Toronto Union Station

Yeah!

Oh man those are some priceless shots! Having grown up in Toronto, and remembering been taken downtown to Eatons by my mom, and the feel of the city in those days - it all comes back to me - ahh...
Just great!

:D Val
 
3 comments. This is a different roundhouse from the one near the top of the thread. This is the CNR one, which was in service longer, but the CPR one still stands, or part of it does.
Note the use of the roundhouse well into the diesel era. There is an RDC on one of the turntable tracks, and a string of4 RDCs on an access track.
If you look carefully, you can see the reverse loop running arounfd the bottom of the roundhouse.
 
Chris: the CPR roundhouse is the brewery/museum and I think is still in the same place.
The CNR roundhouse disappeared under the Skydome football stadium. The coach yards occupied space from Spadina out to Bathurst Street, with access from the west. There were other yards east of Spadina, from the photo looks like coach maintenance. I know I went in there in the late 60s and worked on a passenger car for a day.
The CPR yards were south of Union Station, visible in one my old snapshots. This area was built on fill as part of the raising of the tracks on the eastern approach to Union.
 
Great pix, especially since I am currently visiting in Toronto. I presume you "locals" know there is a group trying to put a rail museum in the existing roundhouse and also one in Union Station. As I understand things, it's all wrapped up in city politics, unfortunately.
 
Dave Flinn said:
Great pix, especially since I am currently visiting in Toronto. I presume you "locals" know there is a group trying to put a rail museum in the existing roundhouse and also one in Union Station. As I understand things, it's all wrapped up in city politics, unfortunately.
Click to expand...

I for one did not know that Dave!! Any more info would be appreciated by us "Locals" :wave: :D
Thanks in advance.
btw William found the photo for me in the antique section.
best of luck,
 
The street at the top is Spadina (top of picture is west) and at the left is the Gardner expressway. At the right, the 2 tracks on clean ballast are the underpass tracks.
Just before the expressway are the two freight tracks that ran south of all the yards from Fort York to somewhere near the Don river.
 
Chris and all:

If anyone interested will pm or email me, I will send the address of one of the "kingpins" of the Toronto Railway Historical Association, which is just in formation. I don't want to post it publicly without his permission, however.
 
Thanks David . I was going to guess Spadina , but it was only a guess as I haven't been in that area since the Jay's heyday in 92-93 ....back when they used to actually have an audience watching the . Now they can't draw flies !

NEIL
 
Dave, that museum was supposed to have been put in years ago. It was offered by the city as a compromise to the local heritage board, who wanted both roundhouses saved. They allowed one site and most of its structures and track to be demolished to build Skydome and the CN tower, in exchange the museum was to be created at the John St Roundhouse.
According to a group called the Roundhouse Alliance, many people donated priceless historical items to the project, including a locomotive from CPR, only to have them stolen as the building lay vacant while the city dithered and did nothing.
For more info on how the politicians of the city of Toronto has attempted to wriggle out of their committment to the museum, click this link

It's the website of the Roundhouse Alliance. We should all support them.

Val
 
Dave, that museum was supposed to have been put in years ago. It was offered by the city as a compromise to the local heritage board, who wanted both roundhouses saved. They allowed one site and most of its structures and track to be demolished to build Skydome and the CN tower, in exchange the museum was to be created at the John St Roundhouse. According to a group called the Roundhouse Alliance, many people donated priceless historical items to the project, including a locomotive from CPR, only to have them stolen as the building lay vacant while the city dithered and did nothing.
Click to expand...

Val that is sad to hear about that historical stuff being stolen. I often wonder why people would do this. I hope they are caught and brought to justice. Wonder how they would feel if their belongings were stolen by someone else?
 
Val:

I know the whole mess is involved in politics; but I'm not sure you and I are talking about the same project, as I had not heard about artifacts being stolen etc. In any case, I agree that we should support the saving of the Roundhouse and all the rest.
 
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