Cheers,
Peter.
 |
| The only through train on the line towards the end, the Hamilton-Nanticoke steel train heads south past the old station sign at Rymal, by this time reduced to a place to spot the occasional lumber car for offloading for local businesses. The train is approaching Rymal road with it's classic ABA F7's and a caboose on each end of the train to ease in maneuvers at Nanticoke. |
Recently, our local
newspaper (MOUNTAIN NEWS; www.hamiltonnews.com),
in conjunction with Canada’s 150th anniversary included an article on
the origin of Hamilton’s railway infrastructure. This led me to conduct some
additional research on the origin of the former Canadian National branch line
from Hamilton to Port Dover.
As is commonly known,
Sir Allan MacNab is widely credited with having the tremendous foresight to
view the mid 1800’s then-newfangled railway technology as the means to achieve
city building, even nation building. Deploying shrewd political persuasion along
with considerable investment prowess, MacNab was able to have the construction
of the Great Western Railway Niagara Falls to Detroit line routed through
Hamilton, with rails arriving in the harbour town in January of 1854. MacNab
would subsequently become president of the Hamilton and Port Dover Railway
(originally chartered in 1835) in 1855 and immediately formulate a plan to join
the two adjacent Great Lakes, Ontario and Erie by steel. Such a link would
provide access to the United States, in particular the Appalachian coal fields
in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The task would prove to
be both formidable and lengthy. The initial hurdle, surmounting the 330 foot
high Niagara escarpment, would require five miles of right of way, consume
approximately one million 1860’s dollars, and take some three years to complete.
Having overcome the first obstacle, further progress of the line stalled,
pending the sourcing of additional funding. In 1869, with several additional Hamilton
financiers in the fold, the Hamilton and Port Dover Railway (having already
absorbed the virtually identically chartered Hamilton and Southwestern Railway Company
in 1856) became the Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway Company. Further to championing
the next geographical challenge, bridging of the Grand River in Caledonia,
service to Jarvis was established by 1873. Attaining the by then long time goal
of reaching Port Dover on the shore of Lake Erie would consumer another five
years and involved yet another amalgamation; combining the 1872 chartered
Hamilton and Northwestern Railway with the Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway in
1875.
The vision and legacy of Sir Allan MacNab is hard to overstate. As mentioned, he orchestrated the economically vital path
of the Great Western Railway to include Hamilton. Further, he persuaded the
railway to locate their major rolling stock and locomotive construction/repair shop
complex in his fair city. The GW facility would establish an industrial base
and spawn enterprises that still have descendants located in the city to this
day. Most noteworthy would be Canada’s best known steel makers Stelco (The
Steel Company of Canada) and Dofasco (Dominion Foundries and Steel Company).
Access to Appalachian coal and the natural harbour facility together with the expanding
railway network were cornerstones in Hamilton becoming the Steel Capital of
Canada. Sadly, Sir Allan MacNab would not live to see much of his Great Lake
joining vision unfold. MacNab would pass away at age sixty-four in 1862 just as
his Hamilton and Port Dover was mired in the process of climbing the Niagara
Escarpment. However, his spirit may still have an eye on the Hamilton railway scene;
his home, long ago preserved as the museum known as ‘Dundurn Castle’ overlooks the
Canadian National Railway’s Stuart Street Yard complex (currently sub-leased to
Genesee and Wyoming’s Southern Ontario Railway). Not sure he would be pleased
about the presence of the American interlopers, however.
- Keith.
 |
As
shown on the map below, atop the escarpment, the H&LE chartered line runs
virtually arrow straight to Caledonia. Despite increasingly sporadic service on
the line, the track structure and subgrade was well maintained right up until
the very end.
|
 |
Lifting of the rails from the connection to CN’s lower city main line to Caledonia began in the mid 1980’s and was completed by 1993. However, owing to industrial development along the Lake Erie shore in Nanticoke, the line from Caledonia south is still in place and very active. Track work shown in the photo stub ends several hundred feet beyond the last of the trio of CN boxcars. In the early 1980’s CN decorated four boxcars along with a couple of other pieces of equipment with insignia promoting the upcoming EXPO 86 being held in Vancouver. The scene has changed significantly otherwise however, as the large structure in the background was razed several years ago. Good news wise, the Caledonia station, unseen to the right, has been fully restored to its as built condition and is open to the public as a museum. |
