Toronto Railway Historical Association

Just how did they move that coaling tower?

Click on each picture for a closer look!

.

The date is January 23rd 1995. Skydome is up and running. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is yet to be built. Bremner Boulevard does not yet fully exist and it is moving day for the John St Roundhouse coaling tower. ETARCO was the contractor. They are now part of Mammoet (http://www.mammoet.com/). They sure put a lot of wheels under there! In the left hand picture, the riggers begin to set up and the Royal York Hotel can be seen in the background. In the picture at centre left, the lift structures and the first jeep are in place. The pciture at centre right shows the entire rig in place next to stall 32 after the move with the three tractors lined up and Skydome in the background. The last photo is an impressive aerial shot from the CN Tower observation deck showing the roundhouse with the coaling tower in its new location. The old turntable pit with the bridge still in place but without any rails or ties. Stalls one to eleven are just beginning the de-construction process. The stall 1 north wall is invisible behind scaffolding and tarps. Cabin "D" is visible at the west end of the turntable and the CPR stores building, mid left, still stands. Just to the upper right of Cabin D is the tool shed about to be moved into stall 27.

.

by Michael Guy, TRHA with photos provided courtesy of Ken Musselman of Mammoet.

Salvaging a power cable hoist!

Click on each photo for a closer look!

.

Today a TRHA rigging crew salvaged a compressed-air powered cable hoist from high above stall 21 for future use in the museum. Previously used by the CPR for diesel locomotive maintenance, the hoist was mounted on an "L" shaped I-beam track suspended from the beams and purlins of the roundhouse's wooden roof structure. The photos show the hoist on its way down from the track to a storage skid via a conveniently located hatch in a work platform as well as details of the makers plate on the track.

.

by Michael Guy, TRHA

Working in the wheel pits!

Click on each picture for a closer look!

.

Today, Dave W and I spent close to six hours at the roundhouse removing the remaining pit covers, steel work platforms and the bridge rails for stall 28 from the large wheel drop pit. The pit now looks as it does in the attached photograph looking north from the stall 27 end. At the stall 29 end, and beneath the west end of the service pit we found a large drainage tunnel. This is one of four originally installed as extensions of stalls 7, 20, 24 and 29. They each run to a sump just outside the perimeter wall. The stall 24 tunnel runs to a sump but it is below the machine shop floor slab. The bridge rails, pit jack rails and ladders will be salvaged for use in the museum.

.

By Michael Guy, TRHA

Opening up the Whitcomb for servicing ...

Click on each picture for a closer look!

.

Today a TRHA crew braved -26C wind chill to start maintenance on the CLC-W locomotive's rear engine. Inside the roundhouse, with the sun shining through the south windows, the temperature was pleasant and high enough that we could work without gloves. Bob D., Dave W. and new member Todd S. used Elwell-the-Crane to lift the rear hood off and then removed the middle set of engine doors on both sides. Once access was clear we removed the three air cleaners, the radiator fan and finally the coolant circulating pump which requires a new shaft seal. The air cleaners appear to be completely choked with oily black dirt, suggesting this might be one reason the engine won't run.

The rear engine is a Cummins six cylinder diesel model HBI-600 built in 1950. It has been retrofitted with a type PT fuel pump. To the right of the engine and bolted to it is a Westinghouse traction generator.

by Michael Guy, TRHA; Pictures by Dave Wetherald

Movin' them out!

Click on each picture for a closer look!

.

.
Today, a TRHA crew, assisted by a PNR track crew, moved four vehicles from the roundhouse via the turntable on to temporary storage tracks in Roundhouse Park. A length of "snap track" was moved from stall to stall to connect the roundhouse tracks to the turntable as needed. The vehicles moved were: Toronto's first electric streetcar Peter Witt #2300, the TH&B caboose, the CPR heavyweight sleeper "Jackman" and the business car "Cape Race". Our little CLC-Whitcomb industrial locomotive handled the work with no difficulty despite it still having only one of its two engines operational. Operations early in the day were hampered by a foot of heavy, wet snow which had to be cleared from the turntable deck and the track in the pit. We discovered that wet snow like this is quite capable of stopping the turntable from rotating."
.

by Michael Guy, TRHA; Photos by Dave Wetherald & Michael Guy