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Restoration Journal - April 22, 2011 A Quick Visit to "The Big Shop" On Friday April 22, 2011, I was able to pass by "The Big Shop" in Stratford, Ontario for all of 15 minutes to assess the state of the property since my last visit in December 2004. In short, the best way to describe the site is "Ruins". These photos are intended to document the effects of the passage of time on the ruins, which are gradually disappearing as sections get torn down or paved over.
Although difficult to see in these photos, a section of the narrow gauge track that was once used for moving material around the property on small carts can be seen sticking emerging from the asphalt.
 Westward View of the Property. Again, this view would have been dominated by a number of outbuildings.
 The North Side of "The Big Shop". The main building was originally L shaped with the Annex and Machine shop occupying the longer part of the L while the Tender Shop was located in the short part of the L, which was on the right side of the photo. The Tender shop and all of the remaining outbuildings were demolished after the fire in 2003. During the steam age, this portion of the shop would have been obscured by all the various outbuildings, including the Carpentry Shop which was located to the left of the Locomotive Entrance, the Ash Pan Department, which was an extension of the Tender Shop, and located on the right side of the locomotive entrance in addition to several smaller buildings.
 The Rest of the North Side. Back in the Steam Age, the Power House would have filled this entire view. The siding was added after the property was taken over by Cooper-Bessemer. Also visible in this photo are the air tanks that supplied the shop with compressed air.
Looking Into the Carpentry Shop. These two views look into what used to be the carpentry and paint shops. In 2004, much of the property was covered in mountains of rubble from all of the demolished buildings. As of my 2011 visit most of the rubble has been cleared away.
 Locomotive Entrance. Taken in 2004, this is probably my favourite photo of the shop, the doors that countless steam locomotives passed through over the lifetime of the shop. Compare the size of the locomotive door with the people door.
Looking East From The Tender Shop. These two photos where taken from where the Tender Shop once stood. In the 2011 view, the outline of the building including the Ashpan Department mentioned earlier can be seen.
Inside the Tender Shop. These 2004 and 2011 views were taken inside what would have been the tender shop. As you can see in the 2011 view, the floor of the tender shop has been turned into a parking lot, although the foundation is still visible.
The turntable pit was visible when I first visited in 2004, but has since been filled it. It is my understanding that the turntable itself survived into the 1990's and was scrapped (along with the 200 ton Morgan Crane, and a lots of other historic machinery) by one of a series of developers that purchased the property over the years (of which one had the intention of developing a hotel inside the tender shop, and a water park in the annex, that is, until half the building was set on fire by vagrants).
Inside The Shop. These two views taken from the balcony in 2004 show both ends of the shop. Currently, the City of Stratford now owns the property, and an empty portion of the property may be developed by the University of Waterloo. However I have no idea what plans are in store for the shop building.
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