Trillium Railway Overview
The Trillium Railway is a Canadian short-line railroad operating in the province of Ontario. Much of its right-of-way in the Niagara area was formerly part of the "Welland Canal Railway" that closely followed the route of the second Welland Canal.
Currently, Trillium operates between Port Colborne and St. Catharines (via Welland and Thorold). It was announced in December 2021 that Trillium would lease CN's Cayuga Subdivision (from St. Thomas to Courtland) beginning in early 2022.
On February 29, 2024, Trillium/GIO ended service to downtown St. Catharines and the line will now be out of service north of Welland. GIO was able to offer the last major customer (Dunn Paper) an alternative location for transload, and other customers were notified of plans to end service in fall 2023. A red flag will be placed near Highway 406 in Welland, where the Canal sub heads north to the Thorold Subdivision. In total, about 7 miles of track will be out of service and will likely revert to control of CN, which leased the track to GIO. CN could operate the track itself, find a new operator, or offer the line for sale under government regulations. Kemira Chemicals is already seeking options to get rail service restarted and is in touch with local officials. The four customers at the discontinuation of service were: Dunn Paper, Kemira Chemicals, Steelcon, and Trenergy.
TRRY interchanges with CP and CN at Feeder (Port Colborne), CN at Merriton (St. Catharines) and St. Thomas, and OSR at St. Thomas.
Trillium Railway Locomotives
|
|
| Number
|
Model
|
Year(s) Built
|
History
|
Notes
|
| In Service Locomotives
|
| TRRY 108
|
S13
|
1959
|
Ex-CANAC 108/CN 108/CN 8617.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Welland Tube Spur.
|
| LDSX 269
|
Slug
|
1953
|
Ex-NBSR 269/CN 269/CN B-13/CN S3 8464.
|
Main locomotive. Mated to #7224. In service. Assigned to Main Division. Acquired in 2023.
|
| TRRY 615
|
80 Tonner
|
1950
|
Ex-Stelco 53.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Welland Tube Spur.
Reportedly now owned by Trillium. GE #30817.
|
| LDSX 1597
|
GP9u
|
1957
|
Ex-LTEX 1597/DSRR 1597/CP 1597/CP 8687.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Cayuga Sub. Acquired in 2021.
|
| TRRY 1859
|
RS18
|
1958
|
Ex-OCRR 1859/OCRR 1859/CP 1859/CP 8786.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Main Division.
|
| LDSX 2003
|
GP38
|
1970
|
Ex-GMTX 2003/LLPX 2015/CR 7673/PC 2013/PRSL 2013.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Cayuga Sub. Acquired in 2023.
|
| JLCX 3502
|
GP35
|
1964
|
Ex-JLCX 3502/NPR 3502/OMLX 3036/DRGW 3036.
|
Secondary locomotive. In service. Assigned to Main Division. Acquired in 2021.
|
| LDSX 7224
|
GP9RM
|
1956
|
Ex-CN 7224/CN 4464/CN 2013.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Main Division. Acquired in 2023.
|
| LDSX 7920
|
SW900
|
1954
|
Ex-ESSO 7920/CN 7920/CN 7220/CN 8555.
|
Main locomotive. In service. Assigned to Main Division. Acquired in 2022.
|
| Out of Service Locomotives
|
| TRRY 101
|
S13
|
1966
|
Ex-Marathon Paper 28-120.
|
Stored unserviceable.
|
| TRRY 110
|
S13
|
1959
|
Ex-PCHR 110/CANAC 110/CN 110/CN 110.
|
Stored. Out of service. Parts source for #108.
|
| TRRY 1842
|
RS18
|
1957
|
Ex-OCRR 1842/CP 1842/CN 3634.
|
Stored. Out of service. Parts source for #1859.
|
| TRRY 3582
|
HR412W
|
1981
|
Ex-RLK 3582/CN 2582.
|
Stored. Standby unit.
|
| TRRY 7024
|
S2
|
1944
|
Ex-James River-Marathon 17-102/CP 7024.
|
Stored unserviceable.
|
|
Trillium Railway Rolling Stock
|
|
| Number
|
Type of Railcar
|
Built
|
History
|
Notes
|
| TRRY 420996
|
Caboose
|
1984
|
Ex-CP 420996.
|
Stored. Occasionally used.
|
|
Trillium Railway Main Division Customers
|
|
| Customer
|
Location
|
Company Description
|
Type of Railcar
|
Notes
|
| TRRY Transload
|
Welland
|
Transload Facility
|
Flatcars/Covered Hoppers/Tank Cars
|
|
| SLM Recycling
|
Welland
|
Scrapyard
|
Gondolas
|
|
| Valbruna ASW
|
Welland
|
Steel-Making Facility
|
Hoppers/Gondolas/Flatcars
|
|
| Vesuvius
|
Welland
|
Clay Products & Refractory Manufacturing
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
| VERBIO Diesel
|
Dain City
|
Biodiesel Facility
|
Tank Cars
|
|
| Jungbunzlauer
|
Port Colborne
|
Citric Acid Manufacturer
|
Tank Cars
|
|
| London Agricultural Commodities
|
Port Colborne
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
| ADM Milling
|
Port Colborne
|
Flour Mill
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
| Port Colborne Grain Terminal
|
Port Colborne
|
Grain Elevator
|
Covered Hoppers
|
|
|
Trillium Railway Cayuga Subdivision Customers
- Runs from St. Thomas to Tillsonburg.
|
|
| Customer
|
Location
|
Company Description
|
Type of Railcar
|
Notes
|
| IGPC Ethanol
|
Aylmer
|
Ethanol Plant
|
Tank Cars
|
|
| Future Transfer
|
Tillsonburg
|
Transload Facility
|
Tank Cars/Covered Hoppers
|
|
| Tillsonbrands
|
Tillsonburg
|
Ice-melt Manufacturer
|
Covered Hoppers
|
Transload.
|
| Townsend Lumber
|
Tillsonburg
|
Sawmill
|
Bulkhead Flatcars/Centerbeam Flatcars
|
Inactive?
|
|
Trillium Railway Welland Tube Spur Customers
|
|
| Customer
|
Location
|
Company Description
|
Type of Railcar
|
Notes
|
| Welded Tube
|
Welland
|
Steel Pipe & Tube Producer
|
Bulkhead Flatcars
|
|
| Steelcon
|
Welland
|
Steel Supplier
|
Steel Coil Cars/Bulkhead Flatcars/Flatcars
|
Formerly serviced at St. Catharines.
|
| TRRY Transload
|
Welland
|
Transload Facility
|
Tank Cars/Covered Hoppers
|
|
| K&K Metal Recycling
|
Welland
|
Scrapyard
|
Locomotives/Gondolas
|
|
|
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