An HDR composition of the Blue Ghost Tunnel in Thorold, Ontario, Canada. For such a simple structure, the tunnel has a very storied past. It has been known by four different names, operated for approximately 40 years, was the sight of a horrific train collision and sits a short distance from a flooded grave site.
10-22mm, 1/50 second, f/8.0, ISO 100, HDR
The tunnel's construction began in 1875 by Great Western Railway and was finish a year later. When the tunnel was completed, it was 665 feet in length. In 1882, Great Western Railway was purchased and merged with Grand Truck Railway.
The tunnel was active throughout the 1880s, until a double tracked swing bridge was built a short distance north of its location. From that point forward, the tunnel was used with less frequency. In 1903, the tunnel was the sight of a head on train collison which killed two workers. By 1915, the tunnel had become abandoned and became known as Merritton Tunnel.
10-22mm, 80 seconds, f/5.6, ISO 100
By the 1920s, the Fourth Welland Canal was to be constructed. South of the tunnel lay an old abandoned cemetery, which would eventually end up flooded by the pondage area of the new canal. Of the 913 graves, only 250 were removed before the flooding occurred. To this day, there are still watery remnants of the graveyard's tombstones south of the Blue Ghost Tunnel.
For a much more in-depth history of the tunnel, please visit Hamilton Paranormal.
