The Great Gorge Route or Niagara Belt Line was an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...

trolley belt line encompassing the

Niagara Gorge Niagara Gorge is an long canyon carved by the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border, between the U.S. state of New York and the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the base of Niagara Falls and ends downriver at the ed ...

, operated by the International Railway and Niagara Gorge Railroad. Many dignitaries rode this line and they used to use a flat car with search light to illuminate the

Niagara Whirlpool The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool within the Niagara River located along the Canada–U.S. border between New York and Ontario. The whirlpool is in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls. The whirlpool's greatest depth i ...

at night (during the tourist season).

Beginning

In 1895, the International Railway Company (IRC) established the Great Gorge Route scenic attraction. This electric trolley line ran from Niagara Falls (Prospect Park) to

Lewiston, NY Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

along the banks of the Niagara River. The trolley line ceased in 1935, as did other interurban lines, victims to the Depression and the change in tourist transportation preferences (bus and automobile).http://wnyheritagepress.org/photosofweek/gorgeroute/gorgeroutedetail.htm

The route

The Canadian route ran from

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

Queenston, Ontario Queenston is a compact rural community and unincorporated place north of Niagara Falls in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Highway 405 to the south and the Niagara River to the east; its location at the epony ...

with a bridge crossing at Queenston. This side was on the top of the Gorge. The American side ran in the gorge from

Youngstown, New York Youngstown is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 1,935 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo– Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. Youngstown is on the western edge of the town of ...

to Niagara Falls, New York, where it gradually ascended to cross the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. On the way it passed under the

Whirlpool Rapids Bridge The Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, commonly known as the Whirlpool Bridge or the Lower Steel Arch Bridge (before 1937), is a spandrel braced, riveted, two-hinged arch bridge that crosses the international border between Canada and the United States, con ...

and the

Michigan Central Railway Bridge The Michigan Central Railway Bridge is an out-of-service steel arch bridge spanning the Niagara Gorge between Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. The bridge is owned by Canadian Pacific Railway, which purchased the single track str ...

Rolling stock

File:The street railway review (1891) (14575122207).jpg, Private car with reversed maximum traction truck File:The street railway review (1891) (14781441763).jpg, Searchlight car

References

{{Reflist

External links

Images from the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Defunct New York (state) railroads Defunct Ontario railways Interurban railways in New York (state) Interurban railways in Ontario Electric railways in Canada Closed railway lines in the United States