St. Clair Tunnel
Video about the St.Clair Tunnel
St. Clair Tunnel opened in 1891
The following information was printed on the back of a St. Clair Tunnel post card from 1912.
The St. Clair Tunnel
Under The St. Clair River
Between
Port Huron Mich. U.S.A. And Sarnia Ont. Canada
———————
Grand Trunk Railway System.
——————–
One of the longest submarine tunnels in the world.
including approaches it is more than two miles long.
Length of tunnel proper 6,025 feet.
Nineteen feet ten inches in diameter,
Work commenced, September, 1888.
Opened for freight traffic in October 1891.
Opened for passenger traffic, December,7th, 1891.
Steam engines formerly used weighed 200,000 lbs.
These engines were the largest in the world when built.
Original cost of tunnel 2,700,000
Tunnel now operated by electricity.
Cost over half a million dollars for electrification.
Length of zone electrified approximately 4 miles.
Maximum grade 2 percent.
No. of units per electric locomotive, two.
Weight of complete electric locomotive, 135 tons.
Normal motor capacity 1,500 horse power.
Normal draw bar pull of electric locomotive, 50,000 pounds.
Maximum speed of electric locomotive per hour, 35 miles.
Electrical system adopted – single phase.
Type of construction- single caterery supported by structural steel bridges
Normal voltage, 3,300
Tunnel lighted throughout by hundreds of electric lights.
The train service operated through the St. Clair Tunnel is the
heaviest railway service handleded by electricity in the world.
The St. Clair Tunnel has been operated by electricity since May 17th, 1908
The annual tonnage of vessels passing through the St. Clair River which
flows over the St. Clair Tunnel is about twice as great
as that passing through the Suez Canal.
Box cab photo. Although the photo shows its age, it is very crisp; notice the man in the cab.
Electric Box Cab entering the tunnel on the Sarnia side. Photo is from a Pesha post card.
Another St. Clair Tunnel Post Card Dated July 3rd. 1907 Sent from Sarnia to Portland Maine.
As you can see by the landscape there was a lot of pride in what had been accomplished.
This is how the St. Clair Tunnel looked September 2007
This Drawing of the Hydraulic shield used in the St. Clair Tunnel is from Scientific Americian January 25, 1896. The article is titled “The Beach Hydraulic Shield” When time permits I will post the Documentation to go with this drawing.
