TH&B Rwy. Nearly Finished - December 30, 1895
The project had to be
finished before January 1, 1896. The City of Hamilton had agreed to furnish the
promoters of the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway with a huge financial
bonus if that deadline was met.
On December 28, 1895,
it was rumored that the railway officials were ready to demonstrate in a very
public way that the conditions to qualify for the bonus had been met.
It was a very small train,
just one car plus the locomotive, that pulled into the downtown Hamilton T. H.
& B. Rwy. Station around the supper hour that day:
“Shortly before 6
p.m. on Saturday, the first train to make the trip from Welland to Hamilton
over the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway entered the city and was greeted
with cheers by an immense crowd of people assembled at the new depot at the
corner of James and Hunter streets. The tracks for a distance of several blocks
east of the station were lined with interested citizens.”1
1 “Welland
to Waterford : T. H. & B. Railway Now Open to Traffic : Inspection Train Arrived
from Welland Saturday Evening
Hamilton Spectator. December 30, 1895.
On board were a
number of dignitaries, including the president of the railway, the man in
charge of the construction efforts, but a key passenger was the federal
Inspector of Railways whose task was to pass the line or not depending on his findings.
The train pulled up
beside the handsome new station, stopping to pick up a few more passengers
before proceeding to pass through the tunnel which had been constructed between
Park and Garth (now Queen) street :
“The train stopped at the station long
enough to take on about fifty people, amongst whom were Contractor Onderdonk,
Mrs. S. S. Woodward and Miss Patti Woodward, and then proceeded on its trip
through the tunnel. When half way through, the train was delayed for half an
hour, owing to the necessity of removing electric lights which had been hung
over the tracks. At Garth street, the train was sidetracked and the passengers
found their way via street cars back into the city. “1
The Railway Inspector would return to
the tunnel the following morning, proceeding carefully through its whole
length:
“Inspector Cady walked through the
tunnel, making a careful examination of its construction. It is understood that
he found the line from here to Welland in satisfactory shape for traffic, and
that the required permit from the Government will be forwarded to the railway
company within a few days.”1
On Sunday
afternoon, the new station at James and Hunter was opened for public inspection
and was thronged all afternoon and evening with interested citizens.
Despite not having the official government
paperwork approving the line in hand, passenger service began early on Monday,
December 30, 1895:
“This morning the train which left
Waterford at 6:45 arrived, via the tunnel, at the new depot at 9:15, and soon
after was on its way to Welland. A large crowd of people witnessed its
departure. Twenty-five passengers bought tickets for this train. The train due
here from Welland at 10:02 did not arrive until noon.”1
In terms of actually
providing passenger service before January 1, 1896, that part of T. H. &
Rwy. construction through was completed, but there was still plenty of work to
do:
“Large gangs of men
are still at work along the line between here and Stoney Creek, and every
effort is being made to finish up the work on the tunnel. Three watch towers
for the gates at John, Hughson, James, MacNab and Charles streets, are being
erected today. An abandoned brick house at the corner of Locke and Hunter
streets is being turned into a temporary depot for West Hamilton. The new
freight sheds at Walnut street will be ready for occupancy by the end of the
week.”1
Some completion work
was still needed to be completed before T. H. & B. trains would get as far
as Buffalo, but regular train service to that city was expected to be gin in
just a few more days.
Images courtesy www.hamiltonpostcards.com
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