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This is an amazing image considering what it looks like around there today. Great capture.
Two in a day! Nice. Welland is a brownfield mess… hoping someone will take care of that.. but it’s a rust belt community for sure.
What makes this more interesting, is this was this line’s second tour of duty. It was ripped out in 2003 roughly, then rebuilt in 2009, before the plant closed for good. If more industry comes back in the plants place, maybe third time’s the charm.
But everything was torn down. It’s a giant empty brownfield now.
No one will touch it without remediation and the only thing that will pay for remediation in this environment… will be remediation for residential housing.
And even then.. does Welland have the value in the land to make it profitable? without it it’ll sit like that for 20-30 years.. the worst brownfield in Guelph still doesn’t have a plan or shovels in the ground… i don’t know how bad this one is…
When I drove by this site few weeks ago there was men and soil moving machinery there. I suspect they’re just leveling the last remaining building, but maybe there’s plans for housing or other industries.
I’m struggling to find my source, but I believe I read where Welland was the largest expanding community for housing in Ontario in 2021. The old John Deere plant in Dain city, now all a housing development after significant remediation (I think). Not unreasonable to think this site slated for housing, its surrounded by neighbors on 2 sides as it is, and a picturesque ex-canal on another side. Housing would probably be worth a lot.
Worth also mentioning the industrial expansion in Niagara as of late. Thorald Multimodal hub just officially reactivated their rail line with a dozen tenants said to be moving into the repurposed brownfield site. Also the HOPAs other expansion in to Niagara with sites planed for Welland and Port Colburne last I heard. There are various other industrial development sites being pursued/planned, some specifically related to rail.
The site was at one time the largest single pipe production facility in North America…operating as Page Hersey, later acquired by STELCO, as one of the STELPIPE plants. The site is being redeveloped for a major NA auto parts supplier, so there will be industrial life on the grounds again.
The site is being redeveloped industrial use with some suggestion the spur will be reinstalled. Only needs 200 yards of track to recnnect to the old CASO main !
The plant that is going in there now is not going to use rail service. Not in the plans at all.
Perhaps there will be another customer in there eventually… but not this one going in now. 100% confirmed. I’ve actually tried to see if they would be willing to consider it… speaking to those in charge of it all.
Update on the plant going in here:
https://www.linamar.com/welland/
No rail service. Zero.
Also my dreams of brownfield remediation and redevelopment are true. Nearby the dain city john deere plant is becoming the new canal bank development well underway.
This is all great news for welland.
Linamar will only use a portion of the site but it is unknown if anyone else needing rail will be able to go in there given site plans and easement needs. Only time will tell.