"Railways of the Canadian Niagara 1860's?" Topic

I have a suspicion that some wargamers present might also be historical railway buffs. I am building a railway station for the Fenian Raids of 1866-67 in the Niagara region and i was wondering which railway, or railways, were operating there at this time?
Thanks.

Hi Glengarry5,
I'm not an expert but I believe their were two railway companies in the area starting in the 1850's. The Great Western Railway ran from Niagara Falls too Windsor, wth a connecting route from Hamilton to Toronto. Secondly, their was The Grand Trunk Railway that ran from Quebec throught Toronto to Hamilton and onward to London and Sarnia. The Grand Trunk eventually buys the The Western Railway in the 1880's I beleive. Both railways use a different guage track then the American system because of lingering fears of another invasion. Eventually they change to standard guage in the 1870's to match the U.S. Someone will probably come along who knows alot more, but I thought this may get you started.

Cheers!

Joe

Yes.

Yes as well, at least if I remember correctly.

Eric

Thanks. It may not be 100% historically accurate (The Grand Trunk Railway stations were made of stone, not wood as in the model I've put together) but I as someone who is old enough to remember the band Grand Funk Railway it is awfully tempting!

If you need visuals to support the work, Library and Archives Canada has a massive collection of maps, drawings, and photos related to railway history.

There is also the Niagara Railway Museum in Fort Erie, ON at nfrm.ca which I am sure could be of help.

Good luck!