The River Railway Power Station

The first electricity generated in Queen Victoria Park was located at the Niagara Falls & River Railway Power House. It was used to power its electrical trains which ran between Queenston and Chippawa. The 2,100 horsepower powerhouse, built in 1892 by an American company who owned the Niagara Falls Park & River Railway, was close to the Horseshoe Falls (near the current site of Table Rock). The power house provided direct electrical current (DC) for the railway. The water intake was shared with the City of Niagara Falls waterworks.

The powerhouse contained 3 turbines capable of 1000 horsepower reduction, all of them operated at 200 revolutions per minute. The turbines were built by W. Kennedy & Sons of Owen Sound, Ontario. In 1904, 3 additional turbines, with the same specifications, were added.

The Niagara Falls Park & River Railway concluded operations in 1932.

The tailrace tunnel, which was used to transport the power, was 183 metres long cut just below the Lockport Limestone layer of rock.

Two American companies joined by one Canadian company were given licenses to generate a total of 400,000 horsepower. The first large plant was not completed until 1905 and the power generated was transmitted to locations within the U.S.A. Niagara Falls continued to generate electricity by steam until 1912.

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