Rare Maps of Toronto

[thecharioteer]

Congrats to plink aka Nathan Ng who was given an Award of Merit by Heritage Toronto for his website Historical Maps of Toronto.

www.oldtorontomaps.blogspot.ca

I was there at it was a highlight seeing him accept the award. Hear, hear!

 

[J T CUNNINGHAM]

From The National Post:
(More mappings)

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/1...the-digital-age-and-what-it-means-for-canada/


Regards,
J T

 

[Goldie]

Magnificent photos! Thanks J.T.

 

[Graydon]

When my family moved in to their house, it came with an old property map of the neighbourhood, South Rosedale, from June 1905. It's an interesting account of who's who in early Toronto, and the migration of certain families north into the more secluded 'suburb' of Rosedale from the increasingly busy streets of Jarvis and Sherbourne.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to take a high resolution picture of the full map - I've included a detail of the southeast corner of the neighbourhood, so you can more easily read the names and addresses.

 

[the lemur]

When my family moved in to their house, it came with an old property map of the neighbourhood, South Rosedale, from June 1905. It's an interesting account of who's who in early Toronto, and the migration of certain families north into the more secluded 'suburb' of Rosedale from the increasingly busy streets of Jarvis and Sherbourne.

Wow, that's quite a find. Really gives you a sense of the entire neighbourhood before Mt Pleasant punched through the South Dr/Scarth Rd circle.

 

[44 North]

So I was flipping through the annals of images in my hard drive and stumbled on a 1954 map of Toronto and region railway lines that I had saved. What caught my eye was the dashed line through Taylor Creek from northern Scarboro to the forks of the Don River. I thought I knew our valleys, but this was news to me.

Not much info about this stretch online. It appears to be section of the short-lived Canadian Northern Railway as it traveled north from Don Station, and it was closed well before this map was published. But nevertheless I thought it was surprising that there was a line through Taylor Creek. I don’t think I’ve seen it mapped or acknowledged anywhere, and there’s almost no conspicuous evidence in the valley that a railway passed through.

I’m assuming it was discussed previously on this site, and perhaps this post belongs in another thread. But just thought I’d share:

 

[innsertnamehere]

Its pretty easy to spot in satellite imagery, The Bloor Danforth line uses its ROW between Main and Kennedy today, and the SRTs tail tracks past its maintenance yard also uses it.

 

[Goldie]

So I was flipping through the annals of images in my hard drive and stumbled on a 1954 map of Toronto and region railway lines that I had saved. What caught my eye was the dashed line through Taylor Creek from northern Scarboro to the forks of the Don River. I thought I knew our valleys, but this was news to me.

Not much info about this stretch online. It appears to be section of the short-lived Canadian Northern Railway as it traveled north from Don Station, and it was closed well before this map was published. But nevertheless I thought it was surprising that there was a line through Taylor Creek. I don’t think I’ve seen it mapped or acknowledged anywhere, and there’s almost no conspicuous evidence in the valley that a railway passed through.

I’m assuming it was discussed previously on this site, and perhaps this post belongs in another thread. But just thought I’d share:

View attachment 40620

I believe this is the same abandoned railway that you mentioned (CNoR).
Although these images are from the route between Lawrence and Ellesmere.
Some of these images were posted to the "Then & Now" page.

Canadian Northern Railway embankment through Thomson Memorial Park - 1900/2004

CNoR right-of-way in Thomson Park - 2004

CNoR right-of-way at the south side of Ellesmere, just east of McCowan - 1977

Same view (as above) on Ellesmere - 2010

 

[44 North]

Okay cool. Thanks a lot for the replies and images. TBH I was actually mostly interested in the valley section of Taylor Creek from the Don to Vic Park - (where it seems a high-tension transmission line was built in its place). But this is all very interesting nonetheless.

 

[r937]

the point where the canadian northern line split off from what is today the main canadian national line is located in the don valley just south of thorncliffe park

and at the point was located the todmorden station -- visible from the leaside bridge

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-PICTURES-R-2578&R=DC-PICTURES-R-2578

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-PICTURES-R-2580&R=DC-PICTURES-R-2580

http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-PICTURES-R-2582&R=DC-PICTURES-R-2582

just east of todmorden station, the canadian northern line split off and immediately jumped the don river -- the embankment is clearly visible today on both sides of the river, but easiest to get to on the south side beside the lower don trail

the rail bed is mostly obliterated between here and the taylor creek valley due to the construction of the DVP and its interchange with don mills road

 

[Anna]

Okay cool. Thanks a lot for the replies and images. TBH I was actually mostly interested in the valley section of Taylor Creek from the Don to Vic Park - (where it seems a high-tension transmission line was built in its place). But this is all very interesting nonetheless.

Here's someone who tried to follow the ROW through Taylor Creek Park.
http://therailfanrunner.blogspot.ca/2012/11/ghosts-of-raillines-past-cnor-taylor.html

He mentions the 1942 aerial photos of the Don Valley which can be found here
http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/c...VCM10000071d60f89RCRD&appInstanceName=default
I think there is a problem with the link to map 9 which shows the stretch between Dawes Road and Pharmacy (Victoria Park didn`t go up through the valley back in the day).
http://jpeg2000.eloquent-systems.com/toronto.html?image=ser97\s0097_fl0013_id0009.jp2
I think the subway uses the old right of way only between Victoria Park and Kennedy stations (not Main).

Your 1954 railway map probably came from here (in case you don`t remember).
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Toronto/TERMINAL.htm

 

[Edward Skira]

I think the subway uses the old right of way only between Victoria Park and Kennedy stations (not Main).

I think you are right.

 

[Armour]

 

[ShonTron]

I think you are right.

That is correct. The CNoR bought up the Belt Line Railway ROW through the Don Valley and built both the Orono Subdivision (part of the the eastern line towards Ottawa and Montreal) and the Bala Subdivision out of it. The CNoR actually bought a lot of railways that neither Grand Trunk or Canadian Pacific wanted between Toronto and Montreal, and pieced together a railway linking the most useful bits together. The Bala Sub is now part of CN's western mainline, but except for sections used by VIA Rail (Smiths Falls to Ottawa) and AMT (the Deux-Montagnes line), the CNoR through southern Ontario is otherwise gone. The Grand Trunk had the older and superior route.

 

[smitty9999]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned in this thread yet, but this Google Earth KMZ file, http://individual.utoronto.ca/sorailmap/, shows the location of most of the current and former railways in Toronto and Southern Ontario, including stations.

http://individual.utoronto.ca/sorailmap/Southern_Ontario_Railway_Map_a06.kmz