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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