Niagara Falls Ontario

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OVERKILL

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My wife and I had our 12th year wedding anniversary on the weekend. On our 10 year we toured Bruce Nuclear and visited Kincardine, this time around we went to the falls. There are three inactive hydro-electric generating stations at the falls, all of which of course caught my interest
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So, first, some falls pics:
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Next, we come to the first of the three intact but non-functional generating stations, the Toronto Power Generating Station. This station was completed in 1906 and housed 11 turbines, each with an installed capacity of 12,500HP after Ontario Hydro purchased and uprated it. Total installed capacity would have been 102.5MW, which, while paltry by today's standards, was quite significant at the time. The facility was constructed to provide power to the city of Toronto via a long-distance transmission corridor. It was put out of service in 1974, primarily due to it producing 25Hz power, which was no longer compatible with the Ontario grid.

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Further downstream, closer to the falls we have the Rankine Generating Station which broke ground in 1900. The station eventually housed eleven generators with an installed capacity of 120,500HP, or ~90MW. This station operated surprisingly until 2009, despite also producing 25Hz power. OPG recently had a survey out with questions as to whether they should refit this facility with modern turbines that were compatible with the existing grid and potentially reactivate it.

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Below the falls we have the Ontario Hydro Generating Station. This facility consists of two structures, the first being the smaller upper building above the falls adjacent to the Toronto Power facility, which houses inlets and is readily visible. The second is the outlet building at the bottom of the falls whose appearance has an extreme haunted house look to it, covered in moss and growth, its spillways now eerily silent as the facility lays dormant. Its installed capacity was, at peak, 132.5MW. It was also removed from service in 1974.
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And the last item of interest is the grounded scow, which broke free from its tug in 1918 and rapidly approached the falls with two men aboard. These men opened the hatches to try and slow it, which resulted in it running aground where it has now sat for over 100 years!
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Thanks for the pictures, and especially for the descriptions of the structures. I was last there ~ 10 years ago and wondered about the buildings.
 
Thanks for sharing; I have been there multiple times on both sides. Really liked the information on the monuments about Westinghouse and Tesla. Maid of the Mist is always a fun ride as is walking through the tunnel behind Horseshoe Falls!
 
More power to you overkill. If I ever took my wife on a tour of decommissioned power plants to celebrate our wedding anniversary I wouldn't have to worry about future anniversaries. There wouldn't be any!
 
Originally Posted by Aredeeem
More power to you overkill. If I ever took my wife on a tour of decommissioned power plants to celebrate our wedding anniversary I wouldn't have to worry about future anniversaries. There wouldn't be any!


She's one of a kind and surprisingly tolerant of my infatuation with power generation infrastructure.
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
Wow, those power stations are quite ornate, they don't build em like that anymore!

Even on his wedding anniversary, OVERKILL nerds out over power plants! You are awesome, dude!


Amazing isn't it? They were designed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. I imagine the amount of copper adorning the roofs and eaves is worth a small fortune.
 
My son is a Student at The University at Buffalo, about a 25 minute ride from the Falls. That gives us a reason to visit him more often!

I see you, like me, choose to go off the beaten path (aka: tourist spots) and find out of the way sites that many people don't get to see. I actually recognize most of the sites that you photographed.

Truly, one of the Natural wonders of the world.
 
Nice pictures - we flew to Pearson and rented an SUV. Drove past some big lakes of some sort (and big Ford factory) - stayed at Embassy Suites with the wide windows looking into the falls.
Lots things to do and places to eat and drink right there. Thought the IMAX was interesting with those crazy drums and stuff idiots went over it in being on display when you walked out of the show.
Drove up the river to wine places, cafes, and cigar shops - got in some 1000 HP jet drives doing the rapids for the younger folks … I really like the relaxed atmosphere up there.
 
Overkill,

First, you and your sweetheart lady are early birds. (not a lot o people/tourists in early pictures).

Second, isn't it crazy the quality of build for the buildings?
 
Originally Posted by pandus13
Overkill,

First, you and your sweetheart lady are early birds. (not a lot o people/tourists in early pictures).

Second, isn't it crazy the quality of build for the buildings?


Yes indeed! I think it being Sunday helped BTW.
 
Your pictures are great! I am happy that you've managed to see this waterfall in person. My dream is to go there with my girlfriend and propose to her. I was looking at flights the other day and I've managed to find a Niagara Falls Tour and I am thinking about booking both of them, the flight and the tour. It's a surprise and I don't want my girlfriend to know anything. I've asked some of my friends about this idea and they've told me that I should go for it. I'm really excited about this trip!
Niagara Falls is a high-risk location for an emotion-charged event like a marriage proposal. 😆
 
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