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Work Progresses on Several Fronts!
    Click on each picture for a closer look!
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In the past week, a number of tasks were completed by those hired to renovate the roundhouse. Let look at some of them in the pictures above (from left to right). .
At the left, we see the turntable pit rim being re-waterproofed in preparation for the completion of all of the radial tracks from the turntable to the roundhouse doors. In the next picture, we see a new steel mezzanine under construction for Leon's going up at the south end of stall 18. In the next picture, this odd bit of kit is a vacuum machine engaged in removing stone from the roof in advance of major re-waterproofing work.
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Finally we find Mike and his crew finishing off the caps to both remaining steam locomotive wheel-drop service pits. There is a steel "floor" under the concrete to allow the pits to be re-opened in the future should that be required. According to policy, all changes to the heritage fabric of this National Historic Site for temporary tenant purposes must be reversible.
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Text and Pictures by Michael Guy
Moving Cabin D Closer to its New Home!
      .. . . Click on each picture for a closer look! .
Cabin D once stood beside the mainline just west of Bathurst Street and controlled the approaches to the Toronto Rail Lands.
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Yesterday afternoon Cabin D was moved from its long time parking spot behind the roundhouse (as shown in the photo at the upper right) to the centre of the park close to its new foundation. While we knew it was to move soon - the movers dollies have been underneath for a week - it was a surprise with only a half-hours notice that yesterday was the day. .
The route taken was north along the access road, east on the sidewalk past the coaling tower and then east and slightly south to the park centre. The pictures above show the Cabin at various points in its brief journey.
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The cabin will remain where it is in the photo at the lower right above, on its wheels, for a few days while some earth moving occurs around the foundation after which it will be placed permanently and then undergo renovation. .
Pictures and text by Michael Guy, TRHA
Working on the Walls of the Roundhouse!
   Click on each picture for a closer look!. Carlos and his team of expert bricklayers have been making repairs to the roundhouse brickwork using original "heritage" brick stored in the roundhouse for many years. In rhe photo at right Stall 21 gets a sweep after the service pit concrete work is complete. . Pictures and Text by Michael Guy, TRHA
Christmas Train Show a Great Success!
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The general impression after the two-day show was that people are delighted that the museum is moving ahead and they are impressed with the level of progress accomplished thus far. Since most people have not seen the extensive renovations and remedial work inside of the Roundhouse since Doors Open in May, the restoration and installation of the turntable was probably the single and most highly visible accomplishment that has demonstrated that the museum is well on track. . The highlight of the TRHA exhibit was the updated and current Park Plan. People have been looking at conceptual drawings for years and it was thrilling to be able to share a plan that was backed up by a high degree of political certitude. . Another highlight of the show was the display of photographs by Norm Betts. Norm is a highly skilled professional photographer hired to document the changes to the Roundhouse during the construction phase. Huge prints of Norm's photographs were on display and they attracted people from all over the exhibition hall. Several visitors mentioned that they would love to be able to purchase poster size prints of Norm's work. . Orin Krivel, Michael Guy, Derek Boles and Dave Wetherald were responsible for organizing and manning the TRHA display at the 2008 Toronto Christmas Train Show and it was considered an outstanding success by all concerned. In addition to providing a high profile for the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, the show is also the premier social event in Toronto for rail enthusiasts and the TRHA always welcomes to opportunity to greet old friends and make new ones. . In the picture at the left, Dave, Derek and Orin man the TRHA booth during a quiet moment at the Train Show. In the middle picture, Dave explains the new park plan to a visitor at the Christmas Train Show. In the picture at the right, Michael, Orin and Derek pose for the camera. . Text and pictures by Derek Boles, TRHA
Take Me to the Train Show!
   Click on Each Picture for a Closer Look!
. On Thursday, Dave, Wilson and Michael completed a final clean-up of remaining artefacts from stalls 18 to 32 and moved them to our storage area. Then, as you can see in the upper left photo, Dave set off with the newly painted speeder for the Train Show at the International Centre near the airport. On Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m., he finally arrived at the show and put the speeder on display at the Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers' Booth as you can see in the middle photo. In the photo at right, we see Dave resting after his ordeal at the TRHA booth and working with Derek to illuminate a visitor on the wonders of our project. . Text by Russ Milland; Roundhouse photo by Michael Guy; Train Show photos by Lance Gleich
The Christmas Train Show Happens This Weekend!
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. The largest annual train show in the Toronto area is the Christmas Train Show. Once again, it will be held at the International Centre which can be found at the South-East corner of Derry Road and Airport Road. Parking is free. The show dates are Saturday, November 22nd from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday November 23rd from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Hall 3. . The pictures above are from the 2007 show. At the left is the Woodings Speeder co-owned by Michael G. and Russ M. of the TRHA. The next photo sees Jon H. and Dave L. of our TRHA train simulation team demonstrating the fully simulated Toronto Rail Lands from 1955 which will be featured in our new museum. Next we see one the many exquisite micro-layouts displayed by the Narrow Gauge Madness group. Finally, we find Jon H. of our simulations team admiring 7 1/4" gauge miniature railway engines from the Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers. Soon, engines like these will be pulling trainloads of visitors in our own Roundhouse Park. Admission to the Train Show this weekend is: Adults -$12.00; Seniors - $10.00; Youth (6-12) - $4.00 and children under 6 - free. BUT note that if you visit the show organizers' website at http://www.antiquetoys.ca, you can click on the coupon with the train on it to expand it and then either download it for printing or print it off directly. Bring the printed copy with you to reduce your admission price by $2.00. We anticipate that the official Roundhouse Park Plan will be released for public review tomorrow. So expect to be sharing this exciting plan with visitors to the show. So do come to the show and visit us at the TRHA booth. . Text and pictures by Russ Milland, TRHA
Putting a Lid on the Service Pits!
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. As part of the continuing renovation of the roundhouse interior, the remaining open service pits from stall 18 to 32 that were not filled in by the CPR years ago are now being covered over. The method used is steel decking, rebar and six inch thick concrete to match the rail height. Rails are being left in place and the whole "lid" over each pit can be removed in the future if there is a need to restore the service pits. The white pipes are connections to the new sanitary drain system installed below the floor. . Text and pictures by Michael Guy, TRHA
Sprucing Up the Speeder!
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. Yesterday's work bash went swimmingly and not only due to the rain! Thanks to Lance, Richard M., James R., Ron, Jason P., Michael and Dan, the speeder got a rub down and first coat of paint, we have two new fluorescent light fixtures working and the velocipede gang made a start on identifying the remains of a velocipede in our possession. . Speeders were a part of the evolution of railway vehicles which could carry railway maintenance crews along the right of way to check for problems and to do minor maintenance. They were simple vehicles driven by small one cylinder gasoline engines. The speeder in our possession was rescued from a deteriorating barn in eastern Ontario a few years ago by Michael Guy and Russ Milland of the TRHA. Our speeder is in very good condition and it is quite likely that we will be able to bring it back into operation in due course. . Text by Russ Milland; Pictures by James Rasor and Michael Guy
Preparing Don Station for the Move to Roundhouse Park!
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. . As many of you are aware, the historic Don Station , once located on the banks of the Don River south of Queen St. is currently located at the Todmorden Mills Historic site in the Don Valley. Preparations are currently underway to move the station to Roundhouse Park. . In the picture at the left, we see that the station has had its foundation dug out in preparation for this move. The gentleman on the left is John Mellow, an operator at Don in the mid-1960s and the TRHA advisor on the restoration of the station. Behind him is TRHA President Orin Krivel, well disguised in his camouflage outfit and ready for duck hunting season. In the centre picture we see a work crew discussing the move. In the right hand picture, we see that the new foundation in Roundhouse Park is ready for the move. The station's turret, will be located at the upper left of the foundation. . Text and Pictures by Derek Boles, TRHA
Sending the Tool Shed Off for Restoration!
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. Last Sunday, the Cabin D tools shed was moved out of the roundhouse and taken away for restoration. In the photo at the left, we see the building with its roof removed and wrapped for transport, halfway out onto the truck. In the middle picture, we have a view from the outside of the roundhouse with Tom Murison using a lever to adjust the load. Finally, in the picture at the right, we find yours truly on the forklift assisting Tom with the process of removing rollers from under the shed base. Tom is the expert in restoration of heritage building who has been hired to restore the building to its former glory. . Text and pictures by Michael Guy, TRHA
Completing the Machine Shop Access Ramp!
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. This week, the concrete was poured for the new machine shop access ramp. In these pictures we see craftsman Claudio putting the finishing touches to the ramp. . Text and pictures by Michael Guy, TRHA
Establishing Access to the Machine Shop!
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On Thursday of last week, work started on a concrete access ramp to the west entrance doors of the machine shop space. This will provide us with easy access to this area of the roundhouse.
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Text and pictures by Michael Guy, TRHA
Rebuilding Our Artifact Storage Racks!
   Click on each picture for a closer look!. Last weekend, we had a great turn out for this weekend's work crew. Thanks to Arno M., Bob D., James R., Dave W., Dave Flinn, Richard M., and Ron H. for getting a lot accomplished with dispatch and lots of applied skill. . The work effort this weekend was focused on clean up and organization of the machine shop space. This included re-erecting part of the old stall 31 shelf unit for artifact storage against the south wall of the machine shop. The heavy shelf timbers are of straight grained fir and pine with few knots, making them ideal for this purpose. We loaded half of the storage unit with some of the palletized artifacts. . By Michael Guy; Pictures at left and right by Dave Flinn; Middle picture by Michael Guy
Work Continues on Multiple Fronts!
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. As of the end of this week, we see in the picture at the above left that the new locomotive door 'hold-open' posts are now complete. In the middle picture, progress on the interior plumbing system work is evident. In the picture at the right, we see that completed foundations for Don Station. Not shown but also complete are foundations for signal cabin D and its tool shed and the John Street crossing keeper's shanty. . Text and photos by Michael Guy
Stakeholders Meet to Manage Renovation of the Roundhouse!
 Click on Each Picture for a Closer Look! . Many different groups are involved in carrying out the many tasks required to make the renovation and restoration of the roundhouse happen. Representatives of these groups meet frequently in what are know as Stakeholder Meetings to work through the many challenges and issues that arise and to coordinate all of the work. Here we see some more fine photographs taken by professional photographer Norm Betts which capture a recent Stakeholder Meeting for posterity.
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Text by Russ Milland; Pictures by Norm Betts
From The Archives: Toronto & Miniature Railways
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. The pictures above are samples from a new feature of the TRHA website - our "From The Archives" area. Here, we will periodically post longer articles which begin to provide us with a rich portrait of the railway history of Toronto and the surrounding area. This feature can be access from any other page on our website by clicking on the "From The Archives" button on the upper right hand corner. . Miniature railways have played a part in Toronto's railway history for many, many years. Click here to read our article from our archives on this fascinating topic. . News posting by Russ Milland; Article by Derek Boles
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