Railways In Niagara

Railways In Niagara. . The dawn of railway history in Niagara Falls began in 1841 following the completion of a horse-drawn line between Chippawa and Queenston. Using rails of wood with iron straps fastened to the top of the rails, much of this line's route was along present-day Stanley Avenue. , Eventually known as the Erie and Ontario, in 1854 this railway was converted to steam operation and its route moved closer to the Niagara River. At that point, it was the third steam railway operation in Ontario. Extensions from Chippawa to Fort Erie and Queenston to Niagara-on-the-Lake were eventually added to the line. , In 1848 a wooden suspension bridge was opened across the narrowest point of the Niagara River Gorge. The Canadian end was at the foot of present-day Bridge Street where the Whirlpool Rapids bridge now stands. Here, at the bridgehead, a small community eventually named Niagara Falls began to take shape. , Five years later the Great Western Railway was opened between Hamilton and Niagara Falls. A line of great importance, the Great Western was routed to connect with the suspension bridge which then had to be re-built to allow for rail traffic. , Over the next two years it was converted into a double deck span known as the Railway Suspension bridge, with trains using the upper deck while pedestrians and carriages crossed on the lower level. , Canada now had a major rail connection to the burgeoning American railway network. At the same time, Niagara Falls, now an important railway divisional point at one end of an international rail crossing quickly grew in size and importance. , In succeeding years, the Great Western became part of the Grand Trunk system which in turn was merged into the Canadian National Railway in 1923. , The Canada Southern Railway, an American line that connected Detroit and Buffalo by way of Southern Ontario, serving such communities as Windsor, Welland and Fort Erie, was opened in 1873. It was later leased by the Michigan Central Railway and, still later, by the New York Central Railway. By 1883 the Canada Southern had built a line from Welland to Niagara Falls and had bought out the Erie and Ontario. Shortly after, it constructed a bridge across the Niagara River Gorge, close to the railway suspension bridge. , Since each of these railways employed a large workforce of Niagara Falls residents over many years, they were extremely important to the economic prosperity and growth of the city.