New E-Book - The Relocation of CNR 6213 to Roundhouse Park!
Click on each image for a closer look! . Michael Guy has provided us with the above dramatic shot of #6213. He reports that it is "a night photo of 6213 floodlit on the turntable with the city lights behind. Superimposed is a multiple reflection of the Leon's roundhouse store interior showing the wood columns and roof. This is one shot taken from inside the glass with a Nikon P80 with a 4.7mm lens at f/2.8, 1/15 sec." Below we also have a recent pair of fine pictures of #6213 in repose at the CPR Roundhouse by Lance Gleich. . These are timely pictures as the TRHA is also proud to introduce a fine 12 page e-book (electronic book) prepared for us by Richard McQuade with the assistance of R. Sandusky, G. Kingsland and B. Dickson to commemorate the move of #6213 from the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Grounds to its new home at the John St. CPR Roundhouse in 2009. We thank all of the owners of the photos in the e-book for their permission to use them. . To view, download or print this e-book, visit our new Resources page on the TRHA website by clicking here. . Posting by Russ Milland .
Historic Note: The Beautiful Josephine by John Loye
Click on each image for a closer look! . This article appeared in the Upper Canada Railway Society newsletter Number 6 in March 1942. John Loye was born in Montreal in 1880 and was one of the founding members and the first president of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association in 1932. He was a devoted amateur historian and his florid writing style is more reminiscent of the early 18th than the mid-20th century. Loye was a technical designer and created the logo still used by the CRHA. He died in Montreal in 1962.
The Beautiful Josephine by John Loye . This famous locomotive with the intriguing name must ever live in the railroad traditions of Toronto. As among living beings, so also among locomotives have been found those which attain the fame and renown above the ordinary plane of their fellows. . When we speak of the Josephine it brings to our minds the indigenous scenes of Toronto of another and picturesque day. We can dwell with others in the atmosphere of the 'fifties again, when the busy new railway station at the foot of Bay Street resounded with the traffic of the trains, the clangour of the engine bells, and breathed the wafted odor of burning tamarac blowing from proud and prominent balloon-stacks. When the buff and brown facade of the Rossin House (now the Prince George Hotel) rose rich and new at King and York Streets, and an aspect of new-found glory opened to the Queen City of the west. . The Josephine in every way deserved her fame. She was the highest expression of locomotive design of the time of her production, 1853. We have often wondered how it came that this particular engine was so superb and superior. Was it that special specifications governed her design and dimensions? It was this super-excellence in size and construction, and beauty and symmetry of proportions, that marked the Josephine is an engine the lone of her kind. . Josephine was a big engine for her time, and as big as they came up until the 'seventies. She was as smart in performance as in appearance, and, in truth, was far too good for the rail she had to run on. No one ever knew how fast this engine could go. They could never let her out to the limit of her speed on the tracks of the Ontario, Simcoe on Huron, or the Northern of a later day. . This big and beautiful "narrow-back" with her tilted cylinders and six foot wheels, was built by John Brandt of Paterson, New Jersey. Why the designer and builder of such a magnificent engine should fail to make good in the field of his profession excites wonderment. Was it that he was ahead of the times? . There were several locomotive works flourishing in Paterson at that time and competition was keen. It has been said that Brandt put everything he had into the Josephine in order to win additional orders. Maybe so, for he did get subsequent orders from the OS&H; but whether or not; he did himself proud when he produced the beautiful Josephine. . The engine was remarkable always because of the ornamental cab it bore, with three gothic windows and each side, the only example of its kind to be seen around Toronto. It has been said that it was made entirely of mahogany. Of this we are uncertain, but it was elaborately molded and mitered, and in true architectural design. . When first delivered to the OS&H in 1853, the engine must have been grand in appearance. The boiler lagging was of the silvery hue, and the two steam-domes were like burnished gold. There was a planitude of bright silver and brass trimmings. These gave a glittering appearance in the sunshine. Even up to the day the Josephine was broken up, about 1880, it retained that air of superb distinction that made it an object to admire and forever remember -- the beautiful Josephine. . (Mr. John Loye is the secretary of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association and was for eight years president. He, one of Canada's leading figures in the field of railway history, wrote this comment on request in order that our members might know more of the engine that is incorporated into the design of our insignia.) . IMAGES . #1 - Northern No. 3, decorated with Union Jacks and deer antlers, poses on the turntable south of Front Street circa 1860. In an era when railway engines received individual names, this was the 'Josephine', probably named for or by its longtime engineer Josiah Huckett, the dapper looking gentleman seen leaning on his engine. With its enormous 72" driving wheels, this was the fastest engine in the NRC roster. . #2 - The front of the locomotive was incorporated into the logo of the Upper Canada Railway Society. . #3 - Loye also designed the CRHA logo, which incorporated the Dorchester, the first steam locomotive to operate in Canada. . #4 - In 1932, Loye drew this sketch of the Toronto, the first steam locomotive built in Canada. . #5 - In 2000, the Royal Canadian Mint incorporated Loye's sketch as a holographic image in its $20 coin commemorating the Toronto. . Posting by Derek Boles, TRHA Historian .
TRHA Adds a New "Resources" Section to our Website!
Click on each image for a closer look! . The TRHA has now added a RESOURCES section (see the image of the RESOURCES page at the left!) to our website. Here we will providing downloadable documents and other files of interest. Our first downloadable resource is the Guide to Railfanning in the Toronto area which we first made available in a News Posting on May 26th, 2009. Here is a reprint of that post: .
"The TRHA has been often asked if they have a guide for the rail fan who plans to visit Toronto and the surrounding area. Derek Boles, our TRHA historian, has produced just such a guide. . It is now available to you simply by clicking on the link on the RESOURCES page and either opening it up for viewing as a PDF (and then printing it or saving it to your computer) or for downloading and saving directly to your computer for future reference or printing it so that you can take it with you. Downloading the document has been tested on the three major browsers - Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari." . The new RESOURCES page can be found at the right hand end of the menu across the top of our web pages. Or you can go directly there by clicking here. . Posted by Russ Milland, TRHA .
Weekend Work Report: Crossing Signal Mast Installed!
Click on each picture for a closer look! . Despite forecasts of a rainy day, our work party had sun all morning and it didn't rain until after they were finished. . As we see in the pictures above, the major project was the installation of the crossing signal mast in Roundhouse Park. This project took most of the day as pulling the necessary cables required a pull line be run into the electrical conduit from the post to Cabin D. The conduit was full of water and it took a long while to get it drained. The 'approved technique' for running the string is to tie a bit of plastic to the end and suck it through the conduit with a vacuum cleaner! This works like a charm except when there is water inside. . Meanwhile, back in the machine shop, couple of team members conintued to work on the switches one of which is now finally finished and is ready to place. The next switch which is heading for the northern end of the station platforms is only a half day away from being done also. . Posting and pictures by Michael Guy & Justin Perry . .
Don Loucks wins CAHP Award for Work on the John St. Roundhouse!
Click on the image for a closer look! . Don Loucks, heritage architect with IBI Group, has been awarded the 2009 Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) award for adaptive reuse of a heritage building for his work on the John Street Roundhouse. The award was presented to Loucks at the combined Heritage Canada Foundation and CAHP annual awards ceremony at Toronto's Artscape Wychwood Barns on Friday, September 25. . Loucks received the award for his work on the conservation and adaptive reuse of the John Street Roundhouse National Historic Site of Canada, a heritage landmark in downtown Toronto. The roundhouse, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1929, has been completely rehabilitated and adapted to house a Leon's furniture store, the Steam Whistle Brewery and the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre. . CAHP was founded in 1987 to represent the interests of professional practitioners in many related fields of heritage conservation in Canada. The CAHP awards have been presented annually since 2005 and are intended to honour exceptional work by members of the association. . Posting by Andrew Jeanes; Photo by Norm Betts
Historic Note: #6218 Begins Excursion Service on this Date in 1964!
Click on each picture for a closer look! .
As mentioned in earlier TRHA News postings, Derek Boles, TRHA's historian, publishes a daily posting on the Toronto Railway Heritage Yahoo Group List. These postings document major events in Canadian history that happened on that day of the year. In today's posting, one of the items was: . September 26, 1964: . Canadian National steam locomotive No. 6218 makes her debut as anexcursion locomotive on a UCRS sponsored trip between Toronto and Scotia Junction, north of Huntsville. The locomotive was paired in a double header with soon to be retired Northern No. 6167. 6218 was probably CN's most famous excursion engine, its range extending from Chicago, Illinois to Portland, Maine. After the engine was retired in 1971, it was stored at Spadina Roundhouse and then donated to the Fort Erie Railway Museum where it receives indifferent care. . If you wish to read these daily postings from Derek, simply join the Yahoo Group by clicking here. . The pictures above by John Vincent show CNR #6218 in action on an excursion on the Beeton Subdivision on February 19th, 1967. . Posting by Russ Milland; Pictures by John Vincent
Click on each picture for a closer look! . In the images at left, our restoration contractor, Tom Murison, has begun replacement of the doors and windows in the coaling tower. These are new-built replicas of the original steel-framed pane windows. . Posting and pictures by Michael Guy
Historical Note: CPR 1057 Arrives at Tottenham - Part 2 of 2
Click on the image for a closer look! . Further to the first part of this posting where we shared John Mellow's pictures of #1057 in the 1970's with you as well as Derek Boles' posting of the anniversary of her first steaming up again at the South Simcoe Railway, we are bringing you a picture of #1057 as part of a triple header. The picture is from a great webpage at yourrailwaypictures.com developed by John MacDonald where he features a number of great pictures of CPR steam locomotives. . John Mellow, a member of the TRHA Board, also offers the following brief history of #1057: . "Former Canadian Pacific Railway D10h 4-6-0 No. 1057 was built by Montreal Locomotive Works in December of 1912 and served the company until 1959. During this period, the engine was assigned to Northern Ontario until the mid point of 1938, when it saw service out of Swift Current Saskatchewan for five months. In March 1956, 1057 was transferred to the Ontario District. Assigned to Lambton, it worked many lines such as Owen Sound and Havelock until her retirement in 1959. On May 1st 1960, along with 136 and 815, 1057 provided railfans with an opportunity to experience a triple-headed steam excursion from Toronto to Orangeville and return. . Later in 1960 she was purchased by the Regal Stationary Company, and placed on display adjacent to their plant in Leaside. In 1970 she was sold to Mr. Herb Hanson of Chicago. At this point 1057 arrived at John St. roundhouse for mechanical and cosmetic restoration. While this work was being done, Ontario Rail Association purchased 1057 from Mr. Hansen in 1973, and did a complete restoration of the engine as ORA volunteers worked side by side with CPR roundhouse staff. The ORA’s inaugural trip using 1057 took place on May 27th 1973 from West Toronto to Orangeville and return, carrying 270 passengers at a fare of just $19.00 each. Locomotive 1057 operated in excursion service until the summer of 1977 when it operated from Guelph to Goderich and return to mark the latter's sesquicentennial. From 1973 to 1977, she operated on mainline and branchline trackage of not only the CPR, but also that of the CNR and the TH&B. For a three year period, 1057 was the power for the steam train operation between Ottawa and Wakefield, sponsored by the Federal Government. In recent years, 1057 has seen limited use as backup power for 136 on the South Simcoe Railway in Tottenham Ontario, and both locomotives remain out of service at this writing." . Posting by Russ Milland
Click on each picture for a closer look! . In the picture at the upper left, we see that progress continues on the restoration of Cabin D and it begins to return to its former glory. . The next two pictures above capture a meeting held to discuss the restoration of the cabin D lever frame. In the image at the right, former leverman Derrick Dewar who worked at Cabin 'D' is shown with John Mellow, TRHA board member and former agent at Don Station. John is taking notes on uses of particular levers and operations at the Cabin. Orin Krivel, TRHA President, is seen in the middle photo discussing the work with Mac, our machinist, who has been contracted to do the restoration work. . Finally, in the pictures below, we get a close-up view of the British-built Saxby and Farmer lever frame from Cabin D. The large levers were used to physically move railway track switches from one setting to another and to control signal lights. The operation of the railway was made safe by the large mechanical 'computer' attached to the lever frame that disallowed the levermen from setting switches so that trains could collide. The lever mechanism is undergoing restoration this winter for display in the restored cabin in 2010. . Remarkably, this mechanical type of system continues to be in use within the Toronto Terminal Railways system but is finally being replaced by new computer controlled electrically operated systems. . Posting and pictures by Michael Guy . .
Historical Note: CPR 1057 Arrives at Tottenham - Part 1 of 2
Click on each picture for a closer look! . As mentioned in earlier TRHA News postings, Derek Boles, TRHA's historian, publishes a daily posting on the Toronto Railway Heritage Yahoo Group List. These postings document major events in Canadian history that happened on that day of the year. In today's posting, one of the items was: . "September 22, 1997: . At Tottenham, ex-Canadian Pacific D10h No. 1057 is brought up to pressure and operated under her own steam for the first time in twenty years. Built in 1912, the locomotive had been restored and serviced at the John Street roundhouse in the 1970s. Along with ex-CP No. 136, the South Simcoe Railway used the locomotive on its excursions between Tottenham and Beeton." . If you wish to read these daily postings from Derek, simply join the Yahoo Group by clicking here. . John Mellow, a TRHA Board member, has provided us with images of #1057 in her Credit Valley RR livery in the 1970's at the Roundhouse. In the picture at the upper left, #1057 moves out of the Roundhouse on October 13th, 1973. In the middle picture, #1057 is parked beside the Roundhouse in May of 1973. In the image at the right, #1057 is passing the coaling tower in October of 1976. . #1057 was in operation at the South Simcoe Railway until 2006. Since then, the engine has been out of operation for major repairs. The video below shows #1057 in action during her last operating season. . Watch for an imminent further posting on the history of #1057! . Posting by Russ Milland; Pictures by John Mellow. .
Click on each picture for a closer look! . . We hope to be able to re-occupy our three museum stalls soon as the renovations get much closer to completion. Contractors have completed installation of a new wooden roof purlin above stall 15 as we see in the picture at upper right. In the middle picture, we find the electricians at work pulling cables into the new power conduits. . In the final picture, we find the early morning sun catching locomotives #1 and #6213 from the east across the turntable. . Posting and pictures by Michael Guy
The Huntsville and Lake of Bays RR Donates a Treasure Trove to the TRHC!
Click on each picture for a closer look! . The Huntsville and Lakes of Bays Railway is a wonderful small railway which operates in Huntsville, Ontario. Among its rolling stock are the steam locomotives and open passenger cars used by the original railways to move passengers from one set of Muskoka lakes to another. This year, the railway is not operational due to reconstruction work at an adjoining community centre in preparation for the G8 Summit to be held at the nearby Deerhurst Lodge in June of 2010. . This summer, they are also cleaning up their area as they rebuilt their rail yard. As part of this effort, they generously invited the TRHA to examine their stockpiles of railway artefacts and choose what we might wish to transfer to our museum. As we see in the pictures above, Michael Guy led an expedition to fetch what we felt was valuable for our use. The parts acquired also included two speeder axles complete with wheels and bearings, a functional 35 ton x 5-inch lift screw jack, three non-functional but restorable fifty-ton jacks, a complete two-wheel CNR baggage cart, a small locomotive headlight and and assortment of small "will come in useful someday" stuff that no museum should be without. . On Saturday, after we unloaded close to a ton of this rusty stuff, our Saturday crew proceeded to clean and assemble the crossing signal mast shown in the photos below, taking it down to bare metal and sound paint with angle grinders. They then applied two coats of aluminum paint. The result was excellent. One of our TRHA crew's relations was a signal maintainer so he was able to advise us on the refinishing of the black bits which were always just flat-black paint. The crossing signal is now ready for duty in Roundhouse Park. . Out in Roundhouse Park itself, a TRHA paint team added two yellow safety stripes along the platforms surrounding the miniature railway tracks much like subway platforms have. Another TRHA volunteer beavered away on miniature switch work in the machine shop.
Click on each picture for a closer look! . Modern diesel-electric engines are essentially powered by very large diesel motors driving a massive generator. This power plant provides electrical power on demand as needed by the locomotive to pull a train. The electric motors which drive the engine are an integral part of the trucks on which the engine rides. Two spare diesel electric trucks which are suitable as replacement rrucks for the CPR switchers at the Roundhouse have been stored inside the Roundhouse for decades. Last June, they were pulled from the Roundhouse and stored outside to allow for Roundhouse renovations. Above we find some closeup pictures of these trucks. . Posting and pictures by Russ Milland
Click on each picture for a closer look! . Norm Betts, the professional photographer who has been documenting the development of Roundhouse Park in photos, has sent this great panoramic shot of Roundhouse Park now that the laying of the sod has pretty much been completed and with it the reconstruction sof the park's grounds. As we sweep from left to right, we see:
Bremner Boulevard with the downtown city skyline behind it
Cabin D, the Tool Shed and Don Station
The Roundhouse itself with the growing wall of condominiums behind it
The CPR #7020 switcher and our CLC Whitcomb on the turntable
Our CNR 4-8-4 #6213 Steam Engine in front of the coaling tower
The Rogers Centre (formerly Skydome)
In the variation on this picture seen below, we can see how the picture was taken using a "cherry picker". Here we see Mike Veri, the roundhouse site construction supervisor, operating the unit. . Posting by Russ Milland; Pictures by Norm Betts .
The Tool Shed Gets a Chimney & The Train Shed Grows Walls!
Click on each picture for a closer look! . In the picture at the upper left, we see that the chimney on the tool shed has now been rebuilt while construction continues on Cabin D behind it. In the other two pictures above, the scaffolding used to allow the workmen to build the concrete walls of the train shed are shown. Below we see both ends of the train shed after the scaffolding has been removed. . Posting by Russ Milland; Pictures by Lance Gleich & Michael Guy .
Click on each picture for a closer look! . With the mainline track pretty much complete except for a few crossings and switches, our TRHA crews have been working steadily for the past week to complete the wye which connects the mainline tracks to the miniature railway's turntable and train shed. Being a wye, it will also allow us to turn trains around. In the above pictures we see the progress that has been made towards preparing the wye tracks for concrete pours to set them in place. . Posting by Russ Milland; Pictures by Lance Gleich & Michael Guy
