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Rule 105 Territory - Not to exceed 15 mph between Bridge and Mile 2.3.
CTC Territory - Signaled movement between mile 2.3 and Mile 43.7.
Mile 0.0 (Bridge): Whirlpool Bridge, Niagara Falls : This is the border of Canada and the U.S. Only two passenger trains pass across this bridge. They are Amtrak's 97 and 98 also known as the Maple Leaf and 63 and 64 when in the U.S.
Mile 0.6 (Niagara Falls) : Bridge Street, Niagara Falls : At mile 0.6, you will see the VIA Rail passenger station located near the bottom of Bridge Street in Niagara Falls, ON. There are some great opportunities to grab a slow moving eastbound passenger train coming around the bend just west of the station.
Mile 1.3 (Niagara Falls Yard) : Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls : This is where CN's Niagara Falls yard is located. Not much happens here these days except the odd local freight train. The yard is mostly empty these days, as the majority of the cars go to Port Robinson and Fort Erie.
Mile 2.6 & 2.8 (Clifton): Church's Lane, Niagara Falls : The wye to and from the CN Stamford Subdivision is here. You can get some nice pictures right in the middle of the wye on Stanley Avenue. All local switchers eastbound and returning from the CN Stamford Subdivision almost always head around the east leg of the wye. All of the main line freight trains take the west leg of the wye. During the evening, after the evening VIA train reaches Niagara Falls, the unloaded passenger train uses the wye to turn the train around for the westbound departure the next day.
Mile 8.1 (Seaway): Welland Canal, St. Catharines : At mile 8.1, this is the bridge over the present Welland Canal.
Mile 9.6 (Merritton) : Merritt Street, St. Catharines : This is the location of the old CN Merritton station, which burned down the night of October 21, 1994. This is where you can catch Trillium's St. Catharines Job cross over the CN Grimsby Subdivision to service industries on the Lakeshore and Grantham Spurs.
Mile 11.8 (St. Catharines) : Great Western Street, St. Catharines : This is where the St. Catharines VIA station is located. To get here, take St. Paul Street West over Twelve Mile Creek. Turn right on Great Western, just before the green bridge.
Mile 17.5 (Jordan) : Martha Street, Jordan : This used to be where CN Jordan was located. It is now located a few roads east of Jordan Road, where the eastern end of the single track between Grimsby and St. Catharines. There is a cool bridge spanning Jordan Harbour. You might want to check it out.
Mile 23.3 (Beamsville) : Ontario Street, Beamsville : There used to be an MOW building along the east side at the crossing, but in 2001 it was removed. I believe there is a signal here for eastbound trains.
Mile 26.8 (Nelles Road) : Nelles Road, Grimsby : This is now the western end of the single track portion of the CN Grimsby Subdivision.
Mile 27.4 (Grimsby) : Ontario Street, Grimsby : At Grimsby, there is a former rebuilt station and a small shelter building beside the tracks used by VIA Rail.
Mile 32.1 (Winona) : Regional Road 50, Winona : Winona is just a name along the tracks.
Mile 35.3 (Millen) : At Millen, there are a set of crossover tracks.
Mile 43.7 (Hamilton) : This is the west end of the CN Grimsby Subdivision where trains either enter or leave the CN Oakville Subdivision.
The CN Grimsby Subdivision is the busiest line in the Niagara Region, besides the CN Stamford Subdivision. It is 43.7 miles in length, running between
the end of the CN Oakville Subdivision in Hamilton to the U.S. side of border in Niagara Falls, NY.
Several trains daily, run daily in both directions, with meets along the way at times, due to the removal of the south track between St. Catharines and Grimsby.
Both passenger and freight trains traverse the CN Grimsby Subdivision. Passenger trains operate in the early morning and evening in addition to Amtrak 97 around noon and VIA trains in the late morning and mid afternoon on the weekends.
Freight traffic only go as far as CN Niagara Falls yard on the CN Grimsby Subdivision, as U.S. bound traffic takes the CN Stamford Subdivision at mile 2.6. Freight trains do not cross the border at Niagara Falls but the odd one over the years has such as a special run or there is a derailment on the CN Stamford Subdivision.
Only the Amtrak 97 and 98 use the Niagara Falls bridge these days.
Once in awhile, you will see the local Niagara Falls yard job pull up to about mile 0.7 on the CN Grimsby Subdivision, because he is switching the east end of Niagara Falls yard. You can watch this switching from the Victoria Avenue overpass. I'm not too sure what is done these days at CN Niagara Falls yard since CN Fort Erie yard has come alive with action.
The CN Grimsby Subdivision, like others, is another of the oldest in the area, built by the Great Western in 1853. I don't know if it was then a double track line when it was built.
The CN Grimsby Subdivision connects to the CN Stamford Subdivision at mile 2.6 and 2.8 of the CN Grimsby Subdivision in Niagara Falls. There is a wye at this location but the west leg didn't exist prior to the 1970's. Freight trains take the west leg of the wye to and from the CN Stamford Subdivision from or to Black Rock on the U.S. side of the border, crossing the Niagara River at Fort Erie.
The wye is also used to turn the daily evening VIA train that does not cross the border at Niagara Falls.
Trillium also operates on the CN Grimsby Subdivision to cross the double track from the TR Thorold Line to the former NS&T St. Catharines trackage.
When Trillium needs to head south out of Merritton and south on the TR Thorold Line, they have to cross the double track Grimsby Subdivision by getting permission to enter onto the north track of the CN Grimsby Subdivision from Merritton. They head west down the north track of the CN Grimsby Subdivision and pass the signal at CN Glenridge (mile 10), then crossing over to the south track and heads back east to CN Merritton on the south track.
At CN Merritton on the south track there is a switch to the TR Thorold Line, where they clear CTC territory onto Rule 105 and up the TR Thorold Line and back to Welland changing over to the TR Canal Line at Thorold.
During late 2000 and early 2001, the CN Grimsby Subdivision was single tracked removing the south track between mile 16, just west of St. Catharines and Nelles Road at Grimsby resulting in a single track portion of about 10 miles. The photos on this page show a mixed bag of photos of the CN Grimsby Subdivision prior and after the south track's removal between St. Catharines and Grimsby.
Most of the activity on the CN Grimsby Subdivision is during the morning, but once noon comes the traffic is very random until dinner, when the two passenger trains plus the odd freight will move through Niagara.
On December 30, 2006, NS 328 headed for Buffalo, NY. for the last time with two light units. Since late 1995 or early 1996, NS ran the CN Grimsby Subdivision, operating NS 328 and 328. The contract with NS to service the Ford plant in Talbotville ended, after about 107 or so years of Wabash, N & W and NS activity in the St. Thomas area. NS has now almost ceased to exist in Canada, except for NS 369, which still interchanges with CN at Fort Erie on the CN Stamford Subdivision.
I have neglected to mention any of the industries on the CN Grimsby Subdivision. There is Stark Lumber just west of the St. Catharines VIA station a new roads over off of the south track. There are a few up around Millen and Stoney Creek, but I am not familiar with the industries along the line west of St .Catharines.
 Mile 0.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 0.0 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 0.0 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 0.15 Looking North (2003) |
 Mile 0.15 Looking North (2000) |
 Mile 0.35 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 0.35 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 0.35 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 0.35 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 0.44 Looking North (1999) |
 Mile 0.44 Looking North (2002) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking West (2001) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (2005) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 0.6 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 0.8 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 0.8 Looking West (2001) |
 Mile 0.8 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 0.95 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 1.0 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 1.7 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 1.7 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 1.7 Looking East (1997) |
 Mile 1.9 Looking South (2001) |
 Mile 1.9 Looking South (1996) |
 Mile 2.1 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 2.1 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 2.1 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 2.3 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking West (1996) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking West (2005) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking East (2005) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking East (2005) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking East (2005) |
 Mile 2.62 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking West (2001) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 2.84 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 3.1 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 3.1 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 3.78 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 3.78 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 3.78 Looking North (1997) |
 Mile 4.39 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 4.39 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 4.39 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 4.39 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 4.39 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 5.43 Looking West (2005) |
 Mile 5.43 Looking East (2005) |
 Mile 5.84 Looking South (2006) |
 Mile 5.84 Looking South (2003) |
 Mile 5.84 Looking South (2003) |
 Mile 6.35 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 6.35 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 6.35 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 6.35 Looking West (1996) |
 Mile 6.35 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 7.23 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 7.23 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 7.23 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 7.9 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 7.9 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 7.9 Looking North (1999) |
 Mile 7.95 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 7.95 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 8.0 Looking South (20002) |
 Mile 8.1 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 8.1 Looking North (1998) |
 Mile 8.3 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 8.3 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking East (1997) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking North (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking North (2003) |
 Mile 8.5 Looking South (2003) |
 Mile 9.3 Looking East (1996) |
 Mile 9.3 Looking North (2006) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1993) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1992) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (1993) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking West (2005) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking East (1997) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 9.45 Looking East (1993) |
 Mile 9.6 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 9.6 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 10.0 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 10.0 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 10.0 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 10.0 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 10.5 Looking North (2001) |
 Mile 10.5 Looking North (2004) |
 Mile 10.5 Looking South (2003) |
 Mile 10.5 Looking South (1998) |
 Mile 11.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 11.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 11.0 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 11.25 Looking North (1998) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking West (2001) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 11.81 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 12.55 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 12.55 Looking East (1997) |
 Mile 13.39 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 13.39 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 13.91 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 13.91 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 14.1 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 14.1 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 14.45 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 14.45 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 15.0 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 15.0 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 15.5 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 15.5 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 16.1 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 15.0 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 15.0 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 15.55 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 15.55 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 16.65 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 16.65 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 16.65 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 16.65 Looking West (2007) |
 Mile 16.65 Looking East (2007) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 17.19 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 17.3 Looking South (2004) |
 Mile 17.48 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 17.48 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 18.13 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 18.13 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 18.65 Looking West (2002) |
 Mile 18.65 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 18.65 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 18.65 Looking East (2002) |
 Mile 18.65 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 18.82 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 18.82 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 19.47 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 19.47 Looking West (2007) |
 Mile 19.47 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 19.47 Looking East (2007) |
 Mile 20.01 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 20.01 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 20.01 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 20.51 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 20.51 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 22.13 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 22.13 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 23.21 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 23.21 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 24.79 Looking West (2005) |
 Mile 25.5 Looking West (2006) |
 Mile 25.5 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 25.5 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 25.67 Looking East (2006) |
 Mile 26.28 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 26.28 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 26.79 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 27.42 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 27.42 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 29.37 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 29.37 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 29.87 Looking West (2007) |
 Mile 29.87 Looking East (2007) |
 Mile 30.90 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 30.90 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 31.67 Looking West (2007) |
 Mile 31.67 Looking East (2007) |
 Mile 32.69 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 32.69 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 32.69 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 33.22 Looking West (2004) |
 Mile 33.22 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 33.22 Looking East (2004) |
 Mile 33.74 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 33.74 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 34.29 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 34.29 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 35.32 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 35.32 Looking West (2001) |
 Mile 35.32 Looking North (2003) |
 Mile 35.32 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 35.87 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 35.87 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 36.4 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 36.4 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 36.97 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 36.97 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 38.56 Looking West (2000) |
 Mile 38.56 Looking East (2000) |
 Mile 39.04 Looking West (2007) |
 Mile 39.04 Looking East (2007) |
 Mile 39.5 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 39.5 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 39.5 Looking North (1999) |
 Mile 39.5 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 41.01 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 41.01 Looking West (1998) |
 Mile 41.01 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 41.01 Looking East (1998) |
 Mile 41.54 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 41.54 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 41.82 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 41.82 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 41.82 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 42.07 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 42.07 Looking East (2003) |
 Mile 42.34 Looking West (1999) |
 Mile 42.34 Looking East (1999) |
 Mile 43.2 Looking West (1997) |
 Mile 43.2 Looking East (1997) |
 Mile 43.51 Looking West (2003) |
 Mile 43.51 Looking East (2003) |
Abandoned Rail Tunnel.... The following table consists of photos of the former train tunnel used at the turn of the Century.
It's location is under the GM service road off of Glendale Avenue in St. Catharines on the east side of the present Welland Canal.
To check out this tunnel, follow Glendale Avenue over the lift bridge on the Welland Canal. Take the first road on the north side of the road. It will head back west and then south under Glendale Avenue.
Next follow this line till you come to the yellow gate at the entrance to the GM plant. Park your vehicle here.
Walk under the CN Grimsby Subdivision and keep walking on the road (the road is blocked off to vehicles) until you come to a guard rail on the right side of the road. Look over the edge and you will see a path down a hill through the trees.
Follow the path down the hill. This is the west entrance.
The east exit is hard to get to, so walk on through. It is wet on the east end.
Please note that the wooden log floor you see plus the ceiling brace in the photos was put in several years ago to stop the tunnel from collapsing and flooding the area.
I was informed that the east hole of the tunnel has since been plugged up to keep people out of the tunnel.
Photos by Jeff Godin.
 West Entrance Looking East |
 Inside West Entrance Looking East |
 Partially Inside Looking West |
 Inside East Entrance Looking East |
 East Entrance Looking West |
 Homer Road Bridge Looking ? |
 East End Looking West (1998) |
 West End Looking East (1998) |
 Road Entrace into Gate 12 GM Looking North (1998) |
 Road Entrance into Gate 12 GM Looking East (1998) |
 Upper Yard Looking West (1997) |
 Upper Yard Looking East (1997) |
 Lower Yard Looking East (1997) |
 Lower Yard Looking East (1997) |
 Lower Yard Looking East (1991 or 1992) |
 Merritton station Looking East (1994) |
 Looking East (1998) |
 Merritton Yard Looking West (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking East (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking West (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking East (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking West (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking East (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking West (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking East (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking West (2003) |
 Merritton Yard Looking East (2003) |
 Looking West (2003) |