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Caption: 6/02/21 GO MP54AC #668 is shoving hard on its consists as it heads up the Newmarket Sub towards Barrie, Ont. The locomotive is just passing Wallace Ave, in The Junction area of Toronto. The big water tower in the background has an interesting history.
Canadian General Electric (CGE) Ward Street Works plant in Toronto's Junction-Wallace Emerson neighbourhood, which is famous for its towering wooden water tower.
The factory, built in the early 1920s at 224 Wallace Avenue, once manufactured lamp bases and electrical supplies. It has since been transformed into vibrant creative, studio, and commercial spaces. The old plant even served as the former home of video game developer Ubisoft.
The CGE complex is best known for a few distinct, prominent local landmarks:
* The Wooden Water Tower: It is one of the very last original wooden water towers still standing in the city. The City of Toronto gave it heritage status in 1993.
* The Ghost Sign: Painted high atop the water tower is a faded, historic sign that reads, "Canadian General Electric Company Limited - Ward Street Works."
This photo will never be seen again due to the Metrolinx expansion of the Newmarket Sub. If you visit today, they have installed a second track. Sarting at Bloor St the double track rises up to a grade that eliminated the very busy CP/CN diamond at West Toronto. The times, they are a changin
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Wow. What history! Excellent photo and write up Phil.
It’s nice to feature the CGE Ward St. Works. There were about three different CGE factories in the area back in the day: Ward St. Works here, Royce Works (mostly redeveloped, at the NW corner of Dupont and Lansdowne SE of Davenport diamond. Dupont used to be named Royce, hence the name), and the CGE Davenport Works along Lansdowne (west side) between the CPR and Davenport (originally Canada Foundry, known for its long “head houses”, the northern one of which remains). All had sidings and received rail service back in the day.
There was also a very tight connecting track between CP and CN at Davenport diamond that served a siding on the Royce Works plant and American Standard. A lot of that stuff was cleared out or redeveloped in the 2000′s.
Thanks Dan. Appreciated. That’s on of the advantages or working on the railroad or around trains all day as I am now. The right place at the right time as it is for most of us. I don’t think i could chase trains like some of us do. I will wait for them to come to me
P.S the area where i took this shot has a lot of history
Mr.Dan, thanks for the info. I remember much about the area when I hired on in 81. So much has changed over the years. I definitely remember the small connecting track at the diamond. We used to put cars of Koalin in American Standard for the toilets. We also put cars in Nestle for chocolate. My most favourite memory was when we had come from the Don yard to switch an industry just south of the diamond. Right in the middle of making our moves the locomotive just shut down! I did everything i could to get that engine started but it still did not start. So i went to check the fuel gage and low and behold the gage showed empty
They had to send a locomotive from Mac Yrd to rescue us.
An interesting fact. I think that every road crossing i have had to go through required the use of a horn or a bell or both, but the road crossing at Wallace Ave, we were not allowed to ring the bell because there was a recording studio beside the track. Definitely a first for me!
Interesting account Phil! Did you ever go around that American Standard siding that went through one building and came out alongside Lansdowne?
I remember putting cars in American Standard, but never going through the building