ca. 1946
This interesting photograph of the north end of the Brockville Railway Tunnel was taken by local historian Col. F.C. “Ted” Curry sometime in the 1940s. It shows the condition of the northern approach of the CPR line to the tunnel.
We are proud to claim this tunnel as the first and oldest of its kind in Canada. It was built for the Brockville & Ottawa Railway Co. over a number of years, starting in 1854 and ending with its opening for traffic in 1860.
The last diesel train is believed to have passed through in 1966. The tracks were removed in 1977.
[This photograph can be viewed full size in a separate window by double clicking on the picture on this page until you reach the enlarged version further in the system]
Sources: This photograph of the north entrance of the Railway Tunnel comes from the collection of the Brockville Museum. It came there as a small snapshot earlier owned by Lt.-Col. Frederick C. Curry (1891-1965), a well-known druggist and military historian in Brockville.
Following the death of his widow Helen in 1974 a large collection of his documents and photographs were donated to the Brockville & District Historical Society by her nieces, Helen DeNike and Betty Harding.
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2 Comments
17 May 2008 at 5:38 PM
Tunnel-related … how was the intersection of track with that of the GTR controlled, do you know, Doug? Anyone?
7 June 2008 at 2:35 PM
There is a small underpass or tunnel under the main east-west line of the original Grand Trunk Railway. This still exists now, directly in line with the route taken by the Brockville & Ottawa Railway, just north of the Railway Tunnel. In the beginning there were two depots in town. The B&O Station on the waterfront south of the Tunnel and the GTR station on the south side of the main line at the head of Buell St. north of Brock St. The present station on the north side was built in the 1870s for all passengers on both railways and thereafter was known as the Union Depot or Station. After this it appears only freight was taken through the tunnel to the waterfront.
Thanks for asking,
Doug Grant