Toronto is a hub for most of the railways in Canada and still has a vast amount of rail served and rail dependent industry ranging across a full spectrum. It is the origin or destination for huge numbers of containers, hosts the fifth largest passenger railway system in North America, the longest continuously running streetcar system in North America, a classic Union Station and one of the largest roundhouses in the country. It is also home to some of the most sophisticated engineered rail related manufacturing in Canada.
We have arranged two types of tours: (1) Organised guided tours with chartered bus transport. These tours have limited capacity so register early. (2) Informal tours with self guiding notes, allowing you to undertake them at your convenience.
Organised tours:
Lovat Tunnel Borer Manufacturing Facility (Friday afternoon, May 21st) ***CANCELLED***
The Lovat Company is one of only four in the world that designs and manufactures tunnel boring machines for tunnel diameters up to 10 metres. Many of these machines are at work all round the world on new subway and railroad tunnelling projects. A recently manufactured 9.8m diameter machine went to Buenos Aires for that city’s subway expansion. Toronto bored much of the Sheppard subway line and is planning to bore much of the Eglinton LRT line, and CP bored much of the McDonald tunnel under Rogers Pass with Lovat borers. (Subject to confirmation)
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Harvey Shops (Saturday morning, May 22nd)
Located in the TTC’s 22-acre Hillcrest complex on Bathurst Street at Davenport Road, Harvey Shops employs about 350 including highly skilled trades such as welders, tool and die makers, blacksmiths and millwrights. At the same time, many young people are continuing the TTC’s strong trade tradition by working as apprentices. Harvey Shops has 52 pit and bay work stations and a large transfer table. Employees perform:
- Major repair and overhauls on streetcars
- Major body and paint work on buses and streetcars
- Collision repairs on buses and streetcars
- Traction motor and armature repairs and overhauls for subway and streetcar vehicles
- Fabrication of sheet metal products for the maintenance and repair of all TTC buildings
Toronto’s Union Station and John Street Roundhouse (Sunday morning, May 23rd)
Toronto Union Station and the John Street Roundhouse are both National Historic Sites. The terminal is about to undergo $640 million revitalization that will preserve its heritage integrity while transforming it into the most modern railway station in Canada. The roundhouse is now home to the Toronto Railway Heritage Centre, scheduled to open in the spring of 2010. CNR 4-8-4 Northern steam engine #6213 was recently moved here. This walking tour will highlight the changes underway at both these sites and provide an appreciation of Toronto’s railway heritage.
