Filey - Toronto Sketches 7

Toronto Sketches 7

Mike Filey

Copyright Mike Filey, 2003

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Copy-Editor: Andrea Pruss
Design: Jennifer Scott
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National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

Filey, Mike, 1941
Toronto sketches 7: the way we were / Mike Filey.

Columns from the Toronto Sunday Sun.
ISBN 1-55002-448-5

1. Toronto (Ont.) History. I. Title.

1 2 3 4 5 07 06 05 04 03

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Mike Fileys column The Way We Were has appeared in the Toronto Sunday Sun on a regular basis since 1975. Many of his earlier columns have been reproduced in volumes 1 through 6 of Dundurn Presss Toronto Sketches series. The columns in this book originally appeared in 1999 and 2000. Appended to each column is the date it first appeared as well as any relevant material that may have surfaced since that date.

On almost any day during the spring, summer, and fall (and to a lesser extent in the winter), Torontos waterfront is a place of intense hustle and bustle. In amongst all this activity, the ancient Canadian Pacific Railway roundhouse sits quietly on the edge of the citys new Roundhouse Park. It seems to be waiting for its chance to join in on the fun.

The roundhouse was built by the CPR in the late 1920s, replacing an earlier structure on the site that was erected in the later years of the nineteenth century. The new roundhouse had been prompted, in part, by the fact that Toronto would soon have a new Union Station, a massive project that had been talked about for years. Although the idea was first proposed in 1905 (with an opening scheduled for 1908), work on the new station didnt actually begin until the fall of 1914. Thirteen years later, on August 11, 1927, to be precise, the first passenger train departed the station, taking Edward, Prince of Wales, and his brother, Prince George, to Edwards ranch in Alberta. It would take another three years before the new station would be in full operation.

In total, a full quarter of a century had passed between the federal government ordering the railways to build a new Toronto railway station and the actual opening of the station to the general public. It was assumed that with that opening passenger traffic would increase tremendously. Therefore, to better service the increased number of locomotives that would be needed to haul the numerous Toronto-bound trains more efficiently, both the CPR and CNR decided to erect new state-of-the-art roundhouses. (The CNRs was located west of the CPR facility and was demolished to make way for SkyDome.) In addition to having thirty-two huge service bays, an integral part of the new CPR facility was a massive turntable on which the engine and tender that had recently arrived from the east could be turned after servicing. This action allowed the motive unit to exit into the service yard and couple up to an eastbound train, thereby eliminating the need to loop the train in the citys western suburbs. With the arrival of modern diesel engines (which require significantly less maintenance) and the subsequent move of the CPRs rambling servicing facilities to new yards northeast of the city, the old waterfront roundhouse and adjacent shops became redundant. After much negotiating, the city acquired ownership of the roundhouse and the adjacent property.

This view, taken exactly seventy years ago from the roof of the still incomplete Royal York Hotel, shows Canadian Pacific Railways new roundhouse, which is also under construction. Note the old baseball stadium at Hanlans Point on Toronto Island in the centre background and the new grain elevator that had recently been completed on land reclaimed from the bay. These two structures have been demolished.

Similar view, 1999.

Locomotive 5175 awaits servicing at the historic CPR roundhouse.

While this was going on, plans for the buildings reuse were being voiced. Not surprisingly, given the impact the railways have had on the development of our country and on the City of Toronto in particular, the most frequent suggestion was to convert the massive, one-hundred-thousand-square-foot building into a major railway museum. Some even suggested that it become a fully operational museum complete with daily steam train excursions from the museum site up the Don Valley. While no one could argue that this latter idea would be the most desirable end use, the tremendously large amount of money necessary to implement such a dream just wasnt there. Now an idea has surfaced that may just be the ticket to pumping new life into the complex. Steam Whistle Brewing Company is looking for a place to build a new microbrewery/pub/retail outlet. The owners have proposed establishing such a facility in a portion of the roundhouse. And theyve agreed that a percentage of business earnings would go to help fund a transportation museum that would be developed for the rest of the structure. I know the purists will flip over this idea. However, until some philanthropist comes along with very deep pockets, I think the Steam Whistle proposal should be explored further. Hopefully the new tenant will breathe life into an old building that needs all the help it can get.