With the early 19th century production of cheap electricity in Niagara, electric railways sprang up, replacing horse-drawn carriages. The Honeymoon Bridge connected Niagara Falls, Ontario to Niagara Falls, New York, and the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway (a subsidiary of the Canadian National Electric Railways) took advantage of the international crossing to move passengers between Toronto and Buffalo. Port Dalhousie had an electric railway station at the docks, which enabled a quick ferry ride from Toronto to catch a Port Dalhousie train to Niagara Falls and Buffalo.
The popularity of motorcars in the 1930s and 1940s took its toll on the electric railways. Towards the end of WWII, there was pressure on the municipal council to remove the "unsightly poles and wires overhead" and replace the trains with buses.
In a final parade, the NFCVI Bugle Band lead the last six trolleys from the foot of Bridge Street to the NS&T yards north of Victoria Avenue. By June 17, 1948, the last piece of electric streetcar rail had been removed in Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway.
Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by
Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.
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