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Old Time Trains


Canadian Pacific Railway

Toronto Division

Downtown Toronto

R.L.Kennedy



Aerial view looking east near Bathurst Street bridge. Old Fort York bottom left. Fez City bottom center.
1951 Canada Science and Technology Museum/CN Collection

Larger size view


Map 1945 entire TTR, CNR Spadina. CPR John Street etc.

 

Passenger trains arriving and leaving the Union Station.
Randy Masales Collection courtesy of Brian Switzer

Most people think in terms of one Union Station, the present one on Front Street West covering all 850 feet between York and Bay Streets. Actually, this is the third Union Station, the second one having been located just to the west, on Esplanade West between York and Simcoe Streets, and opened July 1,1873; it too was shared by the GTR and CPR as the result of an agreement dated July 26, 1892. It was expanded in 1895, but increasing passenger traffic out grew this elegant stone building and another station was deemed necessary. The first Union Station of 1855 was shared by the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways and was before the CPR's time.

CP Express building was built (opened January 1930) onto Union Station at its northeast end located between Bay and Yonge Streets. A three-storey office building had a street address of 141 Bay Street and included the CPR Purchasing Department. A large cavernous underground shed beneath the tracks with 18 truck dock doors served a track level area of 3 tracks holding about 6 cars each. There was an exterior shed dock extension as well. The building was sold to CP September 12, 1957. It was closed after CPX stopped using passenger trains. A public parking garage operated in the underground area until it was all demolished in 2001. It was redeveloped as an intermodal GO Bus terminal partially opening on Saturday August 31, 2002 and fully in April of 2003.




Spadina Avenue


John Street

Terminal Warehouse

Ferry Docks

Parliament Street


1927 Aerial views of Toronto from Bathurst Street to the Don

Aerial view John Street and Union Station 1930's.
Note: CNR freight shed and teams right near bottom;
CPR King Street shed very bottom right.

Aerial view slightly to right (west) of above view. NEW
CPR John Street roundhouse and CNR Spadina roundhouse.

Aerial view John Street and Union Station 1953 Bill Thomson

View early 1920's


John Street coach yard, roundhouse, freight shed,
1927.


Old John St. roundhouse,
new fill in foreground, 1929

John Street and Union

View looking southwest from 56th Floor Toronto Dominion Centre


View looking north, John Street and Union Station,
late 1960's


John Street from TD Centre still under construction April 1966 Greg Hinde


Looking farther west to the Island, from TD Centre April 1966 Greg Hinde



King Street, looking west from TD Centre in April 1966 Greg Hinde


Spadina to Bay
September 1968



Looking northwest from CN Tower Sept. 1976
Eric May


CN Spadina 7/20/1979

John Street and Union Station 1980 Closeup


John Street Aug. 1983
Pierre Fournier


CN Spadina Aug. 1983
Pierre Fournier


Looking west from CN Tower May 2003
Eric May

John Street roundhouse and Coach Yard, also Union Station. Aerial c. 1973
Undated but The Canadian can be seen in south coach yard.

This view from the CN Tower looking west towards Bathurst Street bridge, former Cabin D area, with Parkdale IMS yard in the distance. Foreground shows construction underway on site of former CNR Spadina Coach Yard, Flyunder with train exiting, GO Bathurst North yard at right. May 1987 Eugene D. Burles


8921 running long hood forward on the Day Transfer eastbound at Bathurst Street July 1970 Jim Parker
Note the telltales to warn switchmen of low overhead clearance at bridge straight ahead.

Same location as above photo of 8921 looking the other way.

At left is King Street Shed lead (Front Street West at far left). Spadina Avenue bridge in background.

Near foreground of above photo west end of CNR Bathurst Street Yard from Front Street West just east of Bathurst Street.


7064 westbound to Parkdale Yard. Last of 55 (7010-7064) Alco S-2 75547 11/1947.
Equipped for road service with combination pilot, classification lamps, illuminated front number board and chime horn.

Lots of track work visibile in these two scenes of two local jobs making their way through the TTR at Bathurst Street.
1241 above and 1243 below. 8/08/1984 Chuck Zeiler

Very little local industry in the downtown area remained by this time, mostly in Ashbridges Bay and soon that too would all but disappear with the closing of Lever Brothers plant next to TTR Keating Yard and others including Redpath Sugar which was the last industry on a long lead beside Queens Quay choosing to go all truck in the face of growing distaste for industry being in the way of condo development. CN took over what little remained, their own having also declined drastically as industry got squeezed out. Private industrial sidings are a thing of the past with about 1-2% remaining compared to 30-40 years ago.

1243 (ex 8157 rebuilt Weston 10/1982) GMD A1903 8/1960

8152 with a pig transfer that is actually handling only containers for the temporary Pier 35 terminal in Ashbridges Bay due to overflow traffic. Eastbound approaching Bathurst Street. 7/30/1987 Robert Farkas

 

 




Toronto Terminals Railway

This article includes extensive photographs showing construction of the
Toronto Viaduct Grade Separation as well as old and new Union Stations and other stations.

Map 1945 entire TTR, CNR Spadina. CPR John Street etc.


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