TH&B Historical Society

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TH&B Historical Society

The Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway (TH&B) existed from 1892 through 1987 as a separate railway serving the Hamilton, Ontario area.

It joined the lines of its corporate parents, the Canadian Pacific Railway and the New York Central system.

09/25/2026

NW-2 #53 is in the consist of the Hamilton bound CP Starlight, as viewed from York Road, approaching Hamilton Junction on the Canadian National's Oakville Subdivision in the early 1980s.

After CP downgraded the TH&B's Mechanical Department on October 1, 1978, TH&B locomotives began being shuttled between the TH&B at Hamilton and CP Rail's Toronto Yard Diesel Shop for mechanical work previously performed at the Chatham St. Roundhouse.

John Marciniak Photograph, Rick Hughes Collection.

09/11/2026

Not all TH&B cars made it back home.....

24 cars of a 58 car Canadian National freight train, travelling from Fort Erie to Toronto derailed at Mileage 35.5 of the Grimsby Subdivision, between Dewitt and Millen Roads, just before midnight on March 17, 1978.

TH&B 40' boxcar #3060, assigned to flour service at Port Colborne, ON, was destroyed in the derailment which occurred as the train was travelling at approximately 60 M.P.H.

Some of the derailed cars landed on adjacent power lines, causing local residents and businesses to lose power. A bearing failure on a car loaded with orange juice was determined to be the cause of the derailement.

Hugh Brown Photograph, Lance Brown Collection

08/23/2026

Track plan of the Dundurn St. Roundhouse ,just prior to its closure in 1929, when the new Chatham St. Roundhouse facilities were opened.

TH&B Historical Society Archives Collection.

07/01/2026

Happy Canada Day from the TH&B Railway Historical Society!

To celebrate the nation's 100th Anniversary in 1967, the Canadian Federal Government encouraged communities, organizations and corporations to engage in Centennial projects to celebrate the occasion.

In response to the request, the TH&B elected to apply the Centennial Leaf, created by Canadian designer Stuart Ash, to random pieces of its rolling stock.

The Centennial Leaf consisted of eleven equilateral triangles, each one representing a province and territory, that comprised Canada at the time. Yellow equipment, such as boxcars, vans and company vehicles received green leaves, while black equipment received red leaves.

The Centennial Leaves remained on most of the equipment until is was scrapped.

Here is a random sampling of various TH&B rolling stock adorned with the Centennial Leaf. Information is contained with each individual photograph.

06/30/2026

Pool Van #82 brings up the markers of the Early Morning Extra returning westbound to Hamilton as the train passes through Fenwick, ON, in March 1981.

Lyle Angle Photograph, Courtesy of the Jordan Friedrich Collection.

06/17/2026

On January 26, 1975, at approximately 6:50 PM, CP Rail's 'Aberdeen Turn' was exiting the Goderich Subdivision at Hamilton Junction and preparing to enter the Toronto Connection to access Aberdeen Yard.

As the train proceeded at approximately 12 miles per hour through the Junction, the train went into emergency when a wheel shattered on the trailing unit, Precision National #969, resulting in the derailment of all three engines and the first nine cars of the fifty car train.

The first two derailed cars contained crated auto parts from Livingston Industries in Tillsonburg, ON, destined to the United States through the Buffalo Gateway for export overseas by ship.

The seven remaining derailed cars were all 'Big Otis' CP gondolas of scrap destined for scrap yards located on the Hamilton Belt Line, including scrap automobile wheel rims from Motor Wheel in Chatham, ON.

CP requested the assistance of the TH&B to help clear the line of the derailed locomotives and equipment. The following day, January 27, TH&B 250-Ton Industrial Brownhoist Crane, X-766, was photographed assisting CP London Auxiliary Crane #414501, upright one of the derailed 'Big Otis' cars of scrap.

John Ross Photograph, TH&B Historical Society Collection.

05/22/2026

In December 1977, 250-Ton Industrial Brownhoist Crane X-766 was photographed lowering a replacement engine block into GP-7 #73 at the Chatham St. Roundhouse as NW-2 #54 held the road engine in place.

Bill MacArthur Photograph, TH&B Historical Society Collection.

05/13/2026

A recent update on some of the TH&B equipment at the Niagara Railway Museum in Fort Erie;

The last time these two pieces of equipment were likely together was back in February 1966. There is a strong probability that National Steel Car Engine #11 could have handled TH&B 100 Ton Gondola #2676 at the time of its construction at NSC and the two have since been reunited at the Niagara Railway Museum in Fort Erie, ON.

Also on site at the Museum is former TH&B Carpenters Boarding Car, X-759. This car recently had newly rebuilt windows installed for the first time since before the car was retired. A plan for the future of X-759 is being developed and additional restoration work will occur later in 2026. Donations towards this project are always welcome (please refer to the link below) and the NRM looks forward to sharing the progress.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/niagara-railway-museum-inc/

05/08/2026

As viewed from the cab of a CP Rail SD-40-2, the Starlight sits on the Eastbound Main Line at Aberdeen Yard waiting for the TH&B Dispatcher to give the train a signal to depart Aberdeen Yard for its return trip to Toronto.

SW-9 #58 can be seen in the distance on the Westbound Main Line. Note the dwarf signal in the foreground is displaying a restricting signal indication (solid yellow) while Engine #58 occupies the block to which the signal governs.

Signals 83 L (left) and 85 L (right) were equipped with "switching features". If yard engines at Aberdeen were handling large cuts of cars, the Yardmaster could request the Dispatcher to set up the switching feature on the Eastbound or Westbound Main Lines.

When the switching feature was activated, the signal would display a slow approach indication (flashing yellow). Once the engine passed the signal, instead of reverting to a stop indication (solid red) the signal would change to a restricting indication (solid yellow).

When the engine shoved into the yard and cleared the signal, it would change back to a slow approach indication (flashing yellow). This rotation between signal indications would continue every time the engine entered and cleared the block until the switching feature was cancelled by the Dispatcher at the Yardmasters request.

The switching feature allowed the signals to continuously display a permissive indication which relieved the Dispatcher from having to set up the signal each time the engine needed to pass it while switching.

Frank Anderson Photograph, Lance Brown Collection.
July 1979.

04/04/2026

It was a rainy day in 1983 when former TH&B Fireman, Walter Myzuk, shot this series of photographs at the Chatham St. Roundhouse in Hamilton, ON.

Viewed from the cab of CP Rail C-424 #4225, looking east towards Chatham St., the power for an Extra East (GP-9 #403, GP-7 #77, GP-7 #72, SW-9 #57 and NW-2 #51) ordered for 0800 rests on the adjacent track.

NW-2 #54, which has just arrived at the Chatham St. Roundhouse, can be seen at the east end of the track, having completed an overnight shift as the 2300 Aberdeen Engine, and is being serviced prior to being placed inside the roundhouse.

Walter Myzuk Photographs.

Address

Hamilton, ON

Website

http://www.thbrailway.ca/

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