Welland Ship Canal and CNR movie, summer 1956

With Doug Wilson’s help, I’ve put the finishing touches on a 16-minute colour movie shot in the summer of 1956 by Harold Kinzie. Most of the footage was shot in the Port Colborne – Thorold – Merritton area, featuring a mix of Welland Ship Canal traffic and CNR steam and diesel-hauled trains. There are also a few minutes of a vintage circus train (including the equipment being loaded aboard flat cars) in the Galt area.

The complete video is available to all pre-purchasers of Steam Encounters at Montreal.

In summary, this movie footage features:

• the CNR lift bridge in operation at Port Colborne, Ontario
• tug Sheila Moran passing under the lift bridge at Port Colborne
• Pacific 5567 heading train 218 away from Port Colborne station
• canaller Charles Dick upbound, entering Lock 5 at Thorold, Ontario
• canaller James Stewart upbound, entering Lock 4 at Thorold
• upper lakes bulk carrier Lemoyne upbound at Lock 4
• a Northern heading an afternoon passenger train from Niagara Falls, crossing the Welland Ship Canal at Merritton (Bridge 6)
• Pacific 5250 pulling the Model Shows circus train between Galt and Preston, Ontario
• crewmen loading Model Shows circus equipment onto flat cars at Galt

When you order Steam Encounters at Montreal, watch for an email shortly afterward with a password giving you access to the full video.

If you haven’t pre-ordered Steam Encounters at Montreal, you can still do so—and receive the complimentary movie! Visit the page (by clicking on the book title anywhere on this post) and scroll down to see a three-minute preview of the movie (it’s the fifth of five videos, toward the bottom of the page).