Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (T.H.&B.)

Location: 36 Hunter Street East, Hamilton, Ontario

Plans to develop the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (TH&B) emerged in March 1884. The intention was to build a direct railway which connected Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo, New York. It would create a link between Canadian and American economic markets and main passenger routes. Financial backing for the project was lacking, therefore, the project was postponed. During 1889, company officials were interested in operating the Brantford, Waterloo & Lake Erie Railway (BW&LER) which was incorporated in 1885. It was to connect Brantford with a point on the Canadian Southern Railway (Waterford) and then on to Lake Erie. Construction soon began and the line open for traffic in 1889 between Brantford and Waterford. From there, the company experienced financial difficulties and fell into receivership in 1891.

It was at this point that the management of the TH&B stepped in and combined the resources of the two railways. Accordingly, the two companies were amalgamated in December 1892 to create the TH&B. At the same time, the TH&B approached Hamilton City Council seeking a $275,000 grant to allow completion of its railway through the Hamilton to Welland route. This proposed railway would run through prime residential areas of Hamilton. Residents from Hunter and MacNab Street feared the destruction of their property if the railroad built the line through their neighborhood, therefore, they requested compensation from the railway company. However, the by-law to allow the grant was narrowly defeated and the proposed line was placed on hold. By 1894, the TH&B had acquired more American support and capital making the railway a more powerful prospect. During this time, the TH&B approached Hamilton City Council again and proposed another $275,000 grant which would be awarded in three stages- $100,000 when the tracks reached West Hamilton, $100,000 when the tracks reached East Hamilton, and $75,000 when the tracks reached Welland. Once again, the route would be cut through prime Hamilton residential property. The TH&B also proposed a half mile tunnel and the rest of the areas located near the tracks within Hamilton would have rails at grade level.

The local newspaper, the Spectator criticized the tunnel through the wealthy area of Hamilton, while the lower class areas would have to endure the noise of grade level trains. The Spectator, did not support the proposal and had several vocal editorials printed that railed against the TH&B and City Council. The newspaper said it was a waste of money and the project would only ruin Hamilton streets for useless railways. The TH&B wanted the vote for the proposal to go in their favour, so they publicly deposited $50,000 in the Bank of Hamilton stating it would only be used for local labour on the project. This guaranteed the vote of the Hamilton work force. The vote was held on October 10, 1894. As predicted, the TH&B won by 300 votes and on October 29, 1894, the city accepted the proposal and granted $225,000 for the project under the by-law No. 775 . Thus, construction of the Hunter Street Tunnel began in the summer of 1895. The by-law also stated that the TH&B was required to build "...a first class passenger station in a central part of the City of Hamilton..." The building was eventually built three blocks from the city core.

The construction of the tunnel began by first digging a deep trench. Then, wooden arches were put in place and a roof was added. Bricks were used to enclose the entrance and exit of the tunnel. The station was also built during this time and was located on the corner of Hunter and James Street. It was designed by the architectural firm, William Stewart and Sons. It was constructed out of brick and stone with 19th century architectural style. It had turrets, gables, pillar, posts, and a dramatic four storey tall round tower that measured 16 feet in diameter and 80 feet tall and was located on the south west corner of the building. A canopy covered the south side of the building, shading the exits to the paved platform. The official opening of the building was held on May 25, 1895 with much fanfare. Nearly forty years would pass before this building would be replaced by a more functional station.

After the TH&B's inception, it was to become a very busy and productive line. Between 1892 and 1913, the TH&B railway had approximately 700,000 passengers and after the first World War, six passenger trains traveled in each direction on a daily basis. Moreover, profits drastically increased from $34,000 in 1895 to $1,702,000 in 1925. The increase in profits was a direct result of high train frequency, which contributed to high levels of noise, pollution and city street congestion.

In 1893, the TH&B stock was purchased by the following major railway companies who planned to operate the line as an extension of their own, including the sharing of equipment and personnel: the New York Central Railway 37%, Canadian Pacific Railway(CPR) 27%, Michigan Central Railway 18%, and the Canadian Southern Railway 18%. All but the CPR were controlled by the American tycoon, Cornelius Vanderbilt. With the necessary capital in place, construction began on the railway between Hamilton and Brantford. Subsequently, the line was opened in May of 1895. During this time, construction continued on the mainline from Hamilton to the Welland Junction, where a connection was made with the Canadian Southern for operations into Fort Erie. In May of 1896, Canadian Pacific Railway was granted the rail rights by the Grand Trunk Railway over the tracks between Toronto and Hamilton, therefore the construction of new tracks was avoided. However, a one and a half mile track would have to be constructed at the Hamilton Junction in order for the CPR and TH&B trains to pass directly through the city. The TH&B was able to expand by creating branch lines and gaining ownership of neighboring lines. In June 1897, the TH&B was given the running rights for freight trains over the electric Hamilton and Dundas Railway into Dundas. In 1900, the Belt Line Loop was constructed and extended from the Kinnear yards into Hamilton's quickly growing industrial area along Lake Ontario. The TH&B was given permission to form the Hamilton & Buffalo Navigation Company in 1917. This company would ensure the operation for coal vessels across Lake Erie to Ashtabula, Ohio. Eventually, the TH&B expanded in 1926, when it was granted the rights to the Canadian National Railway which served the industries of Port Colborne.

Safety precautions were instituted by the Dominion Railway Commission, which included an order for the TH&B to cross Grant Avenue, Wentworth Street, Sanford Avenue, and Sherman Avenue with additional tracks. Moreover, gates were to be constructed at Wentworth Street. In early 1914, other safety innovations included the installation of Dispatcher telephones, telegraph lines and instrumentation, a six mile stretch of double track, and the construction of a mainline between Hamilton and Welland, which was made of the heaviest and safest type of track with improved joint and tie plates. It also had stone ballast on a large proportion of the line.

During the mid 1910's and early 1930's, the TH&B, Hamilton citizens and the Hamilton City Council members were embroiled in disputes over the blocking of Hamilton streets by the TH&B's trains. By 1912, six hundred and thirty-five street cars passed Hunter and James Streets and an average of two hundred engines crossed James Street along Hunter Street. This resulted in the blocking of city streets. The wait for each train to pass was approximately twenty minutes. W.O. Sealey prosecuted the TH&B and promised to continue to fight the railway company until it found a solution to the problem. Even Thomas Baker McQuesten complained about the noise the trains produced adjacent to his home, Whitehern located on MacNab Street. As early as 6:00 a.m., the trains would drive past blowing whistles and shaking the ground for nearly thirteen minutes every day. The City Council pushed for a by-law restricting the blocking of intersections for only five minutes. If the trains blocked a street for more than five minutes, police would issue a summons. However, the City Council's attempts to pressure the TH&B into compliance were weak, as the TH&B would only threaten to withdrawal passenger service from Hamilton forcing the city to back down.

On September 1912, the Board of Railway Commissioners came to Hamilton to investigate the complaints issued against the TH&B. The Board decided that the City had no jurisdiction to order compensation for devalued or damaged property, due to TH&B construction and operation. The decision infuriated local residents and led to the participation of Hamilton churches in the dispute. The first church to become active in the political debate was the MacNab Street Presbyterian Church, followed by St. Paul's Presbyterian, and James Street Baptist Church. They wanted to fight the TH&B and force them to decrease the grade level throughout Hamilton. In fact, they persuaded many citizens to support officials who were for the grade reduction and this led to the election of John Allen to the office of Mayor. He supported the proposal for the grade reduction and attempted to force the TH&B to comply. However, the TH&B was only willing to increase the grade separation, because a decrease in the grade level would have cost a substantial amount of capital. Thomas Baker McQuesten, who had been against the construction of the TH&B railway throughout Hamilton and was appointed to the Works committee. In this position, McQuesten was able to harass the TH&B, by charging the railway with slight infractions in an attempt to force it to reduce the grade of its rails. This relationship continued throughout 1913 and 1914. The Board of Railway Commissioners returned to Hamilton to try to negotiate a settlement to no avail.

Hunter Street residents tried to get an order to force the TH&B out of the area and to join a common railway scheme in the North end of Hamilton, however, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled they did not have the authority to move the railway anywhere beyond a mile from its original location. The situation became accepted by a majority of citizens until a proposal to create a new railway for the Canadian National Railway (CNR) and the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario's proposal for an inter-urban electric rail car system emerged. The Works Committee feared the effects of adding an inter city rail system and a new railway system, so the Works Committee enlisted William Francis Tye and Noulan Cauchon. The two men were to assess the current situation of the railway system and Hamilton, decide what effect the new railways would have on the city, and make proposals for future development. In July of 1917, Tye and Cauchon released their report "The Railway Situation in Hamilton, Ontario". In their report, they acknowledged the congestion problems caused by the railways and made suggestions which could alleviate the problem. First, they believed that all lines should double track across the beach strip to allow the transporting of high speed freight trains that were destined for Toronto. Thus, bypassing Hamilton all together. They also suggested to construct a train sorting yard in the east end of Hamilton. One of the more controversial proposals was the abandonment of the TH&B lines through residential Hamilton. The two men proposed the TH&B share the Northern Line which had access to all cross town lines. The four main railways could also share a union station located in downtown Hamilton. The Hamilton City Council was highly supportive of the document and even formally endorsed the recommendations. However, the TH&B had no intentions of adhering to the recommendations, since their was no legal body which could force it to comply with the report. In fact, the TH&B made its intentions clear by informing the Hamilton Board of Control that it would not give up its lines in Hamilton, and it would actually expand by purchasing more land at the base of the Escarpment in South-East Hamilton. The Board of Control fought the TH&B head on and eventually lost on December 14, 1917. On November 26, 1918, the TH&B board announced the grade separation to elevate the rails.

It was announced in September, 1930, that the grade separation would be a joint venture between the City of Hamilton and the TH&B. The increase of grade throughout the area would cost approximately $3,000,000. On October 30, 1930, an agreement was finally reached which called for the construction of a grade separation. This project would raise the tracks from the tunnel at Wentworth Street. It also raised and blocked off the streets at MacNab, Hughson, Ferguson, Wellington. This massive project began April 11, 1931 and was completed two years later. The construction also included the building of corporate offices and a new train station in 1932. The first passenger train to come to Hamilton from Buffalo arrived at 12:35 p.m. on December 3, 1931 on the first of seven tracks to be constructed.

The Hamilton TH&B building, which was also part of the project was to reflect New York city's skyscrapers. The W. H. Cooper Construction Company was hired to construct the building. The original plan included a ten floor building. However, only a seven floor building was approved, due to the harsh economic climate created by the depression. On December 10, 1932, the heavy steel girders which were to make up the frame of the building were put in place. Twelve days later, the structure was ready for the first sheet of exterior cladding. By February, 1933 the stonework on the exterior was completed and the office executives and employees were moved in shortly after the interior was completed. The official opening of the building was on June 26, 1933, however, there was no official celebration. It was during the same time that the old TH&B station, located of James and Hunter Streets was being demolished.

The building had a tower that was 63.3 feet wide and 43.5 feet deep. The main portion of the building was 110.5 feet wide by 45 feet deep. The building had two wings which flanked the rear of the building. The total cost for the project which included the building and grade separation was $3,238,000. The Board of Railway Commissioners divided the cost of the two projects: the grade separation was to receive 60% of the funding and the building would receive 40% of the funding. The city of Hamilton had to pay for any damage to property, sewers, waterworks, roadways, and sidewalks during the construction project, which amounted to over one million dollars.

In 1977, the Canadian Pacific Railway had bought out the other shareholders of the TH&B and became the controlling force of the line. It cost CPR $6,500,000 to purchase 20,120 shares from Penn Central Transport Co. and 7.525 shares from Canada Southern Railroad Co. During 1978, the TH&B was loosing money on the line between Toronto and Buffalo, averaging twenty passengers a trip. In April 1977, Conrail was ordered to divest its interests in the TH&B which were sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway, thus, giving the company complete ownership of the line and its properties, which included the downtown station.

As of January 1987, the TH&B was integrated into the CPR system and disappeared as an independent corporation. In 1988, the Canadian Pacific Railway discontinued passenger service between Hamilton and Welland, which alarmed the City of Hamilton. The original 1895 agreement signed between the City of Hamilton and the TH&B stated that if the rail service to Hamilton was ever ceased, the TH&B would pay the City of Hamilton the original loan sum of $224,500 with interest at approximately 4 percent. This would have brought the total interest owing to $1,188,000 and this price did not include the financial support the city had invested in the TH&B. The city asked for an award of $40,046,379, but the city eventually received $1,800,000 in a financial settlement. After this dispute, other concerns began to emerge about the maintenance of the TH&B rails in Hamilton. In some areas, weeds had grown up to 6 feet tall, however, the city claimed the weeds were cut only when it was necessary. In May of 1989, the railway discontinued service between Hamilton and Waterford, due to the instability of the land.

Currently, the former TH&B is owned and operated by the St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway which is a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway. There are currently twelve stations left which are under TH&B ownership. However, the tracks from Hamilton to Welland still in operation are called the Hamilton Subdivision, formally known as the Welland Subdivisions.

The GO (Government of Ontario) Transit inquired about purchasing the property of the former TH&B station and the Ontario Government approved its purchase through an Order-in-Council delivered on April 23, 1992. Go Transit hired Parker Consultants, an engineering firm, on My 17, 1990 to help with the initial assessments of the facility. On December 10, 1993, Go Transit awarded the construction contract to M.J. Dixon Construction Limited which was based in Mississauga. The project promised to create 256 full-time employment opportunities, and the station would protect the history of the station. On February 28, 1994, GO Transit finally purchased the property and the old TH&B station for approximately 6 million dollars. Construction on the station began almost immediately and cost nearly 16 million dollars to complete. The architects tried to preserve the building's character, while incorporating new restaurants and shops into the facility.

The City of Hamilton wanted the former TH&B train station to be designated as a historical landmark. However, the August 1990 Heritage Railway Station Protection Act no longer afforded the station protection, because it was not under the control of a federal agency. Eventually, the station was given protection as a historical site by a Hamilton by-law on July 26, 1994.

The new Hamilton Go Station was completed in 1996 and the first train to arrive at the refurbished station was on April 29, 1996. The station remains a historical and cultural icon that has been preserved for future generations.

References:
Best, John C. Thomas Baker McQuesten: Public Works, Politics, and Imagination. Corinth Press: Hamilton, Ontario, 1991.
Herald Scrapbook.  vol. 1.  Special Collections, HPL.
In the Shadow of Giants: The Story of the Toronto, Hamilton, and Buffalo.
Times Scrapbook. vol. 1.  Special Collections, HPL.
The Hamilton Public Library would like to thank Richstate Homes Inc. for providing a tour of the complex and for allowing us to take photographs that were used on this site.