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.
Madawaska Valley Current 18 March 2025
OPINION
For
those who are not aware, I would like to take this opportunity to
tell you that the Township of Madawaska Valley has passed a motion to
declare the caboose as surplus and to have it removed from its
site. Above:
the freshly-painted caboose in 2015. Photo supplied.
This
motion was passed in the space of ten minutes by four members of
Council (Mayor Mark Willmer and Councillors Mary Blank, Shelley
Maika, and David Shulist).
Maintenance
costs
It
was mentioned that Township money would be needed to take care of the
water tower instead. Even though Council continues to claim that
the cost to repair and maintain the caboose is prohibitive, I have
repeatedly told them that the caboose only requires repainting every
five years or so. With the help of volunteers, the only cost
would be for the paint. The inside of the caboose does need
attention but there is no need to do that right now.
Historical
value
One
member of Council pointed out that the caboose is actually CPR and
not CNR, and it was the CNR that travelled through Barry’s Bay. I
don’t believe that most people who look at the caboose would know
the difference, and does it really matter? It is not easy to
find a caboose of its 1922 vintage, and this caboose is a beautiful
example. Maybe Council should be looking for an Ottawa, Arnprior
& Parry Sound caboose. Or a Canada Atlantic caboose. Or a
Grand Trunk caboose. All of those railway companies predated Canadian
National when they travelled this line.
One
Council member said that only the “occasional picture” is taken
of the caboose. I’m not sure how this is a known fact. Perhaps
I could say the opposite: that every visitor who takes a picture of
the water tower also takes a picture of the caboose.
Replace
the caboose with ?
Another
member of Council said that if the caboose was removed, a hole could
be dug, and a post with a sign about “something” could be put in
its place.
So,
those were the reasons that led Council to pass the motion to get rid
of the caboose. To me, it looks like they were struggling to
find excuses. I just don’t understand why a Council in a
railroad town would want to get rid of an attraction that helps
promote the village that was established because of the railroad. A
caboose certainly fits in with a train station, a water tower, and a
railway park.
Initial
expectations for the caboose
When
we brought the caboose to Barry’s Bay, it was not expected that we
would be its caretakers forever. We did this on behalf of the
Council, the village, and the people. It was always understood
that the Township would eventually take it over once we had done all
the things that we were capable of. We have now reached that
point.
Value
of volunteers
It
is disappointing that this Council does not appreciate what has been
done. This might serve as a caution to volunteers, that you
might suffer the same fate, so choose your projects
carefully. I feel bad for all those people who stepped forward
to help us, doing what they thought was a good thing, only to be
considered misguided by the current Council.
Council
would be looking for a group to be in charge of the caboose but this
is not necessary. Council can be in charge. It’s not fair to
challenge people who are in favour of keeping the caboose by asking
them to step forward and take over the project. People are busy with
their own lives. Surely, it is obvious that volunteers are getting
hard to come by. For example, is there a volunteer group looking
after the water tower? Is there a volunteer group managing the arena?
And, while we’re talking about the arena, does it show a profit
each year?
Clue
to value of caboose
I
understand that there are three parties interested in the caboose.
This should be a clue to Council that there are people out there who
appreciate an old caboose, and the Township will be losing something
that has value. To me, this will be a bad legacy for the present
Council to leave behind.
Background
information
Below
is a link to a report that was done in 2012. I suggest you read it.
You might find it interesting.
https://madvalleycurrent.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2012-Restoration-Project_web.pdf
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.
BlogTo 4 May 2025 from OK the PK
Forgotten
and Abandoned Ghost Town Was Once a Bustling Port
Depot
Harbour Ontario -
Ontario is a province rife with ghost towns, once thriving
communities that met untimely ends.
One
such town is Depot Harbour near Parry Sound, which was once a
thriving trade port in Georgian Bay that was left abandoned after a
devastating fire.
Despite
its location near a still thriving community, the ghost town remains
one of the most inaccessible in the province.
There
are many mysteries to this now desolate town, its history deeply
rooted in and ultimately scarred by colonialism.
Here's
a closer look inside this forgotten trade port town and what's going
on with it today.
The
Town's Foundation
In
the late 1890s, one of the largest lumber exporters in North America,
John Rudolphus Booth, acquired railways in the area to eventually
form the Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR).
At
first, the people of Parry Sound were thrilled to finally be getting
a railway that connected them with Ottawa.
But
the price tag on the dock fees was too high, so Booth opted to create
his railroad haven on the island of Parry Island.
Parry
Island was, and still is, home to the Wausauksing First
Nations.
Because
of legislation at the time stating that you could expropriate native
owned land for railway purposes, Booth used his influence to
expropriate 314 acres of land.
It's
unclear how much he paid for this land exactly, but the deal clearly
changed and disrupted the indigenous peoples who lived on Parry
Island at the time.
A
Grainy History
With
his railroad established and Depot Harbour constructed, Booth
established one of the most renowned ports on the Great
Lakes.
Because
of its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, it was the fastest way
to ship anything from the Great Lakes, making it the ideal hub for
the grain trade.
At
its peak, the town was servicing trains coming in every 20 minutes,
both from Canada and the U.S., building two grain elevators, a hotel,
boarding houses, homes, stores, and three churches.
The town
had just under 2,000 permanent residents, with the population bumping
up to around 3,000 during the summer.
Booth expanded his
empire and worked to gain a controlling interest in nearly every part
of the town, from the railway to the boats that dock in its harbour,
to the point that he essentially wielded total control over
it.
Going
Up in Smoke
Unfortunately,
this dominance only lasted until the early 1900s when Booth was hit
with devastating financial blows due to a lack of government funding
for improving the town, and a fire that took out many of his Ottawa
lumber mills, and 100 million feet of finished timber.
To
maintain his profits, Booth sold off his stock in CAR to the Grand
Trunk Railway, where it would later go to the Canadian National
Railways.
This transfer and the 1926 closure of a rail yard
and roundhouse ultimately kicked off a sequence of events that would
transform Depot Harbour into ruins.
The Welland Canal
reshaped the balance of Great Lakes shipping just a few years
later.
Soon, the grain stopped coming, leaving the town to
deteriorate over the decades.
What
Happened to the Town?
The
last ship to dock in Depot Harbour was in 1941 at the height of the
Second World War.
In 1945, by the war's close, the grain
elevators that were once the port's lifeblood were in the process of
being torn down.
This town served as an explosives
manufacturer during World War II and contained a warehouse full of
cordite, a low-grade explosive that replaced gunpowder for
munitions.
Sadly, the war industry that helped sustain the
port would help bring about its downfall.
During the
demolition, one of the grain elevators caught fire, which blew ash
and flame to the nearby town of Nobel.
The ensuing explosion
caused by this conflagration was so bright that it was said you could
read a newspaper by its light seven kilometres away from the
blast.
A coal distribution operation would take over the
harbour in 1946, but the town's resurgence was short-lived.
In
the 1950s, with the war years in the past, and industry declining,
the town began to shut down, first with the closure of the coal dock,
then the rail bridge, and then with few jobs sustaining the town,
homes were finally sold off for $25.
By the mid-1960s, only
three buildings remained.
The final death knell for what was
already a long-dead town came when the railroad was finally ripped up
in the late 1980s.
It was around this time that the land was
returned to the Wausauksing First Nations, who had inhabited it in
the first place.
While it served as some justice, they
inherited land contaminated with cordite and waters containing sunken
ships believed to hold live munitions from its years of war-industry
shipping.
The history of Depot Harbour is preserved in the
Parry Sound District Museum to this day, and the town is said to be
the largest to ever become a ghost town in Ontario.
Chris
Middleton.
Brockville Recorder and Times 9
May 2025
Railway
Tunnel to Open Next Friday
Brockville
Ontario - The Brockville Railway Tunnel will open for
another season next Friday, the city has announced.
The
official reopening of the popular tourist attraction, which was
recently subjected to expensive upgrades, has been set for 16 May
2025 at 14:00, with visitors invited to take their first walk of the
year through the tunnel after an opening ceremony at the south
entrance.
Canada's oldest railway tunnel, enhanced with
a light show and music, has become one of the city's top tourist
attractions, and officials were eager to get it open ahead of next
month's Tall Ships Festival.
Admission is, as always,
free, although city officials say donations toward the tunnel's
ongoing maintenance are welcome.
Recorder & Times
staff.
Seaway News 13
June 2025
Preserving
Locomotive 1008's Legacy
Morrisburg
Ontario - The historic Grand Trunk Railway locomotive 1008
at Aultsville Station received some much needed attention last
weekend, thanks to dedicated volunteers and local
supporters.
Despite the rain, the Friends of Grand Trunk
Railway 1008 gathered at Upper Canada Village to continue restoration
work on the 1910 steam engine and its accompanying passenger
coach.
Stormont Dundas South Glengarry MP Eric Duncan
visited the site for a tour and an update on fundraising
efforts.
"Thank you to all the volunteers involved,
and to Emard Brothers Lumber, who are celebrating their centennial
anniversary this year, for their donation of materials for the
refurbishment of the exterior of the passenger coach," said
Duncan.
Built by the Canadian Locomotive Company in
Kingston, the 4-6-0 Ten Wheeler once served the Grand Trunk Railway
and Canadian National Railways.
Now on display beside
Aultsville Station, originally from one of the Lost Villages flooded
during the St. Lawrence Seaway project, it serves as an important
reminder of Eastern Ontario's railway and local heritage.
Jason
Setnyk
City News 10 July 2025
Large
portion of Carling Avenue to close for rail removal
Posted
Jul 10, 2025 01:58:29 PM. Last Updated Jul 10,
2025 02:03:33 PM.
An
inactive portion
of CN Rail tracks is
being removed from a west-end roadway so the city can make it wider
and safer.
The
City of Ottawa said that a portion of Carling Avenue, from Moodie
Drive to Herzberg Road, will close from July 18 to 27 so workers can
remove the former CN Rail bridge to make improvements. Before
construction began in the area, the roadway was narrowed under the
rail overpass, leaving less space for vehicles and cyclists.
The
project is expected to take part in three phases, the first being in
the next few weeks, until the end of August.
The
city is asking people to plan ahead as the bridge and supports will
be removed, and reconstruction will take place.
A
detour will be in place directing traffic to Moodie Drive, Robertson
Road, Eagleson Road and Herzberg Road
A
separate cycling detour will be signed for cyclists to use the Watts
Creek Pathway
Access
to all private driveways and entrances to businesses will be
maintained during construction
Railway Age 14 July 2025
Johnstown Ontario - CN eyes a
transload network expansion with its Top-Tier Transload Partner
Program.
CN on 11 Jul 2025 reported eyeing a transload
network expansion through its Top-Tier Transload Partner Program,
which is said to recognize third-party transloaders "who move
significant carload volumes, typically 500 or more annually, and who
meet CN's safety and service standards."
These
partners, the railroad noted, "offer some of the strongest
opportunities to increase rail use across our network and to provide
increased access to customers who may not be rail-served
today."
According to CN, partners with "Top-Tier"
status have:
Increased
visibility across CN marketing platforms and customer channels;
Access
to the CN Top-Tier badge for promotional use;
A
dedicated CN Account Manager to support growth
Eligibility
for future recognition through CN's Top-Tier Partner Awards Program.
CN
said it also looks to Top-Tier partners for their feedback,
"identifying gaps, and working with us to create new
opportunities for customers across North America."
One
of the railroad's partners is the Canadian Rail Equipment Works &
Services (CREWS) Johnstown, Ontario, facility, which provides
industrial switching, transloading, and railcar storage
services.
Together, CN and CREWS are said to have grown
carload volumes year-over-year.
"Recognition as a
Top-Tier Partner has been a significant contributor to CREWS'
continued growth," CREWS Vice President, Business Development,
and Strategy Tiffany Edwards said, according to CN.
"This
designation has enhanced our visibility within the CN network,
strengthened relationships with our shared customer base, and
supported the ongoing expansion of volumes through our Johnstown
facility. We value our partnership with CN and look forward to
continued collaboration and shared success."
According
to CN, the Top-Tier initiative is part of its broader hybrid
transload strategy, "combining CN owned facilities with
strategic third party and shortline partnerships" to provide
customers with more options and a broader reach.
Shortlines,
it noted, play a key role in connecting local terminals to CN's
broader network.
"These railroads extend our reach
into industrial zones and rural markets, ensuring that more
customers, especially those not directly rail served, can benefit
from access to transload services," CN reported.
"Shortlines
often work closely with CN and transload operators to coordinate
first and last-mile movements, support industrial development around
rail infrastructure, and enhance service responsiveness for shared
customers."
Marybeth
Luczak
Low Down to Hull and Back 23 July 2025
La Pêche seeks community input for turntable
park
What should the municipality of La Pêche do with turntable park
in Wakefield?
Expand the swimming area? Renovate the washrooms? Remove the
historic turntable or renovate it to become part of the visitor
experience?
“We want to do this right,” La Pêche Mayor Guillaume
Lamoureux told the Low Down about the park that’s officially known
as Parc Roquebrune. “It’s a super important park, so we want it
to be welcoming, accessible and adapted to the needs of the
community.”
Kingston Whig Standard 24 July 2025
Craig Walker date? - Peter Hendra
Kingstonian's Site Specific Play
Travels Back to Birth of K&P Railway
Kinston Ontario - It was a sign that partly inspired writer
and director Craig Walker's new site specific play, "Providence",
which debuts Friday and runs until 3 Aug 2025 as part of this year's
Kick & Push Festival.
Walker, who teaches in Queen's
University's School of Drama and Music, would regularly walk along
the K&P Trail, starting from the connector located at the end of
Dalton Avenue.
On one side of the sign posted at the
entrance is a brief history of the Kingston & Pembroke (Kick &
Push) Railway and how it got its name.
"On the back
of that sign, there's a photo of these workers, three men standing
there with shovels, and strangely, a little girl in front of
them.
I was going for walks on an almost daily basis
with my dog, so I'd see the sign day after day," Walker recalled
over the phone Tuesday.
"And while I was on those
walks, I would just be thinking about it. Who were these people?
Where did they come from? Why was the photo taken, and who took the
photo? And I started, in my imagination, coming up with answers to
those questions, and I decided, hey, I'd like to write a play about
that."
Set in 1875, the year the Kingston &
Pembroke Railway opened, Providence is about three immigrant workers,
two Irish, one Scottish, and members of their families who are
dealing with issues from back home and where they were as they finish
the railroad.
Those interactions led to a discussion of
what it means to be Canadian, Walker said.
While Walker
imagined that the three men in that photo were immigrant workers who
helped build the railway, research proved otherwise.
It
turns out they were, in fact, maintenance workers, and the photo was
taken in 1910, 35 years after the K&P had opened.
"I
thought, hmmm, that doesn't really correspond with the story that
I've been concocting in my imagination. I think I'll go with a story
that I imagined," chuckled Walker.
"I knew
that the workers, statistically, would be likely either Irish or
Scottish immigrants, because that's who was working on the railway at
the time of its construction."
It was a 2017 trip
to Ireland that also inspired Walker to write Providence.
Walker
and his wife met three men on a pub patio in Galway after learning
one of them had a dog named Margaret Atwood.
Walker
piped up and told them they were Canadian.
"And
then after about an hour, after a few drinks, one of them said
something about how is it that you guys, meaning Canadians, can stand
to have a monarch as your head of state still," Walker
recalled.
Walker argued that the Canadian system worked
well, and questioned whether Ireland was now in a better place after
all of the lives lost to gain that independence.
"I
thought a conversation among immigrants is often going to be about
what their relationship is to back home," he said, adding that
you never totally escape the place you left.
Walker,
meanwhile, has previously directed site-specific plays.
"I
find site-specific plays just more exciting. It's more fun,"
enthused Walker, who'd previously directed a Barefoot Players show
set in Skeleton Park.
"It means that that space
forever afterwards is going to be animated in your mind, in your
memory."
After riding his bike in search of a
stretch of the original track, which was spray-painted to look new
again, in city limits, he came across an "enchanting" and
leafy spot off Hagerman.
"One of the functions of
theatre, I think, is to help us re-see the communities in which we
live, and that's what I was looking for," he said.
While
he had considered staging the play indoors, the opportunity to
instead take it outside as part of the Kick & Push was an ideal
fit.
"The Kick & Push takes its name from the
old nickname for the old Kingston-Pembroke railway," Walker
said, "so it seemed a good opportunity for it."
Providence,
which also features music composed by John Burge, will be staged 25,
26, 31 Jul 2025 and 1 and 2 Aug 2025 at 18:00, and at 14:00, 27 Jul
2025, 2 and 3 Aug 2025.
Tickets are $30 for the general
public.
Go to thekickandpush.com to buy
advance tickets or for more information.
Peter Hendra.
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