennant Robert D Jr Canada Southern Country (Erin ON The Boston Mills Press 1991)



2

mills saw mills woollen mills various mills concerned with the metal products andshipyards each being drawn to the line of the canal

Improved movement of people and goods ndash no longer need to rely entirely on poor roads

and the portage system

Growth of urban centres in particular St Catharines

BUT the towns on the portage routes lose their importance most notably the town of

Chippawa

See John N Jackson St Catharines Ontario Its Early Years Belleville ON Mika Publishing

Company 1976 p244

Questions

1 Before the arrival of the railway what were the main means of transportation in southern

Ontario and the Niagara region more specifically

2 What impact did the building of the Welland Canal have on the region and on the city of

St Catharines more specifically



3


Overview















4



largest in Canada














5




and threatening

















disappointment




6












Questions


railroads




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




3


Overview















4



largest in Canada














5




and threatening

















disappointment




6












Questions


railroads




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




4



largest in Canada














5




and threatening

















disappointment




6












Questions


railroads




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




5




and threatening

















disappointment




6












Questions


railroads




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




6












Questions


railroads




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




7







Credit Panko p10





railways






8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




8



















2 Economic impact












9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




9




centre















10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




10








11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




11












12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




12












13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




13





Personal travel









round











New dangers









14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




14


and two children ()







body to-day






15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




15

5 Tourism













17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987






17








18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




18








Questions





19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987




19

Bibliography




------------- Tourist Travel (1900)





Company 1976







Press 2004



1987


History of Railroads in Niagara

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Transcript of History of Railroads in Niagara