Niagara-on-the-Lake is known for its picturesque setting at the mouth of the Niagara River, its historic fort and buildings, theatre and the surrounding viniculture industry. Thus, it seems unlikely that it was ever a railway town, however, in earlier times, the town was served by two railways, one steam, the other electric both running through the centre of the town. Today, virtually nothing can be seen of the remains of the railway infrastructure. The talk will explore the origins of the railway dating back to 1839 and the resulting economic and strategic benefits it had for travel, tourism, industry, agriculture and the military up until its closure in 1959. Others topics such as railway safety, construction and equipment will be included and the talk will utilize period maps and black and white photographs.

NOTL rail October 19 2017 flyer