Ships on Kingston's Waterfront

An important part of the allure of modelling Kingston's waterfront trackage is just that - the waterfront and the vessels, both large and small that could be glimpsed. Some brought cargo, some carried passengers, some were built here, some were stored here and some came to be repaired. But all of them were working boats. These newspaper clippings were carefully clipped by my Dad. Queen's University heating plant received coal shipments at what is now the Gordon Edgar Downie Pier near the water purification plant on King Street (top photo).

Captioned 1924:

The Wolfe Island Ferry was, and still is, a fixture. Originally docking at the foot of Brock Street, the ferry is prominent in many waterfront photos - with the Richardson elevator (above) and Shoal Tower (below):

 Before the bubble system was introduced, tugs were used to keep the ferry route ice-free:

A 1963 ferry schedule contained timing of Kingston-Wolfe Island and Wolfe Island-Cape Vincent passage:

'Semi-turret' CSL vessel Acadian shown at the CSL grain elevator:

Tugs aided in many roles - docking, barging, berthing, even rescues and salvage:

 The larger of Kingston's two drydocks:

In later years, an 'unsightly' part of the waterfront. Apparently, both the shipyards and the grain elevator here were rail-served. The shipyard had its own travelling rail-crane:

The eighties saw a final decline in shipping in Kingston. 

Was this photo one of the last?

Four former Halco canallers spent the years 1970-1973 near the LaSalle Causeway - the Coniscliffe Hall, Eaglescliffe Hall, Northcliffe Hall and Westcliffe Hall. Note Esso sign at Knapp's Boats, far right:

The last to depart was Coniscliffe Hall which become a drilling barge, in 1973:

Tugboat Frontenac at the Kingston Shipyards drydock. Note the Forwarders elevator in the background:

A 1900 Whig clipping of shipping through Kingston: