Friday, May 29, 2009

Toronto Then and Now: CN steam locomotive 6213 leaves CNE (Old Parkdale, part seven)

above: Feb.4, 1914 - looking eastwards along the lakefront, where Lakeshore Blvd. runs today, south of the Exhibition. Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands can be seen at the right. About 60 years later, Ontario Place would be built out in the water at the far right. In the left distance can be seen many of the buildings that once surrounded the Stanley Barracks, on what are now the CNE grounds. click on photos to enlarge!
above: Stanley Barracks with Lake Ontario and the island in the distance, prior to the construction of Ontario Place, probably taken from the old Shell Tower in the 60's. CN steam locomotive 6213 is seen on display at the far left. This 4-8-4 Canadian National Railway steam locomotive was built in 1942, removed from service in 1959, and was given to the the City of Toronto in 1960. It was on display at the Exhibition Place grounds, sitting at the east side of the Stanley Barracks.
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below: Stanley Barracks, looking from the north-east. Note buildings that continue west into the right rear distance.

above: same view, Apr.30, 2009, now with 6213 at the left and the tugboat Ned Hanlan seen at the far right.
above: Apr.30, 2009 - 6213 with coal tender attached at rear.
above: same view, May 29, 2009 - 6213 has been pulled back from her fenced pad, and separated from her coal-tender, which is now seen sitting at the left.
above: May 29, 2009 -view of vacant pad, looking south.
above: Apr.30, 2009 - looking northwards towards the rear of the coal tender, when the locomotive was still in the fenced pad. In the foreground is seen a wooden rowboat inscribed Ned Hanlan .
above: May 29, 2009 - closer view of 6213 at the right and the coal tender at the left, both sitting on rigs, being prepared for their move to the John Street Roundhouse, near the CN Tower. The locomotive is said to weigh 160 tons! Workers are installing scores of bogey wheels under its steel frame. Note in the foreground, where the square chunks of wood are laying, was where the rowboat Ned Nanlan, seen above, had been. I'm not sure what happened to this boat.
above: May 29, 2009 - view of the rear of 6213, sitting on its blocked frame, as wheels are being inserted under the frame in preparation for its move downtown. Now that the engine and coal tender have been separated, note the coal auger which has now been exposed at the rear of the cab. It took coal from the rear tender and pulled it forward, feeding the firebox up in the engine.
above: May 29, 2009 - 6213 and her coal tender, now separated and sitting side by side on different trailers. The above photos are by R.Bobak.
above: photo from the Jun.11, 2009 Toronto Star showing locomotive 6213 on her trailer, passing by the Automotive Building (at R) on her way to her new resting place downtown at Roundhouse Park.
above: The caption only says "old locomotive on exhibit at waterfront, 1908?", but who knows where this little gem actually stood?! Was it at the waterfront downtown; or somewhere at the Exhibition grounds? It looks like the tender has " G. & O. R.R." written on it (it's hard to tell); where was this steam locomotive from? Its also possible that the writing may be "O & Q  R.R.", in which case it could mean this was a steam engine from the "Ontario and Quebec Railway" - a precursor of the Canadian Pacific Railway!!  There are Victorian houses seen at the upper left, which could be in Parkdale on Tyndall north of Springhurst; if so, the locomotive was sitting just south of the tracks, east of Dufferin St., inside the CNE grounds (prior to the tracks being lowered along here).
The above old black and white photos are from Toronto Archives.
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See more in this series at Old Parkdale, PART ONE
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Thanks for visiting Right In Niagara!
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