Toronto Railway Museum

A GO Transit train made up of single-level Hawker-Siddeley Canada commuter cars departs Toronto Union Station heading east in 1967. The skyline of Toronto in the background is dominated by the monolithic new Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower (opened in 1967), the Canadian Bank of Commerce Tower (opened in 1931) and the Royal York Hotel (opened in 1929). Photo courtesy of Metrolinx.

The reduced freight train congestion through Toronto made it possible for the Government of Ontario to establish the new GO Transit commuter rail service between Pickering and Oakville in 1967. 3/3

A CN freight train led by a Kingston-built CFA-16A and CFA-16B diesel locomotive consist departs the west end of the High Line freight track beside the Bathurst Street yard in September 1956. Photo by Jim Parker.

At that time all CN freight trains traveling through Toronto had to use the High Line, running just south of Toronto Union Station. The new freight bypass and marshalling yard opened in 1965 and provided considerable relief to rail traffic congestion through downtown Toronto. 2/3

A portrait of Canadian National Railway president Donald Gordon in 1959. Photo by James Jarché, Daily Mail.

A map of the Toronto area showing the railway lines between Pickering in the east, Burlington in the west, Georgetown and Vaughan in the north. The CN freight by-pass proposed in 1959 is shown as a thick line running from Pickering to Georgetown, with the new Toronto Yard about half-way in Vaughan. The by-pass continues as a thick line from Georgetown to Burlington.

Mar 11, 1959: at a press conference in Toronto, Canadian National Railway President Donald Gordon announces the railway will spend $90 million (over $1 billion, in 2026 dollars) to build a new freight bypass line and Toronto marshalling yard—which would actually be located in Vaughan. 1/3

The VIA-CN Turbo Train at Kingston, Ontario on April 22, 1976, prior to making its speed record-setting run. Photo from the Joseph Testagrose collection.

The new record stood for just over a month, only to be broken on April 22, 1976, when a Canadian National Railway Turbo Train reached 140.6 mph (226 km/h) on its Kingston Subdivision between Prescott and Cornwall, ON, a Canadian speed record that stands to this day. 2/2

The prototype LRC diesel locomotive at the Canadian Pacific Railway's Glen Yard in Montreal, August 14, 1974. Ron Visockis photo.

Mar 10, 1976: a Bombardier-built prototype "Light, Rapid, Comfortable" (LRC) locomotive sets a Canadian railway speed record of 129 mph (208 km/h) during a test run on Canadian Pacific's Adirondack Subdivision, east of Montreal. 1/2

A map from the 1929 city planning report showing a proposed southward extension of University Avenue, which then ended at Queen Street. This would have included a large traffic circle—to be called Vimy Circle—south of Queen, connecting University with the new south extension as well as a widened Richmond Street to the east and a new Paschendale Road running southwest. The proposed Cambrai Avenue running north from Union Station is also shown on the map.

An illustration from the 1929 city planning report showing a street-level rendering of University Avenue, as seen from the proposed Vimy Circle, looking north, with a large fountain, column and statue in the middle of the circle and curved facades of new buildings surrounding it.

Another proposal was to extend University Avenue south of Queen, south-east to Front and York, and to rename it to Queen's Park Avenue. A traffic circle at Richmond St. would have been called Vimy Circle. Due to the Depression, only the University extension was built. 3/3

A map showing architect John Lyle's 1911 proposal for a Federal Avenue between the yet to be built new Union Station and new monumental federal office buildings north of Queen Street.

An illustration from the 1929 city planning report showing a street-level perspective of the proposed new Cambrai Avenue looking south from King Street toward Union Station.

This idea was first proposed in 1911 as Federal Avenue by architect John Lyle, who later helped design the new Union Station. The concept was revived in 1929 as Cambrai Avenue, to commemorate the town in France liberated by Canadian troops during the Great War. 2/3

A bird's eye view illustration from the City of Toronto's 1929 Advisory City Planning Commission Report. The aerial perspective looks south over downtown Toronto from King Street to the waterfront, showing the proposed grand avenue that would terminate in front of Union Station at its south end.

Mar 9, 1929: a report of the Advisory City Planning Commission recommends ambitious solutions for Toronto's increasing traffic problems. These included street widenings and a grand new processional avenue between York and Bay Streets, from Union Station north to Queen Street. 1/3

Passenger Extra VIA 6780 East, with the last sleeping car from Toronto, arrives in Ottawa early on the morning of January 18, 1989. FPA-4 6780, which had hauled the last westbound overnight train as far as Brockville, has returned with the last eastbound train. Photo by Gerry Gaugl.

CP continued offering sleeping car service between the two cities until the end of pool train operation in October 1965. CN resumed sleeping car service in February 1966 and it survived into the VIA Rail era, before finally being canceled in January 1989. 3/3

An interior view of Canadian Pacific Railway first class sleeping car "Rochelle" in 1898. It is equipped with electric lighting and features luxurious interior finishes. Canadian Railroad Historical Association Archives, Canadian Pacific Railway Fonds.

Through sleeper service between the two cities was impossible until 1873, when the GTR converted to the same standard gauge as the SL&O. In 1881 the Canadian Pacific Railway took over the SL&O and ran some of its most luxurious passenger equipment over the Toronto-Ottawa route. 2/3

A detail from a front page advertisement in the Ottawa Daily Citizen, March 15, 1871 edition. It says "The St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway. The shortest and quickest route from Ottawa to Toronto and Montreal. Commencing 8th March, trains will run as follows." The rest of the ad provides the timetable for trains connecting from Ottawa with the Grand Trunk Railway at Prescott, Ontario.

Mar 8, 1871: sleeping car service begins between Toronto and Ottawa when the St. Lawrence & Ottawa Railway inaugurates new "sofa cars." These cars ran between Ottawa and Prescott, where passengers connected with the Grand Trunk Railway's Montreal-Toronto overnight train. 1/3

Eve Lewis stands in front of the restored and redeveloped Market Street buildings in downtown Toronto circa 2014. Photographer unknown.

One of Oberman’s last projects was redevelopment of a collection of buildings on the west side of St. Lawrence Market, completed by his wife, Eve Lewis, in 2014. He shared his success with others as a generous supporter of Heritage Toronto and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. 3/3

A view looking west toward the Gooderham Flatiron Building with the skyline of downtown Toronto in the background, circa 2015. Photographer unknown.

Woodcliffe's other properties included the Gooderham Flatiron building on Front Street, one of Toronto's most photographed buildings. Oberman was highly successful in his development activities, using rehabilitated heritage buildings as the anchors for larger developments. 2/3

Paul Oberman speaks at a lectern circa 2010. Photographer unknown.

A view of the former Canadian Pacific Railway North Toronto Station, now the Summerhill LCBO store, looking northeast across Yonge Street in 2009. Photographer unknown.

Mar 7, 2011: Paul Oberman dies and another pilot is injured in a private plane crash while flying over Maine. Oberman was the president and CEO of Woodcliffe Landmark Properties, which restored North Toronto Station as the Summerhill LCBO. 1/3

An interior view of the Great Hall of Toronto Union Station, August 3, 2021. City of Toronto Archives.

In 2007, the city estimated the cost of heritage restoration and state of good repair work would be almost $177 million over 20 years. The most recent city-provided estimate of the total cost of the Union Station revitalization project in 2021 was $824 million. 3/3

Former Toronto Mayor John Sewell. Toronto Star photo.

The deal faced opposition, led by former Mayor John Sewell, and unraveled in 2006 when UPG and the city could not agree on final terms. UPG had proposed to spend $150 million for the complete redevelopment of the station. 2/3

The Front Street colonnade of Toronto Union Station, June 5, 2001. City of Toronto Archives.

Mar 6, 2001: Toronto City Council selects three developers to respond to a Request for Proposals for redevelopment of Toronto Union Station. In 2003 the city would choose one of the three consortia—the Union Pearson Group—for the initial stage of a master agreement. 1/3

An image of a construction crane working beside a railway overpass with a GO train passing by. Inset is a photo of Darren Cooney, director of community engagement at Metrolinx. At the top is the title "Progress Updates and Q&A with Metrolinx."

Massive transit construction is underway across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area that will change the face of the region. Join us for the Toronto Railway Museum's Second Tuesday Zoom Talk on March 10 at 7:00 PM as we discuss the future of rail in Toronto.

www.tickettailor.com/events/toron...

A detail from a pre-1882 fire insurance plan showing the location of the Great Western Railway station at the northeast corner of Yonge Street and the Esplanade.

The building became a bonded freight depot when the Grand Trunk took over the GWR in 1882. In 1904 it became the Toronto Fruit Terminal, which it remained until it was destroyed by fire in 1952. The O'Keefe Centre for the Performing Arts opened on the site in 1960. 3/3

An 1871 portrait of William G. Storm, architect of the 1866 Toronto Great Western Railway station. Photo by William Notman, McCord-Stewart Museum Collection.

A passenger train sits in the train shed of the 1866 Great Western Railway station. Photo from the Archives of Ontario.

The wood-framed building was designed in the Romanesque style by William G. Storm, who later designed St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at King and Simcoe Streets. The four-track stub-end station was the first in Toronto to provide a train shed over the tracks and platforms. 2/3

The 1866 Great Western Railway station at the corner of Yonge Street and the Esplanade, not long after its opening. The photographer is looking east into the arch-roofed train shed. Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Toronto Public Library.

Mar 5, 1866: the Great Western Railway opens a new Toronto passenger and freight terminal at the foot of Yonge Street. The new station allowed the GWR to vacate the Grand Trunk's 1858 Union Station—although GWR trains continued to stop there for the convenience of passengers. 1/3

A view looking southwest across Bremner Boulevard toward Roundhouse Park, Steam Whistle Brewing and the Toronto Railway Museum, as seen from the south pavilion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The Woodpecker Column public artwork is visible in the foreground at left.

What's your favourite view of Roundhouse Park and the Toronto Railway Museum? You can see the entire site from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The CP Great Lakes steamboat SS Keewatin in harbour at Port McNicoll in 1968. Tay Township Heritage Collection.

This was the last such steamship operation in North America and used the SS Keewatin, now preserved at the Great Lakes Museum. CP negotiated an alternate route via CN lines and handled grain at Port McNicoll until federal subsidies ended in 1989. The Hog Bay Trestle was dismantled in 1978. 2/2

CP SW1200RS diesel road switcher No. 8157 leads a freight train over the Hog Bay Trestle in Port McNicoll, Ontario in early 1971. Photo from the Scott Garrett Collection.

The Hog Bay Trestle in 1972, one year after its abandonment. Photo by Hans Lieferink.

Mar 4, 1971: the last Canadian Pacific train creaks and groans over the much-photographed Hog Bay trestle at Port McNicoll, ON. CP boat trains had run between Toronto and Port McNicoll every summer until the passenger lake steamboat service ended in 1965. 1/2

A stern view of the SS Cayuga steaming through Toronto Harbour circa 1935, with the Royal York Hotel and Toronto Union Station visible in the background at right. City of Toronto Archives.

SS Cayuga would go on to carry hundreds of thousands of people across Lake Ontario to Niagara-on-the-Lake and Queenston for over 50 years. The Cayuga was retired in 1957, the last passenger steamship to operate out of Toronto. 3/3

An aerial view of Niagara Falls from the Canadian side circa 1935. Library and Archives of Canada.

The ferry docks at Port Dalhousie, circa 1920. A steamboat is docked at right while passengers stand onshore and two electric cars of the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto sit at the ferry dock track at centre-left. Library and Archives of Canada.

Niagara Falls was—and is—one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world and many Torontonians enjoyed spending the day there. They could take a steamship across the lake and board electric cars of the Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto Railway to reach the Falls. 2/3

A hand-tinted postcard image of the Niagara Navigation Company steamboat Cayuga circa 1910, seen broadside with a tree-covered shoreline behind her.

Mar 3, 1906: the new 2,196 ton lake steamer "Cayuga" is christened at the Canadian Shipbuilding Company at the foot of Bathurst Street. The Niagara Navigation Co. steamship was the largest ever built for Toronto day trips. NNC became part of Canada Steamship Lines in 1913. 1/3

The former CPR official car Saskatchewan on indoor display at Exporail, the Canadian Railway Museum, in St-Constant, Quebec in 2015. A statue of W.C. Van Horne stands on the end platform. Photo by Jean-Guy Duc.

Van Horne retained the car even after he became president of the CPR in 1888 and the "Saskatchewan" was a frequent visitor to Toronto. The car is now one of the prize exhibits at the Canadian Railway Museum, Exporail, in St-Constant, QC. 3/3

CPR official car Saskatchewan at Windsor Station in Montreal in 1897, with a group of men and women posed around the car. The event was a visit by Joseph Lister, Baron Lister, and family, to Canada, when they were given use of the car for their travels. Photo by William Notman & Son, Wellcome Library, London, Wellcome Images. Available under Creative Commons attribution only license via Wikimedia Commons.

When William Cornelius Van Horne was appointed VP in 1884, "Saskatchewan" became his official car, and remained so for the rest of his life. The car was present at many pivotal events in Canadian history, including the driving of the Last Spike at Craigellachie, BC in 1885. 2/3

One of two known photos of CPR business car "Saskatchewan" before its 1901 modernization. This image shows the car at Stoney Creek, BC on May 17, 1894, on the occasion of the opening of the new steel bridge at that location. A large group of men is posed at the rear of the car, among them William Cornelius Van Horne, standing on a step leading down from the car's rear platform. Photo by Robert R. Bruce, Glenbow Library and Archives Collection, University of Calgary.

Mar 2, 1883: the Barney & Smith Manufacturing Co. of Dayton, Ohio, delivers a new official car to the Canadian Pacific Railway's Hochelaga Shops in Montreal. CP named the new car "Saskatchewan" and assigned it for the use of the company vice-president. 1/3