Driving Tour of Railway and Cataraqui Streets

Overcast and a few spots of rain, and I'd seen media coverage of the rebuilding of the Bailey Broom factory, so it was time for a driving tour of some of the remaining (formerly rail-served) buildings of the Hanley Spur. Along Railway Street, the Weston's Bakeries on the factory tower is fading, replaced with a somewhat soulless 'Weston Foods' sign above the offices. 

Across the parking lot was this neat-looking Furniture Warehouse. Formerly Gamble-Robinson, the truck-loading dock has an interesting loading dock. Along the rear wall was the former spur location:

 Side wall for posterity, paralleling Railway Street:

Across Railway Street is the moving warehouse, formerly MacCosham Van Lines. The two-spot boxcar-loading doors are still visible, where the track had crossed Railway Street. A third paralleling spur reached I. Cohen and Pilkington Glass farther south:

For orientation purposes, here's a 1957 aerial photo from the city's Snapshot Kingston site. The Railway Street industries and spurs are shown (Weston; G-R = Gamble-Robinson; Mac = MacCosham and To Cohen = the third paralleling spur across Railway Street:

Hang a right, down Rideau Street to the Bailey Broom factory. The office remains, but the concrete wall along Rideau Street had been reduced, potentially for future residential units:

I'm reminded of the Vietnam War-era military justification: "We had to destroy the village to save it."

Cataraqui Street side view of the office:

and the to-be-rebuilt wall along Cataraqui Street:

 Across Cataraqui Street, the National Grocers building is still in use:

Former spur side:

 Paralleling Rideau Street:

Let's reminisce just a little, back to the year 2001 on a similar driving tour:

 The faded National Grocers sign was still in place: