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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.