The North Door

In Thorold, there's an old railway tunnel under the ruins of the third Welland Canal.

I was aware of the tunnel in the 1960s when I went swimming with friends in the old canal above it. At that time I even walked through it to the east end. It is not an easy place to find because it is on an abandoned service road on "private property" (controlled by the St. Lawrence Seaway) surrounded by bush.

Linda and I walked there yesterday and took some photographs.

The tunnel opened in 1881 with the purpose of allowing the construction of the canal and not disrupting the service of the Great Western Railway. This was actually a side track and ran in a curve back to the original line. The tunnel itself is 665 feet long (18 feet high/16 feet wide) and also curves.

The bridge that replaced the tunnel:



The tunnel became popular in recent years because it was rumoured to be haunted. So people went there late at night, took strange photographs, tried to catch ghostly screams on tape. There were late night parties. Graffiti artists decided to decorate the place. The Seaway made an ugly attempt to block it off. The place is now a mess,
but the beautifully constructed tunnel is still visible despite all this.

To see the inside of the tunnel, click here.

go to these sites at your own risk:
www.uer.ca
www.amateurspiritseekers.com
hamiltonparanormal.com
www.pararesearchers.org