[flar]

Part XII is Dundas

Stinson Neighbourhood

The Stinson Neighbourhood is located southeast of downtown Hamilton just under the Niagara Escarpment. Most of the structures in this area were built before 1900, including the Stinson School. These pictures were taken on Nov. 27 of last year, plus a few bonus pics from this summer at the end.

Looking towards Corktown:

Stinson School:

A few more recent pictures from Stinson:

 

[urbandreamer]

Harry's gg grandfather's school?

Nice photos; i think the Fall suits Hamilton.

 

[Long Island Mike]

Hamilton's Stinson neighborhood

Flar: Again a good tour of Hamilton! What I would like to know is: Where in #6 is that staircase to the Upper city? Where does the TH&B/CP line begin that gradual climb up the Escarpment after it leaves the TH&B Station SE? I will never forget the rides I took on that line in 1979-80 - it gives quite an impressive entrance and view of HML-where is that marked CN/TH&B overpass in pic #43? In #16 where is that one that has a caption-The duckunder to Corktown? In pic #18 someone covered the pictured streetsign with letters spelling "THE HOOD". In all the pics Hamilton has an abundance of sturdy and well constructed brick and stone structures.
I have become a fan of your work-you give a really good crossection of the city neighborhoods that you photograph. The pics are usually of professional quality and show noticeable detail. Thanks again-LI MIKE

 

[adma]

That stair looks, er, "formidable".

Did Hamilton ever have Pittsburgh-style "inclines"?

 

[flar]

Thanks guys,

Harry's gg grandfather's school?

Not sure

Flar: Again a good tour of Hamilton! What I would like to know is: Where in #6 is that staircase to the Upper city? Where does the TH&B/CP line begin that gradual climb up the Escarpment after it leaves the TH&B Station SE? I will never forget the rides I took on that line in 1979-80 - it gives quite an impressive entrance and view of HML-where is that marked CN/TH&B overpass in pic #43? In #16 where is that one that has a caption-The duckunder to Corktown? In pic #18 someone covered the pictured streetsign with letters spelling "THE HOOD". In all the pics Hamilton has an abundance of sturdy and well constructed brick and stone structures.
I have become a fan of your work-you give a really good crossection of the city neighborhoods that you photograph. The pics are usually of professional quality and show noticeable detail. Thanks again-LI MIKE

To answer your questions LI Mike,
#6 is the Wentworth Stairs
Not sure where the train climbs the escarpment, must be further east. I don't know the east side of the city very well and I've never taken the train that way.
#43 shows the rail line going underneath the Claremount Access and overtop Victoria Ave.
#16 is not a major road, it might be Young St. The shot is facing west toward Corktown which will be an interesting tour whenever I get around to it.
"THE HOOD" Wow, good eye! I remember taking that picture, and a passer by pointed it out to me because I hadn't even noticed it. Anyway, I'm not sure why somebody thinks this is "the hood" because most of Stinson is quite well kept and middle class.

That stair looks, er, "formidable".

Did Hamilton ever have Pittsburgh-style "inclines"?

There were incline railways in Hamilton, I think there were two. The stairs are in the place where the Wentworth Incline used to be. Just another in a long line of really cool things Hamilton has lost over the years.

 

[Observer Walt]

The stairway is known to those who grew up in Hamilton as the "Wentworth Street Steps". It is a "formidable" climb. There is another set of steps at Dundurn Street, not quite as challenging.

Regarding the incline, I have a book, "The Niagara Escarpment: A Portfolio" (Pat and Rosemarie Keough, 1990), with many pictures and some history of Hamilton, among other places along the Escarpment. It includes a picture of the "incline" at Wentworth Street, shown in 1899. It says one could ride for 2 cents. For a higher fee, a horse and carriage could be transported. It also says that there were two incline railways in Hamilton, but I don't know where the other one was located. The picture also shows the Stinson School and several blocks of Victorian houses. The picture is credited to the Hamilton Public Library.

Flar, once again a good set of pictures, capturing the character of this neighbourhood.

 

[flar]

I found some info on the incline railways:
http://ca.geocities.com/hamiltontransithistory@rogers.com/MountHamilton.html

The one at Wentworth St. was known as the East End Incline. It opened in 1895 and was dismantled in 1949. The operator apparently went bankrupt and closed the incline in 1936 with the advent of good automobile accesses to the mountain.

The other incline railway was at James St. It was built in 1892 and dismantled in 1942. It also went bankrupt in the 30s.

 

[Kiwi]

Part of the new master transportation plan that Hamilton is currently finalizing, which includes the rapid transit plan, deals with brining back the Wentworth incline system. It'll mostly be for cyclist and tourism. Apparently the one in Niagara Falls cost $500,000. But I think Hamilton's is longer and more steeper so it'll probably be doubled the cost.

 

[Long Island Mike]

TH&B/CP route info..

Flar: The former TH&B Welland Subdivision is now known as the CP Hamilton Subdivision. This line runs from the Hamilton TH&B Station to Welland via Kinnear,Vinemount and Smithville to Welland. This line has an interesting 70s era tunnel under the Welland Canal that goes right alongside a somewhat busy roadway. That is the line running SE from Downtown Hamilton gradually up the Niagara Escarpment. At Welland the line connected with Conrail and the Canada Southern going towards the International Bridge and Buffalo. There has not been regular passenger service of any type on this line since 1981-when the Budd car service was discontinued when Amtrak's Maple Leaf began direct NYC-Toronto service.
LI MIKE

 

[Long Island Mike]

A good web page on Southern Ontario rails..

Flar and everyone: A good web page I discovered in doing research on Southern Ontario rails is: WWW.NIAGARARAILS.COM/ with lots of pics and info on railroads centering on the Niagara Peninsula and the Golden Horseshoe area. LI MIKE

 

[Bogtrotter]

Nice pics. Yeh bringing back a feniculer would be a terrific addition to the DT. I don't see this happening however, unless Hamilton is planning to become a tourisit town..?