Walking the Hanley Spur, August 2019

While downtown on a nice August morning, we decided another walk on the Urban K&P Trail would give us a fresh route. Starting at Doug Fluhrer Park along Wellington Street, the Woolen Mill soon came into view (top photo). Ducks, swans and turtles make this part of the river their home. The clean lines and enduring nature of the woolen mill, its largely non-toxic industrial output and continued use never made it a brownfield and secured its future:

Crossing Montreal & Railway Streets, I took a look at some of the signage on Quattrocchi's:

The spur-side unloading door, windows, change of paint and even a 'vintage' auto completed the scene:                    

Turning toward Railway and Rideau Streets, the Depot School's limestone expanse marked the location of the Grand Trunk Railway's early incursions into Kingston:

George A. Wright's former machine shop location north of Hickson Avenue is a less-historic, industrial-park structure.

The trail gets a bit tricky to follow, now that CP no longer crosses CN. Emerging onto John Counter Boulevard, we need to head west to Division, cross it, then up and over the CN, then down a bit, hang a left through the city's former snow dump and regain the trail where CP used to head toward Dalton Avenue. A small limestone rock cut just north of the CN gives an indication of CP's former presence here. In the meantime, CN No 149 with three locomotives, heads west through Queens East interlocking:

The remainder of our six-mile walk took us almost to Dalton Avenue, through a peaceful paved section removed from train and vehicle traffic. Thistles and goldfinches, hogweed and Monarch butterflies marked our passage with their own, flitting from flower to flower. No sign of CP's former passing track here, which was used to serve the industrial park before returning to Smiths Falls. 

At the site of the former River Street bridge, only a photo markes its location. One's imagination must do the rest. Dyeco, at River and Orchard Streets, continues in business as Sensient. Completing our stroll past the woolen mill and the basking turtles, it was time for a rest. 

ABNA's re-imagining of the Imperial Oil warehouse at North Street is still just that. Stabilized, the structure yawns open toward the sky. Some track star has spray-painted 'Think Again Doornekamp' across this nifty artist's rendition of the multi-unit residence it will become!