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Canadian Pacific Railway West Toronto Yard R.L.Kennedy Map of Yard 1910
Toronto Junction yard 1907. Postcard view may actualy be much older. Chuckman's Photos
West Toronto Yard looking west along the ice house lead.
(ice house behind camera) Coaling plant at right. Roundhouse and Back Shops
Class U3d 0-6-0 2212 was built in the CPR Angus shops in March 1911.
ENLARGE Note: 2212 was re-numbered 6212 in September 1912 and lasted until June 1953 when it was scrapped.
2644 4-6-0 MLW 96553 10/1909 (Renumbered 3/1913 D10f 844) November 28, 1911 The CVR roundhouse and car shops at Parkdale were built in the 1870's, following the beginning of construction in 1874 and the opening of the first portion of the line in 1877. They were soon to become inadequate to handle increasing traffic and this brought about the West Toronto shops and yard. (Parkdale shop remained in use until 1907). In 1891 a brick roundhouse was built with a rectangular machine shop and blacksmiths shop along the back of it. The roundhouse was later expanded to 32 stalls. A large 15 track erecting shop with a transfer table was added. Also built was a car shop, complete with a transfer table, making West Toronto the only location in Canada having two transfer tables, (these move laterally rather than in a circle as a turntable does.) The car shop was expanded handling both freight and passenger equipment. In later years a new coach shop was built at John Street and the West Toronto shops concentrated on freight and service equipment including rebuilding wooden vans. The largest steam locomotives that could fit into West Toronto roundhouse were D-10's and these were soon replaced by bigger power for heavier freight trains. Prior to the Great War (World War I) a D-10 and 35 cars was a full-sized freight train. West Toronto yard was expanded, but this wasn't enough and a new yard was built (Lambton) adjacent and to the west of it, from Runnymede to Scarlett Road. A new larger (Lambton) roundhouse was built at Runnymede and St.Clair. It originally had 30 stalls and was later increased to 37, with others made longer to accommodate bigger power, including P2 class 2-8-2's. West Toronto roundhouse continued in use for yard steam engines and later diesel yard switchers. In the early 1950's the newest portion of the roundhouse, a separate 11-stall section was no longer needed and was demolished. Stored in there had been a genuine 4-4-0, #30. It had been a spare engine for the old K&P, a light branch line and had last been used in 1949 in the movie Canadian Pacific starring Randolph Scott. Only three others remained on the roster, the famed trio of 29, 136 and 144, all destined for preservation. The Erecting shop (a.k.a the Back Shop), performed medium overhaul work on steam locomotives, while Angus Shops in Montreal did major, heavy rebuild work. Angus also built brand new steam locomotives! The last steam engines repaired at West Toronto were: 807, 2332, 3607, 5116 and finally 1098, which left on June 29, 1957. Road diesels were maintained there for a short time, but the shop was loaned to the Engineering Dept. for Maintenance of Way machinery repair. The roundhouse was later used by the Bridge & Building Dept., and the Signals & Communications Dept. The turntable remained in use to turn diesels, both road and yard power, also the one track running through into the erecting shop, remained in place.
M-235 a 1929 Packard seven-passenger limousine at Parkdale station
(Toronto) 1944
M-235 (motor) is the designation of this spotless CPR 1938 Buick Special
M-246 (ex C&O 5) at West Toronto Depot Bill Thomson RIP Track Every railroader in the Operating Department knows what the RIP track is and where it is located. Few, if any, know what RIP stands for. NO, it is NOT Rest In Peace. RIP stands for Repair In Place. This is an outdoor facility to do repairs that cannot be done where a car sits in the yard yet does not require the major facilities inside a car shop building. Larger yards have both types of facilities sometimes multiple buildings with the largest served by a transfer table instead of a turntable.
RIP tracks West Toronto. Note Lidgerwood at left, Stores Dept. building
is behind it. Note: Yard diesels were first maintained in the Erecting Shop, not
long afterwards in adjoining roundhouse. 7020 brand new! First of second order model S-2 1000 hp (7020_7024)
Alco 72855 9/1944 (on-roster 10/07). Ice House
Ice house, viewed from the southeast. 1915-16 The ice house (for icing refrigerator cars) located near Keele Street was removed in 1928 following installation of a four hundred foot icing dock at the Lake Simcoe Ice plant on the North Toronto Sub. Also located in West Toronto near the roundhouse shop tracks were the gas house, a small cement block building used by the Car Dept. to service heaters in insul boxes and reefers. As well as washout tracks where car interiors were cleaned by a contractor, Lauderdale Car Cleaners, who also did stock cars which were cleaned and manure loaded into old wooden gondolas at a small facility known as the Klondike. This was two short tracks with end ramp located on the northwest edge of the yard at Ethel and Dodds Aves. where West Toronto Street ends. Rubbish would be burned in open incinerators or shipped off to a railway dump, at one time there was one at the west end of Leaside yard but in the 1960-70's it went to Port Mc.Nicoll. Old wooden rolling stock was burned and scrapped at Scarboro Pit. Keele Street Lambton station was closed in 1939. The Car Dept. building next to it was also closed. It is said part of the station was moved on a flat car and became the Keele Street yard office. (This MAY have been a World War II expansion of operations). This small wooden office was replaced in 1959 with a larger cement block building to accommodate Industrial Clerks and the Yardmaster. These clerks kept track of a new system of Car Control for local industries. There were Mobile Checkers who drove Morris Minors painted in CPR Tuscan Red with large CPR Freight emblems on the doors. This allowed clerks to check sidings, pick up Bills of Lading etc. from customers. This building was demolished after Toronto Yard opened. There was a yardmaster at the east end Keele Street Yard Office overseeing the Ice House Lead Job, as well as the Local jobs that worked industries. A switchtender was located here every shift to let trains in and out of the yard. A switchmen's shack was located beside the Ice House Lead and was used by the yard foreman to telephone information up to the hump or talk with the Keele Street yardmaster.
New concrete block yard office at Keele Street is still under construction.
Yard job with U3 class 0-6-0 6213
heads east from Keele Street to Lake Simcoe Ice on the Map Toronto Junction
industries September 1912 showing Keele St. industries and CPR freight
shed.
Looking west along the Galt Subdivision towards Keele
Street where the famed Heintzman piano
factory was long located. Taken from Old Weston Road bridge. CPR West
Toronto freight office and shed at left. Maple Leaf Milling at right.
West Toronto team tracks belonging to freight shed beyond/under
Old Weston Rd. bridge out of view. Looking west, 1952.
A pig transfer eastbound (backing up) at Keele Street
(likely from the Queensway) heading Diesel refueler truck
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