It was Captain Brinkers idea to build an electric rail road through the Niagara Gorge.
His proposal was at first met with incredulity, but his earnestness compelled attention.
It was, however, not an original idea.
Some sources say that the Niagara Falls and Whirlpool Company went bankrupt soon after.
Trolley car of the Niagara Gorge Railroad.
Brinker hoped riding along the gorge on an electric train would be a novelty that would draw large crowds.
It was a tremendous feat to build the gorge railroad.
In summer, open sided trolley cars were used with seats running completely across the width of the trolley.
The railroad became so popular that a second track was laid the very next year.
This allowed the railroad company to operate cars in both directions at the same time with greater frequency.
This line opened in 1893, two years before the American gorge railroad opened.
Erosion of walls of the Niagara Gorge and rock falls became the biggest enemy of the railroad.
Numerous mishaps happened during the railroads forty-year lifespan, and they were not without casualties.
In 1907, an avalanche of ice just north of the Whirlpool Bridge killed a conductor and eight passengers.
In 1915, a trolley carrying a Sunday School group from Toronto left the rails, killing thirteen people.
In 1917, a trolley derailed and plunged into the Niagara River killing twelve.
Photo credit:Diego Torres Silvestre/Flickr
