Ottawa Citizen 1 March 2025

Brockville approves $172,000 for Railway Tunnel lighting

Staff wants to avoid equipment failure

The city will spend another $172,000 on lighting for the Brockville Railway Tunnel, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s equipment failure scenario ahead of a significant tourism season.
And while the city expects to spend annually on new tunnel lights, officials hope that annual dollar figure will trend downward.
Brockville council on Tuesday backed a recommendation to spend up to $172,350 on replacement lighting equipment for the tunnel, a popular tourism attraction.
A staff report to council notes the recently approved city budget did not include the proposed tunnel lighting maintenance project, and staff considered it “prudent” to raise the issue before the tunnel opens for the season in the spring.
The tunnel had to be closed for part of last spring, after city workers discovered large-scale damage to the lights inside the attraction.
The constant dripping in the tunnel left mineral deposits on the lenses of the lights, which in turn caused water infiltration, leading to their rapid failure. Meanwhile, water infiltration into the pedestals along the tunnel also took out many of the enablers that drive the facility’s light show.
The tunnel opened in mid-May with a reduced light show as the city awaited delivery of new lighting equipment, and was then restored to its former glory in early July.
While the city expects a better outcome from its new equipment, it also wants to be ready to deal with any unexpected issues, given the massive influx of tourists expected for this June’s Tall Ships Festival.
The tunnel’s lighting system includes 13 kiosks with controls and electrical panels; 728 lighting fixtures; and 26 lighting enablers.
Each kiosk has two enablers that together control 56 light fixtures, notes the staff report.
“Based on the observed rate of equipment failure,” the report adds, parks department staffers are recommending that an annual “generalized rate of replacement of equipment” be determined.
For starters, they suggest the lighting and enabler equipment of one of the 13 kiosks be bought and replaced. That would include 56 lighting fixtures, 56 lighting covers, and two enablers for one kiosk, as well as four spare enablers in case of failures.
“If this season is at all like the previous seasons, we should be prepared to want to change out an entire module,” operations director Phil Wood told council Tuesday.
“That is at least going to give us our best fighting chance to keep the system working, hopefully without interruption, hopefully without gaps, in the coming tourism season.”
Buying the equipment now gives the city a better chance to react, or even replace a section of lights proactively, keeping those that are still working as spares, added Wood.
The maximum of $172,350 would be funded from the city’s fiscal policy reserve, so it would have no impact on the tax levy.
Coun. Jeff Earle bristled at the thought of an annual amount for lighting replacement.
“The way I read the motion in there, is that it meant that we were going to be putting $172,000 a year for the next 13 years,” he said.
Earle calculated a slightly higher average of $200,000 a year for 13 years, which would see the city spend $2.6 million.
But Wood replied that the annual amount for replacement is expected to go down, given the improvements the city has made to guard against water infiltration.
“We’d like to see the attrition rate drop off,” said Wood.

Cornwall Standard Freeholder 25 March 2025

Effort to Stop Train Whistles in South Glengarry Falls Off the Rails

Curry Hill Ontario - The whistling won't stop anytime soon.
The Township of South Glengarry council decided to reject a residents' petition at its regular council meeting on Monday, that would have sent South Glengarry on the tracks towards towards rail whistle cessation.
The petition asked the township to request CN stop using whistles near SDG County Road 27 and Fifth Line Road near Bainsville.
The request was received in October, when council tasked administration with preparing a report on the matter.
CN's main line between Montreal and Toronto runs north of Highway 401 through this section of South Glengarry.
It carries most of the company's freight through this portion of the continent, and is also used by VIA Rail for its passenger service between Toronto and Montreal.
Transport Canada allows municipalities to stop train whistles if the sound is a nuisance to residents.
Municipalities must consult with the railway, notify the public, and pass a council resolution.
There is an associated cost to pursuing whistle cessation, as the safety of a level crossing must be improved to make up for trains not whistling as they approach and cross over it.
Ultimately, the administration recommended against whistle cessation.
Primarily because of safety concerns, as well as the cost of moving forward with the changes."We can never effectively replace the use of a whistle," said general manager for infrastructure services Sarah MacDonald.
MacDonald went on to inform council that the local CN track supervisor did not support the change.
Further, it would cost South Glengarry $30,000 just to find out what sort of work would need to be completed to move forward with whistle cessation, such as improving the line of sight near the track.
While South Glengarry council expressed some sympathy for concerned residents, the overall consensus for local decision makers was that without the track supervisor's support, this would be $30,000 down the drain.
"I don't have to put up with the train whistle, unless it's a really foggy overcast day, and then it's sort of a pleasure to hear since it's once in a blue moon that I have to hear it," said Deputy Mayor Martin Lang.
Lang also said that without CN's support, this initiative was going nowhere.
For Julie Bellefeuille, the South Glengarry resident who brought forward the petition, council's decision came with heavy disappointment.
"I understand they're saying it's a safety thing. There's things CN could do to make it more safer, we're on a dirt road, it's not a busy area," said Bellefeuille."
According to Bellefeuille, this is the second time in recent history that South Glengarry has declined to pursue whistle cessation.
A previous request went to council chambers in 2010.

HometownTV12.ca 11 April 2025

Unveiling of the New Athens B&W Railway Station Outdoor Museum Sign April 13th

Athens Brockville, Westport & Sault St. Marie Railway/Brockville, Westport & North-Western Railway original station with B&W #66. – (National Archive-Dale Elliott Collection)

Athens – The Township of Athens and Area Heritage Society invites you to join them for the unveiling of the new Athens B&W Railway Station outdoor museum sign.
It is being held on Sunday, April 13th at 2:00 pm at 30 Henry St, in Athens.

The second Athens Railway Station was built by Canadian National, replacing the original that burned down. – National Archive 1948-Dale Elliott Collection)

Please monitor this event, https://www.facebook.com/events/564225085990275, as it does depend on the weather. If high risk of getting soaked, they will determine and post a new date.
The sign will be placed near the site of the former Athens B&W train station. Trains connected communities between Brockville and Westport along the railroad from 1888-1952.
The unveiling will be near the chip truck. Parking should be available in the rink lot.
This event is intended to be brief. But it is always interesting to hear stories.