Evocative Images of Lost Toronto

[steveintoronto]

7up was on the south side of Bloor; a bit of an oblique vista-finisher for Jane St. It's Goodyear that stood atop the Odeon Humber.

My slip-up, of course, the Goodyear sign.

There appears to be a huge amount of housing (to the left and background) in the photo dated only 1 year later.
Does that present a problem with the certainty of identification?

It did, but I continue to have doubts. The 'playing field' that the 'St Clair Carhouse' was built on was being rapidly developed at that time, and some of the southern tracks were sold off after the demise of the double-ended cars which were stored on the un-looped tracks.

Still researching...

Edit to Add: Getting a lot of pics, none definitive, but found an excellent map and description of the Eglinton Yards, and my hunch appears correct. Eglinton Yards storage track was aligned north-south, not east-west. Note the pic in question refers to "looking W". That may be a trifling error, or it may be the wrong picture...or the right pic of another yard.

Old Time Trains website:

Excellent text continues following in detail...
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/TTC/Eglinton_Car_House.htm

One of the more curious details leaning towards the pic being the Eglinton Yard is the trailers to the left of the pic, and on the far left, tow-motors, which were used for freight on the inter-urban to the north on Yonge, and at one time, down to the St Lawrence Market, TTC gauge track permitting, an era of history I'm only vaguely familiar with, but it must have been interesting times. Re-gauging, IIRC, took place all the way up to Sutton. Roncesvalles Yard also hosted tow-motors at one point, (I remember seeing one a few decades back, ostensibly used for track maintenance) so doubts still persist as to the details typed on that pic.

Toronto Public Library:

T.T.C., #Y 10 & Y 12, shunters, at Eglinton carhouse?
Salmon, James Victor (Canadian, 1911-1958)
Picture, 1940, English

Note the pantographs! Due to the short length of the 'shunters' the use of poles, one for each direction, would have been prohibitive. But the pantographs must have caused problems of their own...

 

[Goldie]

Looking N. on Bay St., from S. of Esplanade (c.1925-29)
Prof Goldie

Note the abundance of Fire Protection Water Towers, post 1904 - Great Fire of Toronto.

Regards,
J T

Interesting notation, JT, thanks............I count seven!

 

[W. K. Lis]

Children at Sunnyside street car in 1917.

Horrors, unsupervised children! Where's the Children Services to round them up?

 

[Goldie]

Touché, W.K. Lis.
Children once learned independence at an early age -- today many are afraid of independence even in their 20's.
Great photo, by the way! Thanks.

 

[W. K. Lis]

What are those, Grandpa?

 

[Anna]

My slip-up, of course, the Goodyear sign.
It did, but I continue to have doubts. The 'playing field' that the 'St Clair Carhouse' was built on was being rapidly developed at that time, and some of the southern tracks were sold off after the demise of the double-ended cars which were stored on the un-looped tracks.

Still researching...

Edit to Add: Getting a lot of pics, none definitive, but found an excellent map and description of the Eglinton Yards, and my hunch appears correct. Eglinton Yards storage track was aligned north-south, not east-west. Note the pic in question refers to "looking W". That may be a trifling error, or it may be the wrong picture...or the right pic of another yard.

I think it is the Eglinton Yard looking north, not west, with the building in the background being the Toronto Hydro Eglinton substation at the corner of Duplex and Eglinton.

 

[Goldie]

Certainly a match for that building -- good detective work, thanks Anna.
Another case of mislabeled documents (W. rather than N.).

 

[thecharioteer]

Albert Street in 1942 (from the Toronto Star Archives):

 

[Goldie]

Re: Today's "Photo of the Day"...........Yonge and Eglinton Skyline..........

 

[r937]

Goldie, the "north" and "south" captions seem inadvertently reversed

all i know is this, and i know it first hand --

south from Eglinton, there's a dip where Mud Creek crosses

north from Eglinton, there's a hill up to Montgomery's Inn / Postal Station K

 

[Goldie]

Looking N. on Bay St., from S. of Esplanade (c.1925-29) before RR overpass was built.
View attachment 120687

Here's a 1924 view of that Bay St. RR crossing --- crowds on their way home from the Island ferries.

 

[steveintoronto]

I think it is the Eglinton Yard looking north, not west, with the building in the background being the Toronto Hydro Eglinton substation at the corner of Duplex and Eglinton.

Many thanks for that. I sensed that building would be the clue to referencing correctly. I can now accept that as being the Eglinton Yards. Studying those pics, and the ten years difference (23-33) the infill is remarkable. That much different than today though? (A discussion in itself)

I had to think about why the Wychwood Yard history and pics are so much more readily available than the Eglinton Yard, and of course, it comes down to *still being extant*, even though the buildings are reduced and re-used. The Eg Yard is long gone. Obliterated. What a shame, but progress demands that some times. I'll have a lot more respect for the north-west corner of Yonge and Eg now.

You have a sharp eye and recollection, Anna, the following had quite a number of us flummoxed:

Mystery photo c.1929------- Where's this?

View attachment 117840

At some point I think that will have a resolution.

Btw: I noticed many pics newly up since I last journeyed this site. I'll have to spend an hour visiting them all later this evening.

 

[Goldie]

Aerial view of Scarborough Town Centre site in 1970 and same area 22 years later:

 

[Anna]

Goldie, the "north" and "south" captions seem inadvertently reversed

all i know is this, and i know it first hand --

south from Eglinton, there's a dip where Mud Creek crosses

north from Eglinton, there's a hill up to Montgomery's Inn / Postal Station K

I agree. The bank pictured in the 'north' photo is the (Toronto) Dominion Bank on the north east corner of Yonge and Eglinton which means the photo is facing south.

 

[Anna]

More iterations of the TD Bank at Yonge and Eglinton.