Caption: GO trains in Sarnia? The new CN St. Clair Tunnel opening between Sarnia and Port Huron on May 5th 1995 featured a few special events held on May 5-7th to celebrate this cross-border rail connection under the St. Clair River. According to a 1995 issue of Branchline, a few special trains were run from Toronto and the US to the event. VIA and GO Transit equipment was borrowed for some of those specials, and another GO consist was used as a shuttle train giving rides through the tunnel for the event (there were some customs checks needed for riders). Officials and dignitaries had their event on Friday the 5th, on the 6th was for employees, and the 7th was for the general public.

On May 6th, the employee event, three special trains were run to Sarnia's Centennial Park on the waterfront (via the Point Edward Spur) for the opening day events. Two consists ran from Toronto (VIA F40's and LRC cars for one, and a double-ended GO consist for the other) and a special from the US with GTW and Amtrak equipment all headed down the Point Edward Spur, where they laid over near the park, from which they would depart from at the end of the celebrations. Shown here, GO F59PH 524 passes by the First Sarnia Place parking garage on the waterfront at Front & Lochiel, as it brings up the rear end of one of the employee specials from Toronto, an L7L consist with 524 on one end and 544 leading on the other. It's likely the end of the day and the train is returning back to the mainline to return to Toronto after the end of celebrations. The GO tunnel shuttle ran with different borrowed GO equipment through the tunnel (568 at one end and a cab car at the other).

Gord Taylor photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.