Leaside and its Aerodrome

Perhaps we should have a thread dedicated to Leaside (and its airport, too).
This historic bridge (to be found today at Eglinton & Leslie), built in 1884, may have been the only sign of civilization (other than farms) in this area 127 years ago.



And the history of the Leaside Aerodrome leaves much to be revealed.

Goldie said:

This historic bridge (to be found today at Eglinton & Leslie), built in 1884, may have been the only sign of civilization (other than farms) in this area 127 years ago.

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this fact continues to astound me

i marvelled once again just last week at this bridge, upon climbing up the footpath out of the park towards leslie and vanderhoof



just a few yards north of this bridge is the now defunct duncan spur, which ran off from the CN line at oriole to meet this main CP line behind the inn on the park

the duncan spur has only recently been paved over and is now a walking trail

this bridge (built by the ontario and quebec railway, but taken over by canadian pacific in 1884 or 1885 if i recall) continues to carry CP's main line traffic out of toronto, dozens of long and super heavy trains per day

compare this longevity to the scarborough light rail system, which is about to be mothballed, but i guess that would be a different thread

regarding the aerodrome, the only photos i've ever seen focus on the people or the planes, but not the layout

would be nice to see a map, eh

There are more photo's at this site Goldie. Library and Archives Canada.
http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-...=score+desc&digitalContentInd=1&query=leaside


R.F.C. C nada.A43rd rd Wing Leaside Headquarters by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr


R.F.C. Canada. Officers' Quarters, Camp Leaside, by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr


Leaside Aerodrome and hangers by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr

This Google satellite view is the area pictured above where the hangers were.
And if this building was reoriented from one of the original positions it may have been a hanger.

brewster said:

There are more photo's at this site Goldie. Library and Archives Canada.
http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-...=score+desc&digitalContentInd=1&query=leaside


R.F.C. C nada.A43rd rd Wing Leaside Headquarters by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr


R.F.C. Canada. Officers' Quarters, Camp Leaside, by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr


Leaside Aerodrome and hangers by TORONTO TONTO, on Flickr

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That's a wonderful discovery, brewster. Thank you.
The aerial view of the hangars is especially useful as it gives us the first, clear view of the aerodrome.

mattelderca said:

This Google satellite view is the area pictured above where the hangers were.
And if this building was reoriented from one of the original positions it may have been a hanger.

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That sure looks like a hangar, doesn't it mattelderca?
Thanks. I must investigate it.

I find this 1947 aerial photo to be full of mysteries and memories.



1) One can try to imagine the future route of the Eglinton Ave. E. extension and the future appearance of Leslie St. which is nowhere in sight.
2) The exact location of the Aerodrome is now obscured by new industrial buildings.
3) The amazing RR bridge, previously pictured under construction, leads to one of my fondest memories (at the south end - circled).

As youngsters, my friends and I often explored along the Don River north of O'Connor Dr. On one occasion - probably around time of this aerial - we went further than ever before and were startled when we came upon a huge RR bridge that we had never seen before. We climbed the embankment and ventured across the bridge from north to south. At the end of the bridge (where I've placed the circle) we were thrilled by another discovery.
Imaging the joy of young boys finding a fenced-in junk yard piled high with abandoned World War II aircraft! We crawled through a hole in the fence to find mountains of planes piled one atop the other. We immediately climbed into some aircraft (wrecks of fighters and bombers) and had a grand time in the cockpits.
It was not obvious to us at the time that there may have been some danger involved in clambering over piles of junked fuselages. The whole affair is one of my fondest childhood memories.
I'm certain that the area circled is the actual junk yard. Could any aircraft remnants still be found there today?
The fact that my airplane adventure took place so close to the old Leaside Aerodrome still haunts me.

mattelderca said:

And if this building was reoriented from one of the original positions it may have been a hanger.

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that building, oriented north/south, with the square chimney just beside it, is clearly visible in this picture --
http://static.torontopubliclibrary.ca/da/images/LC/pictures-r-3411.jpg

in this picture, the the square chimney is in the background of the dark east/west oriented airfield hangers, so these latter must have been west of the location you gave, and approximately where the home depot is now

however, i'm still having a bit of trouble locating the hangars in the aerial photograph... i suspect they were further east, and not the same hangars

in the aerial photo, you can see the CP main line running diagonally in the background, heading to the high level bridge over the west don off the upper left corner (under the plane wing)

are there railway cars running beside the hangars in the aerial photo? those rail sidings would have been split off from the cp main line via this spur which looks like it ran up behind the home depot and looped back east across clarke street

in fact in the toronto public library photo i'm almost convinced there's a tank car just to the left of the square chimney

so the aerial photo hangars would've been east of that

Goldie said:

That sure looks like a hangar, doesn't it mattelderca?
Thanks. I must investigate it.

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how coincidental that the google street view is located right at the intersection of industrial street and commercial road -- i was there just last week

if you do happen to go by, be sure to look on the north side of commercial road for the MAKE LOVE GROW artwork (not visible in the google street view, so fairly recent)

r937 said:

that building, oriented north/south, with the square chimney just beside it, is clearly visible in this picture --

however, i'm still having a bit of trouble locating the hangars in the aerial photograph... i suspect they were further east, and not the same hangars

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This is the 1947 aerial - a closeup of the Canwirco property.



I'd say the three east/west hangers are right where the Home Depot is now. I can't make out a north/south 'hangar' on the Lincoln Electric property - but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there.



And I agree - the diagonal line is the railway tracks, south of the bridge. And the trees just to the south are following the line of the now-buried Walmsley creek - which used to flow from the Bayview/Eglinton area to the West Don.

Here is a portion of the 1904 topographic map of Toronto


Somewhere on the interweb there is a map of all the private sidings in Leaside - I just have to find it.

r937, I think you and Anna are on to something. Good plotting!
Yes, right where Home Depot is now.
And the rail siding can be seen in this photo of the "engine test house" (1917):

To nice of a day out with the snow covering all the trees , just had to get a few shots as I was coming back from downtown.


IMG_0806 by Mr T.O., on Flickr


IMG_0805 by Mr T.O., on Flickr


IMG_0803 by Mr T.O., on Flickr


IMG_0802 by Mr T.O., on Flickr


IMG_0801 by Mr T.O., on Flickr

Nice to have the train go by and scare me half to death.


IMG_0800 by Mr T.O., on Flickr

Thanks brewster, like being there.

Your second from last picture shows a bridge pier by itself; I wonder what's up with that?

Mustapha said:

Thanks brewster, like being there.

Your second from last picture shows a bridge pier by itself; I wonder what's up with that?

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Not sure Mustapha I was wondering the same. I tried to climb up and have a look from that pier but it was heavy brush and wet with the fresh snow.At some point Goldie will get to the bottom of it. I ended up driving back to the level crossing at Wicksteed , parked the car and walked down the tracks about 100 yards to get the views from the top of the trestle. Nerves and the thought of a train coming kept me from walking across. Might have been a good photo but I am not 16 anymore.

brewster said:

Not sure Mustapha I was wondering the same. I tried to climb up and have a look from that pier but it was heavy brush and wet with the fresh snow.At some point Goldie will get to the bottom of it. I ended up driving back to the level crossing at Wicksteed , parked the car and walked down the tracks about 100 yards to get the views from the top of the trestle. Nerves and the thought of a train coming kept me from walking across. Might have been a good photo but I am not 16 anymore.

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brewster, you must have walked right past the site of that 1947 airplane junk-yard that I highlighted on my map.
Did you see any sign of old plane parts?