Trip to Niagara Faalls and discovery of the Great Gorge Route.

[pbjwilson]

Returned from a trip to Niagara Falls and I cant seem to get my mind off the discovery that a trolley line ran along the Niagara river between 1895-1932. Been doing some research and find it facsinating. Would love to make a model railroad based on this wonderful trolley line. Heres some pics.

 

[GRAMRR]

Wow!  I lived in the Falls for a few years back in the late '40's - early '50's.  I had no idea that this line ever existed.  Was it on the US or Canadian side?  It looks awsome.  It would have beautiful scenery no matter what season you model.  Go for it!  I'd love to see it modeled.  You would certainly have something no one else has.

Chuck

[pbjwilson]

Chuck,

You can see some more great pictures at this site. The trolleys actually ran on both sides of the border and crossed on a bridge. Interestingly, President McKinley rode on the Great Gorge Route just before he met his fate in Buffalo. That of an assassins bullet.

Great collection of pics here -

http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca/nfplindex/results.asp?action=browse&q=295&key=128

[GRAMRR]

Paul,

Thanks for the link.  Very enjoyable to look at.  Brings back some memories.  That whole area is awsome - lots of history there.  Somewhere I have an old brown photo that shows the railroad bridge laying on top of the ice.  I seem to remember the date as being in the '30's.  If I can find it I'll shoot a copy to you.  Winter was an exciting time as everything around the Falls was usually covered in ice and the bush and tree limbs bent to touch the ground like big bird cages.  If you do build a layout representing this area, I'd love to see pics of your progress.

Chuck

[edkowal]

Returned from a trip to Niagara Falls and I cant seem to get my mind off the discovery that a trolley line ran along the Niagara river between 1895-1932. Been doing some research and find it facsinating. Would love to make a model railroad based on this wonderful trolley line.

You should definitely get a copy of this book:

The Niagara Gorge Belt Line  -  A Pictorial Album  published by the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the National Railroad Historical Society   It's available from:

http://www.nfcnrhs.com/Niagara_Gorge_Belt_Line_book.htm

It's really good.  A review can be found at:

http://www.nrhs.com/book_reviews/01-2001.htm

For further information, in addition to the library files from the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library Local History Collection, referenced in your second post, there's a really interesting summary at:

http://www.iaw.com/~falls/greatgorge.html

And as mentioned in some of the many web pages devoted to this old but unique interurban line, it's still possible to hike some of the roadbed of this line.  Parts of it are a hiking trail at approximately the water level of the Niagara Gorge.  As a matter of fact, as a newcomer to the area, many, many years ago, I hiked on that very trail, without knowing what it had been originally.  The views from down in that gorge are spectacular: towering white water haystacks just feet away from where you stand.  If you're ever in the area again, try to get down into the Niagara Gorge hiking trail.  It's not really very well known, and it's not something that a tourist information station is likely to have information about, but it's _definitely_ worth the trip to experience.  It's, of course, not open to hiking during the winter months.

Useful terms for an internet search are "Great Gorge Route" and "Niagara Gorge Belt Line"

-Ed
Buffalo NY

[pbjwilson]

Ed - Thanks for refering me to that book site. I ordered a copy without even thinking about it. And yes my family and I hiked down to the Whirlpool Gorge. The hike starts at an ancient staircase, probably built for the trolly line.  309 steps down, we counted,  and you are just about at water level. Its about a 1/2 mile hike to the whirlpool and it is spectacular.

My kids 7 and 10 years old loved the falls. Took  a ride on the Maid of the Mist and also went to the Cave of the Winds. Both are just amazing.

Smithsonian magazine has an article this month about the Finger Lakes region. May have to explore that region on our next vacation.

Thanks again and will be checking my mailbox for the book.

[edkowal]

...Thanks for refering me to that book site. I ordered a copy without even thinking about it. And yes my family and I hiked down to the Whirlpool Gorge. The hike starts at an ancient staircase, probably built for the trolly line.  309 steps down, we counted,  and you are just about at water level. Its about a 1/2 mile hike to the whirlpool and it is spectacular...

Paul:

There's another book you may want to hunt for.  And this one will take some hunting, as it's not presently in print, and was published by the author.  It is a hardcover book though, and it was carried by Amazon at one point, so it's not an impossible task.

This one is   The Great Gorge Route   By Peter Watson 1997   ISBN 0-96-83-145-0-3

It was printed in Canada  by Peter Watson & Associates, with an address (from the book's frontmatter) at

Peter Watson & Associates
Suite 246
15-4025 Dorchester Road
Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 6N1
CANADA

I was pretty sure that the book that I had wasn't the Historical Society's book, since the cover that I remembered was green, not red & white.  But I couldn't find it when I posted the original note.  (That should give you an idea how organized my book collection is.  My 'system' is more or less: "Well, I know I've got it... ...I'll find it eventually..."   This 'system' has been known to fail at times.)  I didn't mention it in the original posting since I wasn't sure that my memory was correct, and I didn't have clear information on what the title or other specifics were.  Can't you just imagine the usefulness of saying: "Well, I think I've got a book that you should look for, but I can't find it at home, and I don't remember the title or the author's name.  It's a really useful book though, and you should definitely get one.  I think the book's dustjacket is green."

The main difference from the other book seems to be that Peter has taken a large number of photos of the same sites in the present, to compare to the original photos contemporary with the railroads.  And of course the captions will be different.  I think a lot of the historical photos are likely to be repeated.

Which reminds me that I should get a copy of the Historical Society's book.  When I do, I'll post here about the differences between the two books.

Although you may have a bit of trouble finding the Watson book, it can be done.  I know that I bought my copy within the past year or so.   I paid $25 for mine, and it was either at a local hobby store, or at a local train show.   I can keep an eye out, if you want me to.

-Ed
 
 

[LittleTommy]

Yes, I live in the area, and am planning this for my post retirement layout.  The route follows the very steep gorge of the Niagara River, so it is an ideal "bookshelf" route. The top of your "bookshelves" ,that can be on all 4 walls of the layout room, can be the top of the gorge with a little background behind them and minimal scenery. the end of the room with the door can be the Northern bridge into Canada with a lift out bridge to cross over the river (floor of the room).  The strata of the sheer walls of the gorge can be duplicated by the old broken ceiling tile method, and you can model the route itself at about eye level (so when I am unable to bend, I can do modeling standing up and wiring while sitting in a chair with casters).  Below the route you can have the bookshelves be really bookshelves, and you can have a desk or tv or other items underneith so you can actually share the room with your spouse. On the "Southern"end of the room you can have a great photo mural of the great falls (readily available cheaply), and in between, you can model the Whirlpool bridge where NYC and CN trains crossed over the Niagara if you have the urge to model some steam engines as well as passenger and freight cars.  The beauty of the idea is that you can do the scenery bit by bit, the room can be used for something other than a railroad, and you can get the interurbans running quickly but take years on the details like the bridges. The Layout is even "doable" in a Motor home, as the gorge wall scenery is relatively indistructable, and can be done in a modular fashion, so it is readily movable. 

Little Tommy

 

 

[lbuttery]

Little Tommy:

I live in Lockport NY and my ancestors had the Great Gorge Train Station at the Whirlpool Rapids. they opened the Buttery Elevators in 1869 and the station was built in 1895

I would be interested in chatting with you about making a model of all or a portion of the Great Gorge Railroad route.  I'm not a model railroader but am heavily involved in historical preservation on the Niagara Frontier  you can email me at [e-mail]

thanks

 

Lew Buttery