TH&B Historical Society

03/18/2026

03/17/2026

The CP Starlight, with GP-7s #71, #73 and #77, are seen lifting empty piggy-back flats for loading at the Chatham St. Piggy-back ramp in Hamilton from Obico Yard on the CP Canpa Subdivision in Toronto, ON, in January 1976.

Bob Amm Photograph.

02/21/2026

GP-9 #403 and GP-7 #73 approach Highway #99 in Copetown, ON, while leading a Hospital Train of bad order 70-ton gondolas on April 24, 1986. The cars are destined for storage at Mohawk Yard in Brantford. Once finished storing the gondolas, the crew will switch the Sonoco plant in Brantford before returning to Aberdeen Yard in Hamilton.

John Spring Photograph.

01/16/2026

On September 1, 1966, Doug Wingfield captured GP-7s #75, #73 and #71 idling outside the Chatham St. Roundhouse in Hamilton, ON.

#71, was the first completed product released from the newly opened General Motors Diesel Division Plant in London, ON, on August 25, 1950, and would be the first GP-7 to depart the TH&B roster.

#71 was destroyed in a grade crossing accident at Webber Road, Mileage 4.18 of the Welland Subdivision, on February 12, 1980, as it led the westbound Early Morning Extra to Hamilton.

#73 and #75 would go on to hold the distinction of being the last two operable GP7-7's in the fleet, after #72, #74, #76 and #77 succumbed to mechanical failures in 1983 and 1984.

These two units would continue in service until September 30, 1987, when they would depart Hamilton for the last time and were sent to Angus Shop in Montreal for rebuilding into CP Rail GP-7u #1683 and #1685, respectively.

01/02/2026

In the early morning hours of August 13, 1959, the westbound Early Morning Extra from Welland set off 36 cars in Track #1 of the Old South Yard at Kinnear in Hamilton. The set off included 27 empty gondolas and nine hoppers of ore, all consigned to the Steel Company of Canada, on the Hamilton Belt Line.

The crew of the Early Morning Extra set the cars off in Track #1, leaving the west end car just clear of the Eastbound Main Line, resulting the cars being strung out along the west end of the Old South Yard switching lead.

At approximately 0730, the 0700 Belt Line Assignment departed Aberdeen Yard with 12 cars destined for Fisher Yard on the Hamilton Belt Line. Upon arrival at Kinnear, the 0700 had been instructed to lift an additional 41 cars from the Old South Yard.

These additional cars included the 36 cars set off by the Early Morning Extra in Track #1 for the Steel Company, plus an additional five empty gondolas in Track #3 destined to Fisher Yard, for a total of 53 cars.

The crew of the 0700 Belt Line Assignment wanted to have the Steel Company cars on the engine departing Kinnear. To accomplish this, the 12 cars from Aberdeen were left standing on the Eastbound Main Line as the engine retrieved the five cars from Track #3 and placed them on top of the cars from Aberdeen. The engine then returned to the Old South Yard and coupled onto the 36 cars in Track #1 and began to pull them onto the Eastbound Main Line to place them onto their train.

The 0700 Belt Line Assignment had pulled the cars in Track #1 eastward about 500' when the emergency brakes suddenly applied bringing the movement to a stop.

The yard foreman and rear brakeman began walking the track towards Wentworth St. to ascertain the cause of the emergency application. Once arriving at the west end of the yard, the crew observed that the first 25 cars of their train were standing in Track #1, the 26th car had its east set of trucks on Track #1, while the west end trucks were on Track #2, along with the remaining 10 cars of their train.

When the 26th car, which was travelling up two different tracks at the same time, came into contact with the cars sitting in Track #2, it derailed, along with the car that was struck, causing the emergency application of the brakes.

Investigation revealed that persons unknown, assumed to be neighbourhood children, lined the switch for Track #2, underneath the 26th car, sometime after the Early Morning Extra had set the cars off and the 0700 Belt Line Engine arrived.

The accident resulted in the ordering of the 250-Ton Industrial Brownhoist, X-766, depicted here, rerailing the derailed gondolas in Tracks #1 and #2.

Jake Giddens Photographs, TH&B Historical Society Coll.

12/17/2025

A nice surprise in the mail yesterday was the CARM publication with a 6 page article by John Johnson on my model train layout.

12/05/2025

Canadian Pacific G2 Class 4-6-2 Pacific #2659 leads a Toronto to Buffalo Line Train out of the east end of the Hunter St. Tunnel and into Hunter St. Station in this undated photograph. Of note is the rarely photographed double slip switch at the tunnel entrance.

Jake Giddens Photograph, TH&B Historical Society Collection.

11/22/2025

Preparations for the annual "Easter Parade" are well underway at the Chatham Street Roundhouse as three sets of NYC 'E' units are depicted idling at the facility on Thursday March 30, 1961.

These units have been dead headed to Hamilton to protect the operation of extra sections of the Toronto to Buffalo Line Trains between Hunter Street Station and Buffalo Central Terminal over the Easter weekend.

Doug Wingfield Photograph.

11/10/2025

The freshly painted pilot and handrails on GP-7 #73 provided a sharp contrast to the weather worn appearance of its car body as the venerable unit is fueled at the Chatham St. Roundhouse on July 3, 1986.

Note the ever present doll straddling the light standard to the left of #73.

Peter Mumby Photograph, Lance Brown Collection.

10/10/2025

National Steel Car advertisement featuring TH&B 40' boxcar #3538 which appeared in the September 26, 1953, issue of the National Post.

10/05/2025

On June 16, 1984, NW-2 #54 glides over top of Aberdeen Ave. in Hamilton, ON, while switching on the South Yard Lead at Aberdeen Yard.

Peter Mumby Photograph, Lance Brown Collection.