The Haunting of the Sydenham Rd. Rail Bridge
Dundas , Ontario

Below is what I received in my mail box from a fellow named MIKE. After reading his story on this location we headed out to investigate what he may have seen.


Hi,
I have had a look at your site. I like the research.
I've never been a believer in ghosts. I actually thought that people who do believe are gullible, and maybe a little dumb. Over the past couple of years my beliefs have changed. I am a lot more open minded since my sighting on the Dundas escarpment railway line.

When I was 19 years old (five years ago), a friend and I were walking below the escarpment just off of Sydenham Road. We climbed up to the tracks just east of an old train bridge. I was telling him a story when we heard noises (breaking sticks, rolling rocks, and shuffling) coming down from the cliff. We didn't think much of it, we thought it was an animal or a person. I continued to tell my story as the noise came to a stop in the forest directly across the tracks from where we were standing. We started to walk towards the train bridge, and stopped when we were standing on the edge of the catwalk. The sound moved again until it was directly across from us. We thought it was a little weird, but continued to talk and walk out onto the bridge. We stopped again near the middle of the bridge, then heard the noise continue down below the bridge until it was once again across from us.

Now we were spooked. I thought it was a person or a stalking animal, but my friend, a more open minded individual thought it could be something else. We then moved back towards the path that we came up, and the sound followed us. At that point we were standing at the top of the steep trail, staring across the tracks to where we last heard the noises. My friend had stepped down off of the railway ties to the path, giving him a different perspective.

He said to me "there's something there".
I replied "no there isn't, you're imagining it"
Friend: "I see something, it's coming towards us"
Me: "wait, I see something, it's getting bigger"
Friend: "Lets go!"
Me: "It's still getting bigger"

At that moment I stepped down to where my friend was standing. With the new perspective I realized that it hadn't been getting bigger, it was moving so smoothly towards me that it only seemed that way.

I then picked up a stone from the side of the railway tracks and yelled "if there's someone over there, I'm throwing a rock!" Just as I was about to throw it, I realized how close it was coming, and the rock just fell from my hand. We turned and ran through the trees, and across a clearing to a streetlight about 500 feet away. We came to a stop under the light and looked at each others cut-up arms from the thorn bushes. We couldn't feel it from the adrenaline. I looked at him and said "I don't know what you saw, but this is what I saw..." and I went on to describe it as a large translucent triangle about 2.5 to 3 feet across with rounded corners. It was sort of patchy, it almost looked like a dirty mirror. After my explanation of what I saw. Tears started to drip from his eyes, and he said "that's exactly what I saw.

A 19 year old hockey player with tears dripping from his eyes. There's no way we both imagined the same thing.

As it turns out, my deceased father's best childhood friend accidentally shot himself and fell to his death from that very cliff that the sounds originally descended from.(that's what my mother has told me, I'm not sure if it is the actual location, though I do know that it happened. Along with that there was the 1934 train accident a few hundred metres west. There was also the nearby old quarry and quarry house (now torn down) where there have been "accidents" in the past. In addition there have been many accidents where people have fallen from the cliffs surrounding the gorge.

If you want to visit a creepy place, try the small gorge below the train bridge in my story.(not spencer gorge) I always get a horrible feeling when I go in there, yet I am strangely attracted to it. I find myself visiting the place a few times a year without planning to do so.

Another creepy place is the basement auditorium of Dundas District Public School. Spend some time in there alone and you will certainly get the feeling that you are anything but that. That school really intrigues me because of the feelings that I used to get when I attended it. I can't describe it. At that time I wasn't much of a believer though.

Anyway that's my story...believe it or not. It has changed my way of thinking.

Mike


We thank Mike for sending his story into us ........ When we arrived at this location it has a weird atmosphere, complete with weird noises such as cracking branches, low tone voices, shadows moving about in the area.
In my opinion this area is very active with paranormal activity. Not only by the pictures we had taken but the feel of the whole place.



We have located information that could help explain why there is activity near the Sydingham Rail Bridge in Dundas. The above articile describes in detail what happened on the morning of March 19th, 1859.





In the above picture you can see an artist's depiction of what happened back on March 19th of the year 1859, as lithographed by H. Gregory , Hamilton C.W.



Thank you to Chris and Bob for finding this article for us. It is an important piece of the puzzle regarding this area.

THE TIMES, HAMILTON, C.W., MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1859
SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT
FIVE PERSONS KILLED
SEVERAL SERIOUSLY WOUNDED


A melancholy accident occurred during the storm on Saturday morning on the Great Western Railway.

Between Flamborough and Dundas, about a mile and a half from the latter place, there is a heavy embankment on the mountainside. When the night freight train West passed over the line, this embankment was apparently safe; but shortly afterwards it gave way under the pressure of the torrents of rain which washed down from the heights, leaving open a yawning chasm of about a hundred feet in length and from twelve to twenty feet deep. Into that chasm the night Express Train East consisting of four cars besides the engine and tender, was unfortunately precipitated. The force of the fall buried the locomotive deep into the earth-the car toppling in succession one over the other and smashing and splintering into pieces.

There were about sixty passengers on the train by all of whom the shock was severely felt. The raging of the storm and the darkness of the night added greatly to the intense horrors of the scene and it was some time before the real extent of the calamity was properly understood.

Assistance was promptly afforded. A medical man who happened to be on the train, assisted by Doctor Mullen of Copetown, gave the first attention to the sufferers, some of whom were taken to Copetown, while others were conveyed to Hamilton.

As soon as the news reached the city, Mr.Colpoys, the Traffic Superintendent, accompanied by Doctors Ronebrugh and Billings proceeded to the scene of the disaster, whither they were quickly followed by Mr. Bridges, the Managing Director of the Company, who devoted himself untiringly, during the day to arrangements for the care of the wounded, and for the repair of the damage in the line.

At as early an hour as possible, the following communication was sent to us by Mr. Bridges, and its publication tended greatly to relieve the popular anxiety; “To the editor of the Hamilton Times. Sir, I regret to have occasion to inform you that an accident, attended with loss of life occurred to the Night Express Train, on this railway, at about three o’clock this morning. The fearful storm of last night had washed away a portion of the heavy bank between Flamborough and Dundas, and into this chasm, the engine ran, taking with it the first portion of the train.

The Engineman and Brakeman, and two or three of the passengers, I regret to say unfortunately killed, and several others more or less were seriously injured. The telegraph wire, having been deranged by the storm, I am unable yet to give the exact details of this distressing calamity with the exact number of the killed and wounded, but to alleviate as far as possible the anxiety of friends and travelers of by that train and for the information of the public, I hasten to communicate all the particulars I have been able to obtain.

The following are the names of the persons who were killed, as far as has been ascertained: Mr. Alexander Braid, of Hamilton. G. Morgan, Engine Driver. W. Milne, Brakeman.

There are some of the injured still at Copetown under medical care, and as soon as I am in possession of further and fuller information, I will communicate it to you.

The night freight train West had passed over the spot at which this sad accident occurred, in perfect safety, less than half an hour before the accident happened to the night Express Train.

I am,, sir,
Your Obed’t Servant,
C.J. BRYDGES.”


We have since ascertained that the list of casualties is much greater than at first supposed. The following were killed; Alexander Braid, of Hamilton, formerly Superintendent of the Locomotive Works of the Great Western Railway. Mr. Braid was sitting in the corner of the sleeping car, near the stove, talking to Mr. Wilson and Mr. Malcomson, the Conductor of the Train, when the accident occurred. Mr. Braid was killed by a blow from an iron rod, which was forced into the car by the collision, whilst his companions escaped with slight injuries. He was well known and respected in this city and was, we believe, an elder of the United Presbyterian Church. He leaves a wife and several children to lament his loss.

George Morgan, the Engine Driver.
William Milne, the Brakeman, who had entered the service of the company only on the previous evening.
Hans Peter Jochensen, of Davenport, Iowa. These four were killed on the spot.

(n.b. C.V. King, Fireman, died on Saturday afternoon of his injuries at Copetown. Reverend Thomas Fawcett, Methodist missionary to the Indians of the Grand River, received very serious injuries, fractures of the ribs, hip, and shoulder blade. Died Sunday morning March 20, 1859 at Copetown.)





Here is a map on how to get to the Sydenham Rail Bridge in Dundas. One can park their car on Crowley CRT and walk the rest of the way up.





This is a photo of the manmade staircase leading to the wooden bridge.





Once you get to the top of the stairs you face west looking at the wooden bridge.





This is a closeup of the wooden bridge. The sides of the bridge have no guard rails and it crosses over a very deep gorge.





Standing in the middle of the bridge looking north you can see the rail bridge in front of you.





After crossing over the wooden bridge you come to a path that leads under the rail bridge.





Once you go up the path you will notice a skull painted on the wall under the rail bridge. Someone had artistic talent.






Sydenham Rail Bridge Page 1
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Sydenham Rail Bridge Page 9
Sydenham Rail Bridge Page 10
Sydenham Rail Bridge Page 11



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