Got Piles?

Well, you would want them if you were a CN crew charged with stabilizing a 40-foot segment of CN's waterfront trackage across from City Hall. Dating back to the Grand Trunk era, the line was built to enable  delivery of Kingston-produced locomotives up to the mainline. The Market Battery was still in place, so the GTR built its track 50 feet out into the lake leaving room for boats to pass through. With the departure of the British garrison in 1875, the battery was demolished, the intervening space landfilled with stone and other spoil from the former battery..

The pile driver sits on the CN track, with CP and other boxcars on the adjacent CP tracks (above). The associated work cars sit on the single track into the Canadian Locomotive Company plant, between limestone buildings lining Ontario Street at right and Swift's Coal dock buildings at left:

So here they are on February 18, 1950. The Toronto-based pile driver, idler flat car and tool/boarding car for and its two man crew under D.J. Garrett, have been pushed down the Hanley spur (still named the Kingston Subdivision at this point, technically!). Nominally this was between the foot of Clarence Street and Swift's Coal Dock. Along with the Bridge & Building crew from Belleville under Foreman C. Rushnell, they are going to work on what looks like a bitterly cold day. 

A close-up view shows two men on the ice watching the progress, with buoys lining the Brock Street dock in the distance and plowed snow pushed onto the lake ice.

The condition of the wooden retaining wall at water's edge is not optimal. Ties are spilling downwards towards the icy lake.  The crew's plan was to drive several 25-foot piles inside the current retaining wall, build a new retaining wall within the piles, remove the old wall and backfill up to the new wall. What they're up against - the relentless wave action, flooding and seasonal effects of the lake upon he Swift's Coal dock at the foot of Johnson Street, this view from May, 1952:

The beauty of having access to these original George Lilley negatives is the ability to zoom in to details, making two photos into five. Of course, only one highly-cropped, newsprint-dotted photo made it into the Whig. The top photo is one of two I ordered small square prints of from the Archives a couple of decades ago!

(Photos in this post from the Queen's University Archives)

RCNA Reunion Parade, May 1983

The Royal Canadian Naval Association held its 29th reunion in Kingston on May 20-22, 1983. On Saturday the 21st, we went to City Hall to see the parade at which the vets received the key to the city. Over 1,500 delegates attended from all across Canada, with the parade under marshal Bill Schiek.

Form-up time on Ontario Street, two blocks south of the Ramada Inn, was 10 a.m., with the parade taking just a few minutes to reach City Hall at 11 a.m. (above). The salute was taken by Rear-Admiral (Ret'd) A.H.G. Storrs of Victoria, BC. A banquet that evening for 900, with music for a ball provided by a 12-person ensemble from Ottawa's Governor-General's Foot Guards band, was held at the Cataraqui Community Arena.

Photo-bombed by a cane-wielding vet (above). Oh, the stories these fellow could tell - Hearts of Oak.

Inspection underway (above) then ready to step off:

Rounding the corner from Brock Street onto King Street:

A naval warrant officer, likely from HMCS Cataraqui, is here to keep the parade in good order:

Down Johnson Street from St. George's Cathedral, making the turn onto Ontario Street:

Another parade on Sunday saw the veterans form up near the Cricket Field on Barrie Street and parade to the Cross of Sacrifice for laying of 25 wreaths. The Vimy Band (above) provided marching music for both parades. Reunion chairman was noted local naval veteran Art Sleap.

Kingston's diminutive naval division formed in 1939 consisted of 12 members under Lt.(N) W. Rigney, housed in the former feed mill building at the foot of Princess Street. By the end of the war, Canada's navy was the third largest in the world, charged with defending vital convoy sea lanes between Canada and Great Britain.

Ready, Aye, Ready.

Departing the Outer Station, 1966 & 1968

The early morning Kingston-Toronto Railiner was a convenient and long-standing connection for Kingston CN (and later, VIA Rail) passengers to get to Toronto for a day-trip or other travel connections. The corresponding Toronto-Kingston train was also convenient, allowing an evening return to Kingston (The current VIA Rail Kingsotn-Toronto train ceased operation during the pandemic and has not returned, despite pleas from commuters.)

Occasionally, the Railiner made the news. On November 8, 1968 21 year-old Queen's University secretary Miss Sandra Boucher, crowned Miss South Eastern Ontario, was on her way to the Miss Canada Pageant in Toronto (top photo). Miss Boucher made the paper but forgot her suitcase, which was quickly sent to Toronto! The photographer took a moment to photograph the CN Railiner (no, this did NOT make the paper).

Also at the Outer Station, on August 26, 1966 a group of 26 Kingston Girl Guides and their leaders, Mrs. J.E. Dunphy and Miss Ruby Harris from the Sixth Kingston Girl Guide Company, took the early morning train to Toronto. They were on their way to visit the Canadian National Exhibition as well as Girl Guide headquarters after arriving in Toronto Union Station at 0955.

The reason the Guides' trip was photographed is because this was the 'last train out of Kingston', departing at 0715 before a nationwide rail strike was to begin at noon. The Guides would be returning to Kingston by bus.

This zoomed-in view shows a CN SW1200RS near the CN Express building just west of the Outer Station. It also shows the potential for disaster due to poor visibility on the sharp curve, for anyone standing on the south (left-hand) track. Hopefully, the dispatcher  has any nearby trains in check.

All aboooooooard! The Railiner at left looks like an unmanned RDC-9, with RDC-1 D-112 (later 6112) receiving the embarking passengers.

This "Last Train" photo made the front page:

A close-up view of the image reveals 'Mainline of Mid-America' Illinois Central boxcar, an aged Chicago & North-Western wooden reefer, and a Central of Georgia boxcar:

(All photos in this post from Queen's University Archives)

Scrap Tow of the Bayquinte

The scrap tow of the Bayquinte was originally scheduled for October 29, 1968. The Whig published a photo the next day (below) showing the anchors holding her in place being retrieved by a crew from Canadian Dredge & Dock on October 28 with a tugboat, a crane and and compressor truck. So it's likely that over a few months, the old girl's anchors settled nicely into the muck and mire on the lakebottom near the old Swift's coal dock at the foot of Johnson Street. After two hours' work, the anchors were hauled out.

With the tugboat Argue Martin in the lead, the Bayquinte was shown in the November 5 Whig, having departed Kingston the day before:

I continue to respect the quality of Queen's University Archives photos from the Whig-Standard fonds, despite the fact that few of the photos ever made it to past the city editor's desk. Such photos are able to tell more of the story, and from what I've seen, nothing involving ships ever happens in a hurry! Here are some additional photos showing the preparations for the scrap tow and the retrieval of Bayquinte's anchors:

Canadian Locomotive Company's plant buildings would be gone in just over a year's time:

Once in awhile it's nice to include the negative strip showing how the above images started out before being formatted and published herein:

A few photos of the scrap tow getting underway, also from the Archives:

Some concern had been expressed that the Bayquinte in her weakened, dilapidated state might not survive the trip to Hamilton, but apparently she did! This friendly wave from a crewman on the tugboat's stern was a final goodbye to a city whose harbour no longer boomed and upon whose shore this hulk was no longer welcome!

S.S. Bayquinte's Last Days in Kingston

Bayswater Shipping Co. acquired Bayquinte in 1955.  Bayswater was a small operator of a small fleet of canallers formed by George McKinnon Davidson in 1946, continuing operations until entering into voluntary liquidation in 1967. Built as the Frank C. Osborn in by Cleveland's American Shipbuilding Co. in 1912, owned by five different companies before being converted from a sand dredge to a bulk carrier and self unloader in 1942. Toiling in Lake Ontario coal service, she ran between US ports and Belleville, Kingston and Brockville. Laid-up at the causeway in the winters, she was stored at the Swift dock in 1967-68. Purchased by Ken Elliott of Hamilton, she was taken there for scrapping by the tug Argue Martin on November 4, 1968. She was scrapped by United Metals the following year, realizing $35,000 in scrap value.When lakes shipping was a part of Kingston's lakefront commerce, a continuing series on ship histories ran in the Kingston Whig-Standard. This one featured Bayswater Shipping's Bayquinte:

Top photo shows her scrap tow with the McKeil Work Boats tug Argue Martin. Canadian Dredge & Dock crews came to lift the anchors a week before the tow. The Bayquinte had a notable port list and heavy stern. This is Bayquinte being moved from the Inner Harbour to the Swift's dock at the foot of Johnson Street, possibly by the tug Salvage Prince (below). Passing through the LaSalle Causeway bridge - note bridge counterweight at top left (undated Brockville Museum photo). Coal-handling equipment is lashed to the railings, no lifeboats on the davits and two fellow climbing up the stack!

In August, 1967 Bayquinte was moored near the east end of the Canadian Locomotive Co. Fairbanks Morse plant. These two photos, from the Queen's University Archives Kingston Whig-Standard fonds. Two interesting things about these photos. Both show an export locomotive welded to Canadian Pacific depressed-centre flat car CP 309925, and the Bayquinte. Note the differing angles!

Export locomotive fuel tank and girders welded to flat car deck (above) and notice the 'Kingston' destination chalked on the left side of the car in this view: 

Harbourmaster Edward Phipps-Walker considered her "ripe for sinking" and was afraid she might just settle on the harbour bottom and stay there! Waiting for her technologically-induced demise (City of Kingston Planning Department photo, Queen's University Archives):

The Bayquinte was in the background of this photo showing local kids with banana bike clambering up the Confederation Park arch, days before the scrap tow departed:

On the Move! Exhibition

It only took four months, but we finally made it to the Pumphouse Museum to view its On the Move exhibition. Highlighting different modes of transport in the Kingston area, from canoes to sleighs, airports to ferries, taxis and buses, and of course, trains! It was back in April that I delivered my small contribution, a diorama showing rail and truck transport and commerce at Cataraqui and Rideau Streets in downtown Kingston. 

Not only did displays take up the main display space inside the museum, they also extended into niches where the water-pumping steam engines and model train exhibits that are permanent. One could take a guided tour with student guides, but we decided to let our four year-old grandson be our guide, following him to his favourite exhibits. 

Interactive exhibits allowed visitors to hear car horns through the decades, make a string map of how far they'd traveled to the museum that day, or watch videos on the history of Kingston Transit. Each type of transport had its own space, with videos, signage, flip-boards holding most of the information, and artifacts under glass.

I'd spoken to curators Tom Riddolls and Jessika Tozer at the end of 2021, when subject experts in each area were being sought for the upcoming exhibition. Though Tom had wanted to tie Kingston into one of the existing O, HO or N operating layouts, I'd opined that would be a challenge. So we agreed on the stand-alone diorama. I also shared some information about some significant events in Kingston's railway history that might fill our the railway coverage.

Though I'd been concerned about the possibility of minor damage to details or structures like the National Grocers building, Woolen Mill and Bailey broom factory(seconded from my own home layout!), Tom had a very secure glassed-in case built around it. Even my grandson could only point, though I'm glad the diorama was at a height that even youngsters could see easily:

Local visitors might recognize the intersection, and if one looked close enough, my Cataraqui and Rideau Street roadsigns were visible in the foreground. Otherwise, there was no interpretation of what the diorama represented. But as I looked around the exhibition, I could see this was the theme - artifacts were presented largely without interpretation, but were clearly integrated into each mode of transport. Tom mentioned that the pandemic staffing challenges and competing priorities have prevented some final presentation additions, but that these will be added.

Tom was especially eager to present original documents with some of the modes, and indeed these were used effectively in railway, road and other areas. The flip-boards were also well-presented and conveniently located in each area. This large graphic oriented visitors to the space, though our grandson got much more out of pushbutton operation of the O and HO trains. Photos from the Queen's University Archives were also part of the large display:

I was interested to see some of the notable events in local railway history highlighted, such as building the Hanley Spur, the Outer Station, the 1968 Turbo crash and even the zoo train that I'd already blogged about here. Each flip-board had eye-catching graphics, bilingual text and usually a photo or artifact. Just the right amount of information for most attention spans:

The flip-board for the Turbo crash, about which I'd also blogged on my main Canadian railway blog, Trackside Treasure.

There was a nice blend of the past and present on the flip-boards:

This large signage backed up the flip-boards, showing a K&P passenger train on the switchtender-controlled joint section of track crossing Ontario Street:

If our grandson were to review his visit, I'm sure he'd list the button-operated car horns as #1! He also enjoyed the Kingston Transit bus mockup and anything that was literally On the Move, such as the stationary steam engine display next door, the trains, and the pushbutton-operated traffic lights (bright up close!). 

My review would include a nice balance of all modes as #1. There was inclusion of native canoe builders right through to the Kiewit construction of the Third Crossing bridge. The information presented was historically solid and interesting, the presentation was engaging, the lighting good and the pacing - at your own speed. I could have spent longer, but a thunderstorm gave us good reason to head for the van once we'd been around the exhibition. Adult admission is $7.50 and most visitors can see everything in an hour. Historians, much longer! The exhibition runs until November.

My thanks to Tom and Jessika for including me in this exhibition. Not only did I need to do further research on one of my favourite railway-served areas of Kingston, but it gave me a chance to do some off-layout modelling and get involved in our community museum!

SEPTEMBER 7 UPDATE:

Tom and Jessika have kindly shared my post on the Pumphouse's social media. This picture was taken when I delivered the diorama for display (below). There are some exciting plans for augmenting the exhibit, as well as extending its run!