THE RAILWAYS OF BROCKVILLE DURING THE 1950s

© by Don McQueen, 2013

(all photographs by the author or from his collection)

Introduction

Brockville in the 1950s was as much a railway as it was an industrial river town. Don McQueen made his initial photographic sorties into these railway yards in 1953 and 1954, first to William Street and then Manitoba yard. But as a result of hiking and camping experiences as a Cub and Scout, he became familiar with the lay of the railway lands and watched trains several years before any photographic images were taken.

This essay, using some of those images between the years 1954 and 1960, will move photographically east to west, from approximately what is now Sharpe’s Lane (Kingston subdivision, Mile 123.11) to Lyn Road (CN Lyn, Mile 127.4) and the CPR operation over the Brockville Subdivision into the centre of town.