North Toronto Station (was Re: Electrification)
- From: "Derek Boles" <derekboles@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 21:12:38 -0000
--- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "dave hill" <techill@...> wrote:
It must have been confusing in the 1920s in both Toronto and Montreal which
CPR station does the train leave from. Windsor or Viger and inToronto,
North Toronto , or Union Station now Derick corrected my impression there
was a round house at North Toronto thanks but I see another reason why the
CPR finnally went south to Union . when a train arrived or Departed at North
Toronto it had to run the engine to or from West Toronto I assume that
would be Lampton Roundhouse . such moves cost time and tie up a main line
whereas calling a locomotive from John street was much an easy short move
in comparison. Proably this was a factor in closing North Toronto plus the
year it was closed 1930 cutting costs in that year even worse than 2009.
There were, as usual, several factors involved with closing NTS. The station
had opened in
1916 as an alternative to the hopelessly overcrowded old Union Station. It was
also
designed so that the cost would be shared with the Canadian Northern, who never
used it.
1. Most of the trains using NTS were rural branchline locals and patronage on
these trains
declined throughout the 1920s as more people acquired cars.
2. Many passengers coming into NTS had to transfer to Union Station to complete
their
journeys.
3. As traffic increased along Yonge Street, the streetcar transfer between NTS
and Union
became increasingly onerous.
4. When the Union Station trainshed opened in 1930, overcrowding at the downtown
station was no longer an issue.
5. When the new roundhouse opened at John Street in 1929, CP wanted to
consolidate the
servicing of their passenger locomotives in one place.
6. By 1930, passenger patronage was certainly declining due to the economic
situation
and maintaining a second station was a luxury that CP could no longer afford.
Derek Boles
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- » North Toronto Station (was Re: Electrification) - Derek Boles
