Transportation Archives | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

“The Old Stage Road” Historical Plaque

This plaque was installed on the grounds of Sweaburg Central School on County Road 14, southeast of Woodstock by Ontario Heritage Trust’s for their Provincial Plaque Program. This […]

Pierce Arrow Truck

Above is an image of an old Pierce Arrow pickup truck with an open cab. Made between 1911 and 1938, Pierce Arrow trucks had capacities of anywhere between […]

Early Transport Truck

This is one of Byron Downing’s first trucks. It was used at the quarries in the early 1930s. These Mack, B.L. Model trucks were built between 1929 and […]

The Euclid Rock Hauler

This Euclid rock hauler was used between 1950 and 1972 for active quarrying and stripping at Chemical Lime Limited. It featured a 165 horsepower Cummins, 6-cylinder diesel engine […]

Shipping Bags for Limestone Products

These 2 25-kilogram bags were used to ship limestone products from Domtar Chemicals Group and Cyanamid Canada Inc. While they do not represent the exact style of early […]

A Network of Conveyors

This image shows a series of conveyor belts inside the Beachville quarry (Dofasco). Such conveyors were just as crucial as the locomotives, carts and cables for transporting the […]

Caprock Stemming at Stelco

In this image, a layer of rock has been cleared of overburden, and workers plan to blast through the “cap rock,” which lies over the desired limestone reserves. […]

Quarry Workers at the Train Wreck

In this article, Bill Eluchok shares the stories of Arthur Budd. He describes Budd’s role at the quarry, his experience of trying to get to work as waters […]

Arthur Lightheart Recalls a Loose Load

In this audio clip, Lightheart describes a risky incident his brother and Fred Downing experienced going up a ramp with a load of stone to the top of […]

Cole & Hacker Quarry

Cole & Hacker was a recognized dealer in lime and building stone. The company hired hands to mine, burn, and transport limestone. It was heavily intertwined with other […]

Tramway Cars

After being blasted from the quarry wall, stone is loaded into cars. The cars are brought to the crusher incline by the locomotive. They are pulled to the […]

The Derrick on its Tracks

This image shows the derrick in action in 1910. The boom arm lifts full buckets of stone into a waiting freight car at the north edge of the […]