THE RAILWAYS OF BROCKVILLE DURING THE 1950s.
© by Don McQueen, 2013 (all photographs by the author or from his collection)
PART ONE
1: Helper service on the East End Grade
As a result of engineering changes made to the roadbed in the 1970s, the two- mile grade between Perth Street and Sharpe’s Lane now rises 44 feet with a reverse curve, but in the 1950s it was slightly steeper. Helper service was provided for heavy eastbound freights more often in the winter when cold weather stiffened friction bearings while the train sat between crew changes in Manitoba Yard. Steam pushers were usually 0-6-0s, and could often be heard whistling off during crisp winter nights (over the loud speaker music at the Douglas Haig Public School skating rink) during the 1940s and early 1950s. On a ‘fresh’ April 24, 1954, CNR diesel switcher 8509 - a General Motors Diesel Ltd (GMDL) model SW8, built in London in April 1951 - had completed a flying separation from an eastbound freight, and was about to return downgrade to the yard. The extra vans (or caboose) ahead of no.75873 were being deadheaded to Turcot yard in Montreal. The view is west toward what is now Oxford Avenue, with the Ontario Hospital Farm pastureland on both sides of the right-of-way. The switcher is about to drift over the Farm’s cattle underpass at Mile 122.5. [Don McQueen photo]
2: The Lakeshore Express at Oxford Avenue
In their fourth year of service on August 14, 1958, CNR passenger diesels 6507 & 6607 - both London-built by GMDL in December 1954 - kicked up ballast dust as they dropped down the east end grade towards the yard limit with a seven- car consist of No.7, the summer-only Lakeshore Express. In 1958 the train operated between June 15 and September 14, arriving at Brockville daily at 10:45. At the time the unprotected level crossing for what is now Oxford Avenue, seen between the Automatic Block Signal (ABS) at Mile 124.2 and the rear of the second diesel, was a gravelled concession in Elizabethtown township. The graceful American Elm in the background remained a favourite with the photographer until its demise in the 1970s. [Don McQueen photo]
3: An Eastbound Manifest at First Avenue
Mornings usually saw traffic in both directions running ahead of the afternoon passenger trains, or following the mid-day westbound passengers. At about 10:00 on August 14, 1958, CNR diesel model RS-10 3089 & RS-3 3039 - both built by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in January 1957 and October 1954 respectively - leaned into the east end grade with a 61-car extra east. Late in the decade many of these morning manifests would carry some of the early versions of Trailer-On-Flat Cars (TOFC) and loads. These were believed to be late-arriving flat-beds from the Toronto transfer yard, lifted as the train passed through downtown Toronto from Mimico. Full TOFC trains passed through town at night. The Brockville yard limit sign, with its stout wooden post, yellow triangular target and lantern, was opposite the first box car of 3089’s consist. First Avenue at this time in 1958, dead-ended at the right of way and the field to the north was pasture land. Love those railway tie fence posts! They made for easy fence hopping - as long as they hadn’t been burned out at the foot during a spring-time maintenance-of-way grass fire. [Don McQueen photo]
4: Grade Crossing Protection at Park Street
In the 1950s the town had a variety of level crossing protection. Oxford Avenue (see photo 2 above) was unprotected; lights and gates were located at North Augusta Road. The main line at Perth Street at the station and William Street had gates manually operated from towers, but the engine terminal trackage was unprotected. Bartholomew and Ormond Streets were protected by lights. Because main line crossover switches and a siding turnout were located immediately west of Park Street, the crossing was protected by a guard. Most of the fellows were war veterans, one of which was covering the passage of Extra 3637 West - a MLW model RS18 built in September 1957 - on a wintery February 23, 1960. His cosy cabin was located on the southeast corner of the crossing, just out of sight on the right of the photograph. At this time the trio of diesels would work to the west end of Manitoba Yard for a crew change, and only cut off the train to reverse east to the William engine terminal if no crew to take the train to Belleville was available. [Don McQueen photo]
5: A CNR westbound at Park Street
About 17:00 in the afternoon of April 5, 2025 CNR 4-8-4 Northern Type 6146 - built by MLW in April 1929 - had just passed Park Street with an extra west. The ‘whistling through town’ was almost complete at this point, having rapidly 24L’d (two long blasts, a short, and another long) its way through the level crossings at North Augusta Road, the now-infamous Bartholomew, and Ormond Streets. Park Street was still protected by a switchman-crossing guard whose cabin is almost visible in the background at the right. Only William and Perth Streets remained to whistle for.
The open field to the north of the train had been the site of the Canada Carriage Works, but in the 1950s only foundation pieces of the burned out 19th century enterprise remained. The third track from the left was the industrial spur which led to the General Milk and Lion Grinding Wheel plants east of Bartholomew on Pearl Street, and an fuel oil transfer depot on Ormond. The siding leading from the spur (on the extreme right) was for the Whyte Packing Company/Brockville Co-Operative, and it was at this location the photographer climbed to the roof of a boxcar for the photograph. [Don McQueen photo]
6: A CNR eastbound at the CPR Tunnel Bridge
The north side of the GTR-CNR ‘Tunnel Bridge’ has not often been recorded on film. Laying about 700 feet to the south of this classic stone structure is the north portal of CPR’s Brockville Tunnel. The CNR Extra east on a snowy March 2, 2025 with 4-8-4 Northern Type 6102 - built by Canadian Locomotive Company (CLC) in Kingston during June 1927 - was the south main, one of three tracks over the arched viaduct built during 1857 and 1858. The crew was working the Northern Type steamer hard as the train worked up the grade toward Sharpe’s Lane. The exhaust was clean, the safety valve pops drifting steam and the exhaust from the stoker engine indicated it was working. In the background immediately behind the locomotive was the William Street engine yard turntable and between the forest of poles Tunnel Avenue can be seen. The spires of Wall Street United and the First Presbyterian Churches pierce the skyline. [Don McQueen photo]
7: CPR Tunnel Bridge - North Side
During summer evenings the north side of the CPR Tunnel Bridge carrying the Grand Trunk Railway - Canadian National main line between Toronto and Montreal over the approach to CPR’s waterfront tunnel was in full light. The excellence of the masonry work was still impressive more than a century later at the time of this August 7, 2024 photograph. [Don McQueen photo]
8: CPR Tunnel Bridge - South Side
The view looking north from the CPR right-of-way toward the south side of the Tunnel Bridge was enhanced by the morning light of August 8, 1971. The CPR track behind the photographer continued to drop downgrade to the north face of the Brockville Tunnel as shown in photo 9. [Don McQueen photo]
9: CPR Brockville Tunnel - Approach to the North Portal
A late afternoon view on August 5, 2025 looked south toward Pearl Street, with the Whyte Packing Company property on the left and the CNR William Street Locomotive yard and Tunnel Avenue on the right. As the usefulness of the tunnel to reach waterfront industry declined, the CPR allowed the once manicured northern approach to revert to natural vegetation. [Don McQueen photo]
10: CPR Brockville Tunnel - the North Portal
Although the masonry of the North Portal on August 7, 2024 was still sound and retained the lighter colour of the large facing stonework, drainage had deteriorated and underbrush had begun to encroach upon both the right-of-way and the sloped sides of the tunnel cutting. Pressure from decades-old soil slip along the sides of the tunnel cutting had heaved and twisted the tiers of the original stone retaining walls. [Don McQueen photo]
11: The south portal of the Brockville Tunnel
CPR 2-6-0 Mogul Type 3011 - built by CPR at its New Shops in August 1888 - posed for a commercial photographer at the south portal of the Brockville Tunnel during the late 1940s. The view looks northwest with the Revere House and the spire of the First Baptist Church on Courthouse Square in the left background. The roof of the Town Hall appears above the arch and portal’s facade. The 1,730-foot tunnel, begun in September 1854 and officially opened on December 31, 1860, allowed the B&ORR access to the then lucrative river traffic.
A yard, wharfage and offices were built along the shore of Tunnel Bay, and when the shallow stretch of river was filled to connect Block House Island, a ten stall, covered roundhouse was built on the island. The 100-foot high domed structure, 156 feet in circumference, with an inside turntable remained extant until the 1890s. When growth in size of both motive power and rolling stock outgrew the size of the tunnel bore, the waterfront locomotive and car facilities were dismantled and moved north to Chemical Road (now Parkside Avenue), where, by 1916 a three-stall engine house was in service.
By the 1950s, it too had been replaced by (or rebuilt into) a sizable maintenance-of-way building. However, many of the early waterfront industries remained in the 1950s. Along Water Street East there was no mistaking the cacophonic clatter of empty milk cans being automatically transferred from a box car into the Ault Creamery, or the plume of coal dust raised during unloading at the W.B.Reynolds fuel depot. Nor does one forget the aroma of fermenting cucumbers in the pickling vats which lay beside Block House Island Bay. [Don McQueen photo]
12: The south portal of the Brockville Tunnel
Looking north through the tunnel from the South Portal on November 13, 2024 through a telephoto lens gave the misleading impression the tunnel was much shorter than its 1730-foot length. The open doors at each end more-or-less remained so by the late 1950s and 1960s as opening, closing and securing the heavy doors had become an inefficient use of time and energy as railway usage dropped to an ‘as-needed’ basis. As fewer cattle were now in the area, the need to keep animals out of the tunnel was greatly diminished, if the urban myth about the rationale for the doors is to be considered.
Walking ‘The Tunnel’ was always an experience. The ‘safest’ time was to follow the steamers after they left the waterfront yard. The orangey harvest moon haze at the north end indicated the tunnel was unoccupied. The most difficult walking section was in the bare rock portion, especially toward the north end under Pearl Street, as water leaking from a 19th century overhead cistern (for fire fighting) had created a deep layer of calcium deposits along the right of way. [Don McQueen photo]
PART TWO…
