[doreilly]

Originally Posted by stuckinexeter

Came across some photos of stuff you may c but never take note of. Feel free to add photos of similar items below. All pictures courtesy of archive.org and are in the public domain.

The developement of electrical power started about 1900 from the Niagara area to points in Ontario. Here are some early pics of the transmission lines/towers and some still do exist.

The pic below is the Niagara/Dundas/London corridor line. This view looks north towards the Dundas substation. The line on right is incoming from Niagara, the line on left outgoing to London. This line still exists today from Dundas to Ingersoll and also along Hwy 6 from Waterdown to Guelph.


The next pic is of the same line while workers erected the towers. Note the fact no safety gear......


Next is that same line from Niagara Falls at the Welland Canal. Note the workmen on the canal tower finishing it off while the line is only strung to the shorter tower on the left.


Next is the switching station from the first line to reach Hamilton, before Niagara power lines. This station served the line from Decew Falls to Hamilton and was situated north of CNR tracks at Strathearne Ave in Hamilton


This power line below ran from Niagara Falls ON via Chippewa, Fort Erie & Buffalo to Syracuse NY.


This line was part of the original Niagara to London Line. It still exists today running from London to Stratford.


This dual line ran from Niagara along the escarpment to a point near Stoney Creek at Ridge Rd. It then descended and travelled diagonally across the beach strip, where it headed northease across Burlington, meeting with the CNR tracks past Guelph Line. This line may still exist in the Hwy 20 Fonthill area.


Finally the original Decew Falls line to Hamilton. Part of this line still exists in the Pelham area. Ontario Hydro left one tower standing to mark the historical
site of the line to Hamilton. It stands at Greenhill Ave at the foot of Cochrane Rd.

Two pages on the history of the Cataract Power Company hydro generator at Decew Falls.



“The Cataract Power Company of Hamilton Limited (the predecessor to the Dominion Power and Transmission Company) was organized in 1896. The idea for the company came from John Patterson (one of the "Five Johns" to found the Cataract Power Company) who was developing the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway at the time. He wanted to supply his railway with water-generated electric power and selected De Cew falls as the place to do this. The water originated mostly from the Welland Canal and was used to supply St. Catharines. Before the project could commence, the waterworks commission of St. Catharines had to be consulted. Though they were initially supportive, in the end they refused to provide the necessary facilities. Subsequently, engineers were called on to devise a way to divert the water from the Welland Canal to a more suitable site. They recommended building a waterway to the escarpment bordering the canal channel. In 1897 the Cataract Power Company got a lease for water from the Welland Canal at Allanburg. A canal was constructed from Allanburg to an area near the falls which had recently been converted into an 800-acre storage dam. This in turn led to the power house at the head of the falls. Known as the "Power Glen" plant, it transmitted electricity along 34 miles of wire to the city of Hamilton.”



https://ethw.org/Milestones:Decew_Fa...ic_Plant,_1898



“Built in 1898, the Decew Falls plant was originally built by the Cataract Power Company of Hamilton, Ontario. It was originally built to provide power to the electric street railway in Hamilton – in those days many power developments in Niagara were intended for specific power markets – 34 miles away by transmission at 22,500 Volts (three-phase). Both the use of high voltage to transmit power that distance, as well as the use of three-phase and the relatively high frequency are unique features of this installation. The plant was acquired by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission (now OPG) in 1930 and continues to generate power for the province on Ontario. The plant itself was expanded several time with a second station added in 1943 to help supply power for the war effort.”



http://www.technology.niagarac.on.ca...ting-station/#