News   Nov 22, 2024
National Housing Day: City of Toronto and Riverdale Co-op Open Affordable Homes
 560     1 
News   Nov 22, 2024
Bauhaus Condos Rising in Toronto's Old Town
 1K     5 
News   Nov 22, 2024
49-Storey Waterfront Tower Proposed at Spadina and Queens Quay
 2.7K     8 

Miscellany Toronto Photographs: Then and Now

This 1994 photo was/is on UT at: https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/maps-of-torontos-old-rail-lines.25310/page-8#post-1801863

1648046336160.png

Hard to be sure of exact location now but this is probably close to it. (Executive Committee are discussing (finally) removing the Harbour Lead Rail Line next week!
1648046443372.png
 
DSC said:
This 1994 photo was/is on UT at: https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/maps-of-torontos-old-rail-lines.25310/page-8#post-1801863

View attachment 387278
Hard to be sure of exact location now but this is probably close to it. (Executive Committee are discussing (finally) removing the Harbour Lead Rail Line next week!
View attachment 387279
Click to expand...

Streetrunning (Trains running on public streets that allow car traffic (excepting crossings)) is an ever rarer sight. Doubtless that's good from a public safety perspective and efficient railway operation, still its
a loss of sorts.

***

Speaking of safety, in the photo above, 2 railway workers (presumably) can be seen clinging off the back of a rail car while in motion.........

You may still see this from an engineer/cab crew at a flag crossing or the like, but its otherwise quite limited in practice these days.

Reminds me not only of workers hanging off the bag of garbage trucks; but of firefighters clinging to the to truck in the days before extended crew cabs.

Different times.
 
Last edited:
^^ Any loss of rail connection, particularly to an area that likes to call itself a Port, is a step down. That pretty much leaves sugar - until they get offered a big enough bag of cash for their land - and road salt. So very world class.
 
lenaitch said:
^^ Any loss of rail connection, particularly to an area that likes to call itself a Port, is a step down. That pretty much leaves sugar - until they get offered a big enough bag of cash for their land - and road salt. So very world class.
Click to expand...
The rail spur to Redpath was removed about a decade ago.

I too like rail but if you read the City report, usage of this rail spur was very, very low!
 
I think industry making use of rail could be diverted to Hamilton where facilities and room exist. Toronto has long since decided to move away from those type of waterfront activities. There seemed to be not much discussion of enhancing facilities that would attract traffic, but possibly that bird has flown. It is disheartening to see the transfer of activities to trucks. Increases of large truck traffic in the waterfront area of the 'new' Toronto waterfront is not always a good thing.
 
DSC said:
The rail spur to Redpath was removed about a decade ago.

I too like rail but if you read the City report, usage of this rail spur was very, very low!
Click to expand...
I'm aware (actually I think it was much earlier than that). I was making a reference to any inbound marine cargo.
 
Interesting that we can still see 4 of the 1914 structures on the East side of Yonge
and, of course, that old corner building on the N/W corner.
 
Northern Light said:
The classic QEW lighting we associate w/the Credit River bridge today was used there as well.

That should be restored, as should the monument, great 'gateway' feature.
Click to expand...
Those light standards really are beautiful. By comparison that stretch today is an ugly tangle of patchy asphalt lined with crumbling jersey barriers, though at the very least the monument was retained, a fate that can't be said for a lot of our built history.
 
Regarding the first pic of 342 Adelaide above. Either the date in the TPL of 1914 is incorrect or the description in the heritage listing below giving the store addition in 1912 is wrong:

1649732859854.png
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top