T&NO 'Temagami' Visits Kingston

If you ever stumble across a photo of a train car with the label Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway [T&NO] sitting in front of City Hall, I would love to see it. My mother’s paternal grandfather was the Chairman of the T&NO and apparently when she was a young girl, her grandparents from North Bay would come down in the T&NO train car to visit her and her widowed mother. According to my mother, the train car would be parked in front of City Hall while they were here." I received this message from Anne/Martin Blaser recently.

Business car Ontario was built for Ontario Northland Railway predecessor Temiskaming & Northern Ontario in 1914. Actually, the frame was built by Pullman and the remainder of the car was built at the T&NO's North Bay shops. Renamed Ontario in 1917, then numbered 200 in 1946, later acquiring the name Temagami in 1951. Sold to the Ontario Rail Association in 1972 - a group of Toronto rail enthusiasts who had purchased 1057 for operation - Temagami was parked at Toronto's Harbourfront until 1990. Today she resides at Ontario Rail's successor South Simcoe Railway as car 200, renamed Nottawasaga.

Gordon Lee was T&NO Chairman as of 1920, visiting Kingston 1937-early 1940s. "George and his wife visiting my mother and grandmother at their cottage in what is now Reddendale. They would have come from North Bay via Toronto by the company’s private train car." Both photos courtesy Anne/Martin Blaser.

Another data point - the rehearsal for Jack and Gertrude Mahood's wedding was held in the car parked at the 'Kingston Yacht Basin'. This wedding took place October 26, 1929. So the Holy Grail of the business cars at the CP station would be a photo of this car so far from its northern stomping grounds!

Thanks to Paul Hunter for additional information in this post.

Cityflats - 10 Cataraqui Street

As one walks north from Doug Fluhrer Park, at the foot of the former North Street and the site of the former K&P/CP roundhouse (top photo - bottom right), and along the Urban K&P Trail at waterside, you'll pass a triangular patch of land on your left. Labelled Molly Brant Point in the Googlemaps image (top photo) and nominally designated 10 Cataraqui Street, it's rather nondescript and now chain-link fenced. It's going to be a development known as Cityflats. Boilerplate text from the firm's website says, "Cityflats specializes in delivering successful investment outcomes and strong risk-adjusted returns on multi-residential real estate investments. Our strategy is to target opportunities in secondary markets across southeastern Ontario and generate strong returns by acquiring, developing, constructing and managing high-quality real estate. We are led by an experienced management team and supported by a valued network of capital partners."

The test of this development will be community engagement and environmental remediation. Sitting on the site of former coal and oil dealerships, and the former CP spur to the Woolen Mill, site cleanup will likely be required. As a green space prized by an originally working-class Swamp Ward neighbourhood, now steadily gentrifying, this will be a challenge.

Red is landside, white is waterside.

Housing crisis? What housing crisis? The people who can afford these Inner Harbour views know no such words and can pay to play.

 

Robert Saul - a Builder of Kingston's K&P Station

Robert Wesley Saul (1860-1954) was a stonemason who had a front-row stool to the building of several of Kingston's most notable limestone structures around the turn of the 20th century. In 1952 he was 92 and living in Camden East when he was interviewed by the Whig.

The Kingston & Pembroke station on Ontario Street was one of the first buildings he worked on. Built in 1885 at a cost of $12,000 and measuring 65 x 24 feet, the stone station included stone from the demolished Market Battery nearby. Designed by William Newlands, main floor wider central curved windows as well as other curved windows were crowned with coloured art glass fanlights. The bellcast roof featured six gabled dormers and a patterned slate covering topped by iron fringework. The interior was finished in natural woods. A 125-foot covered passageway led to the station baggage room. With the end of passenger service, the baggage room was demolished on February 29, 1960. In the 1920’s, large floral CPR lettering was part of the decorative station gardens. CP built a freight shed closer to the lake, and it was demolished in 1966. The station is still in use as Kingston’s Visitor Information Centre.

Robert Saul also worked on the Montreal Street armoury, and a stone railway bridge in Camden East. Somewhat controversially, he was mentioned in 1901 press reports (and before parliament!) for neglecting to pay $25 masonry union fees for two years, while working on an addition on Royal Military College. In 1912, he was working on a brick wall at the Napanee Gibbard factory. The going salary for a 10-hour day at the time was $2.00-2.50.

The Saul family firm of master masons 'Saul Brothers' (cousins William and Hugh) was well known in local masonry. Originally, the pair emigrated from Ireland to Canada in 1854 to work on the Victoria Bridge abutments in Montreal. Working as far west as Ernestown, the family grew in Odessa and Camden East and over 40 of their buildings still stand here. William, who died in 1911, was Robert's father. The firm built 17 area churches:

• 1860 - Methodist Church, Westbrook
• 1861 - Episcopal Methodist Church, Sydenham
• 1862 - Wesley Church, Camden
• 1863 - Methodist Church, Camden East; Church of England, Tamworth
• 1868 - Methodist Church, Yarker
• 1869 - Methodist Church, Moscow; Catholic Church, Erinsville
• 1870 - Episcopal Methodist Church, Odessa
• 1871 - Presbyterian Church, Wilton
• 1873 - Methodist Church, Wilton
• 1875 - Methodist Church, Murvale
• 1876 - Methodist Church, Selby; Presbyterian Church, Harrowsmith; Presbyterian Church, Camden East; Episcopal Methodist Church, Westbrooke; Presbyterian Church, Newburgh.

Murray Saul, Robert Wesley's great-nephew commented on a recent Trackside Treasure blog post on the Ontario Street K&P/CP station. (Top photo- Courtesy of the Burleigh family)

'On the Waterfront', On Wolfe Island

After putting together several Zoom presentations on varying facets of the Hanley Spur and Kingston's industrial waterfront, modelling and prototype, it's been nice to get out in person post-pandemic and do more! Today's was a short three-mile cruise to be with the Wolfe Island Historical Society. The day was warm, though the vibes were cool, and the welcome warm. Consider this a bit of a travelogue, because one does not simply drive to the hall here and do a talk. It's an experience!

My wife drove me downtown and though running late, I stopped at the Visitor Information Centre (formerly the Kingston & Pembroke station) sidewalk piano to play a bit of Bach. Afterwards, a man approaching with his camera asked why I'd stopped. I told him I had a ferry to catch! But I'll be Bach! Boarding the ferry (above) as a walk-on, I found an upper-deck seat with a view and a shadow shade. Fort Frontenac (above) and the LaSalle Causeway bridge (below) recede astern.

Kingston's waterfront: more condos than coal, more touristy than workaday, but ever-changing:

Arriving at the winter dock at Dawson's Point, now the main dock on the island during the ongoing, lengthy construction of the new dock purpose-built for the Wolfe Islander IV. Prospective (above) and retrospective (below). Now to board that school bus for the two-mile ride into Marysville.

The new ferry dock in Marysville is still off limits, fenced at this vantage point, but that didn't stop at least two drivers from looking for a place to line up. Hey, if you're not familiar with the situation, there's a dock AND a ferry, so this must be the dock for the ferry! Well, no...not yet. It looks like an English Channel crossing, very big and organized!

There followed a short tour of Marysville, in which I chatted with a former neighbour now living on the island. Then I met WIHS mover-and-shaker Shauna Kingston and her mother, on their way to the 1:30 meeting. They, and I, were lured by the siren song of baked goods.  This surprisingly suspecting scribe followed them into the Wolfe Island Bakery. While there's no danger of this becoming a foodie blog, ever, but there were creamy cheesecakes, bodacious butter tarts, truffles not to trifle with, giant chocolate-chip cookies, stuffed sausage sandwiches, and of course coffee. Escaping with my life safe from dashing on the rocks of copious carbs, my coffee and at least four different types of baked goods in my book bag, I settled at a patio-front table to enjoy my large lemon bun in the shade before proceeding to the Wolfe Island United Church hall. The rest of the baked goods made it home unscathed!

The monthly (warm-weather months-only) meetings are held in the church hall. I'd met Brian Johnson's wife Cathy on Victoria Street, telling me she'd already put him in there! Brian is a retired Captain with 50 years in the marine trade, and was the founding president of the WIHS in 2006, currently Vice-President. Brian contacted me back in March about this opportunity. Hot on his heels soon thereafter was Shauna Kingstone, currently WIHS President and fellow Board member since 2019, and her kind assistance in preparing for today's meeting has been invaluable. 

Shauna, Brian and me with the WIHS sign. I need to come back and visit that museum! My presentation not only included part of the title of both my books, but also described the parts of Kingston that were visible from Wolfe Island like CLC and the Kingston Shipyards, as well as lots of archival photos of ferry crossings over the years.

This nice lady, Joanne Mahendran came all the way from Malaysia - thought not just for this meeting! We had a nice chat and she showed me this woodcutting that encapsulated my talk and its title, 'On the Waterfront'. She'd brought it with her, donating it to the WIHS as a potential fundraiser. What I really liked about it was not only did it show the Spirit of Sir John A, and a ship likely the M/S Wolfe Islander, but also tank cars near the feed mill buildings just to the right of City Hall:

The meeting went well, the tech co-operated, thanks to Shauna and fellow Board member Hank Connell, and I stayed on schedule to have time for the bus/ferry connection. I left the final five copies of 200 of my second book on Kingston's industrial waterfront with meeting attendees. Dennis, you got the last one - congratulations! I heard some interesting stories, made some more unexpected connections, and the audience was warm and welcoming. Photos by Shauna Kingstone/WIHS Facebook group:

The Blue Cottage, opposite the town hall/craft store/ice cream shop/school bus-stop. Very photogenic and even associated with a local bard! A single scoop of cookies n' cream really hit the spot just before it was time to board the bus shuttle.

Back on the boat, Cathcart Tower (above) and Fort Henry (below) hove into view.

Skyscapes on the ferry are unparalleled:

The boat was fully loaded both ways, here passing Royal Military College:

My presentation included the grandiose 'Foot-of-the-Lakes Terminal' and here's the only vestige of it that was built, now itself a vestige of history (the sidelined bridge - below!) Thanks to Brian, Shauna, the WIHS and all the attentive attendees who made this day an island adventure, especially Mike who bought a book but first alerted the room that U.S. President Joe Biden had stepped down halfway through my talk! Live updates! I'll post a Here's a link to the video of my presentation.

I must also acknowledge the generosity of the WIHS in their speaker honorarium. Thank you!

Up, Down and Out: The LaSalle Causeway Bridge

The LaSalle Causeway bridge was a federal property that allowed marine access to Kingston's Inner Harbour from its Outer Harbour for 107 years. Put in place as part of a Foot of the Lakes terminal project, the bridge opens an average of 900 times per year. Due to undisclosed damage that occurred during a recent maintenance project, the bridge was condemned and demolished by Priestly Demolition Inc. The delays associated with analyzing the damage and formulating a plan caused consternation to remaining marine businesses in Kingston - MetalCraft Marine and local cruise lines. In the future, a temporary 'Bailey bridge' is expected to be in place this summer, with a more permanent link, of an unknown design, still allowing marine access to be constructed in future. 

The challenge of designing a bridge for this location is the lack of room for an eastward approach along Ontario Street/Highway 2, the need for mast-height boat access, and a setting challenged by nearby wetland preservation and historic harbour bottom contamination. Only the central of three original steel bridges remained in 2024. (Top photo - Queen's University Maps and Air Photo Collection, Rideau Air Photos 1950-55)

This bridge is a large and exceedingly rare example of a Strauss heel-trunnion bascule bridge in Canada. Famous engineer Joseph Strauss's single leaf heel-trunnion bridge was more common on railways, but is today rare anywhere in Canada, partially due to demolition. Compared to other Strauss heel-trunnion bascule bridges, Kingston's has a very unique appearance that makes the bridge unique. This is due to two factors. First, the rocking truss that holds the counterweight and rotates around the counterweight trunnion has more angles to it, and more diagonals extending from the counterweight trunnion that with most heel-trunnion bascule bridges. This gives this portion of the bridge a more curved appearance. Secondly, the top chord of the bascule leaf is not parallel to the bottom chord - the truss depth decreases as it extends away from the counterweight link. (Historic Bridges site)

George Lilley photo of west bridge, 1940 (above - Queen's University Archives)

Sitting in the middle of a causeway, the bridge is hard to ignore and is a recognizable landmark. Some alterations have been made to the bridge over the years. Some of the vertical members have what was likely originally v-lacing or lattice replaced with plate with circular holes in it. A historical photo of the bridge shows a highly ornamental bridge tender house next to the bridge at the level of the top chord. The house is no longer in place. The current bridge tender control house is located at ground level at the northwest quadrant around the bridge. Inside, it contains modernized operating control panels for the bridge. The concrete counterweight has had steel paneling added around it.

• The 1829 “Penny Bridge,” a wooden toll bridge with a swing section to allow passage of marine  vessels. In May of 1911, The Cataraqui Bridge Co. had conveyed its dilapidated Penny Bridge to the city, who in turn ceded title to the Department of Public Works in June, 1912. Begun in 1826, Penny Bridge bridge shares were sold for $100 to raise the $24,000 needed for its construction. At 25 feet wide and 1,800 feet long, the bridge opened for traffic in 1829, charging a penny per pedestrian.

• 1917: A single-leaf Strauss heel trunnion design of the Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. of Chicago was built by the Hamilton Bridge Co. “Trunnion” is a French word for “pivot point.” A trunnion bridge pivots like a see-saw around a central core. This is a key operational component of the bridge that requires regular scheduled overhauls to ensure ongoing operations.The original East Bridge and West Bridge were single-span through truss structures in 1917.

• 1966: The Bascule Bridge operating mechanism was renewed, including a new operator’s cabin and control electronics.

• 1968-69: The East Bridge was replaced with a two-span pre-stressed concrete slab beam bridge  designed by C.C. Parker & Associates Ltd. Construction of the roadway bypass allowed the eastern span of the bridge to be raised to 13'6" to allow more vessels to bypass the main liftable span. The work was contracted to Master Craft Bridge and Engineering Construction (Ottawa) Limited. At the time, the causeway was handling 12,000 car trips per day, with numbers expected to increase to 25,000 by 1981 and a second bridge crossing of the river was already being called for. Before replacement, perhaps a good fishing spot (below - Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds V142.3-160):
  
  Below-August 19, 1968(Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds,V142.6.104)
  Below-March 25, 1969(Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds,V142.6.288)
  

• 1973: The Bascule Bridge floor beams were replaced with welded wide flange beams.

• 1981: The Bascule Bridge floor system stringers were replaced, along with the timber sidewalk stringers and deck planks.

• 1994: The West Bridge was replaced with a 2-span pre-stressed concrete box beam girder bridge.
• 2001: Two buffers were added to the Bascule Bridge to reduce impact when the bridge lands.
• 2004: A maintenance contract on the Bascule Bridge was completed to replace rivets in fatigue- prone members of the counterweight.
• 2009-2013: The Bascule Bridge underwent a major rehabilitation, which included: removal of lead paint; structural repairs to deteriorating steel members (i.e. operating arm, bottom gusset plates, exterior splice plates in the bottom chord, etc.); reinforcing certain diagonal truss members; replacing timber sidewalk stringers and deck planks; installation of new pedestrian railing; replacing traffic barrier; and replacing wood stairway treads with steel treads; installation of a new steel counterweight for balancing the bridge.
• 2017: Replacement of the buffers; detailed inspection and repair options report for the steel deck grating; repairs to the span locks and bottom chords of the leaf truss; upgrades to the motor drive and motor control upgrade; rehabilitation of the guide assemblies.
• 2020: Mechanical systems were repaired to address the systems’ deficiencies that impacted operations.
• 2021: Structural steel was repaired to address fatigue issues in the structural truss.
• 2022: Concrete repairs were completed to address deficiencies on the road and critical structural items for the health and safety of the public.
• 2023 : Bridge deck replacement, trunnion steel rehabilitation and counterweight rehabilitation were underway.
• 2024: The trunnion was damaged during the re- construction on Saturday, March 30 at 5 p.m. The steel is believed to have become too fatigued to continue with load bearing pressures.

A capsule history and photo (above) posted to social media shows the bent member. A complete engineering study of the bridge from 2017 included this graphic of the bridge's design:

A news clipping from the official opening of the bridge - opened April 16, 1917 (Daily British Whig clipping, published April 19, 1917)...

...and photos published August, 1917:

Motorboats under the raised bridge, July 2, 1964 (Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds, V142.1.161):

Harbour view March 30, 1967 (below - Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds, V142.3.121)

HMCS Inch Arran is towed into the Inner Harbour October 11, 1966, (below - Queen's University Archives, Kingston Whig-Standard Fonds V142.3.266)

A view from the dome of Kingston City Hall in 1973, tug and barge entering the Inner Harbour past an idle ferry and laid-up lakers. (Queen's University Archives, Arlie Robb Fonds, Box 7):

Other posts involving the causeway:

• 1967 collision S.S. Baygeorge
• Then and Now views
  
• a grandiose Foot-of-the-Lakes Terminal plan

Belle Park from the Air 1924-2024

Belle Park has seen quite a transformation over the past one hundred years. On June 26, the video premiere of Belle Park from the Air 1924-2024 took place at the Broom Factory on nearby Rideau Street. Made by Dorit Naaman, Francine Berish, Laura Murray and Matt Rogalsky, the short film traces the site through the progression of wetland-landfill (1952-1974)-golf course (1978-2017)-park.

From a bird's eye view, aerial photos from the national and provincial air photo libraries are synchronized with each other over time, and an intriguing sound track. The Belle Park Project's rich website will lead viewers to the from the air page and the film on YouTube.