Roundhouse Park is a 17

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

(6.9 ha) park in the

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive build ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is in the former

Railway Lands Railway Lands is an area in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally a large railway switching yard near the Toronto waterfront, including the CNR Spadina Roundhouse and the John Street Roundhouse, CPR John Roundhouse, it has since been redeve ...

. It features the John Street Roundhouse, a preserved locomotive roundhouse which is home to the Toronto Railway Museum,

Steam Whistle Brewing Steam Whistle Brewing is an independent brewery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2000 by three former employees of Upper Canada Brewing Company after that company was bought out. The company celebrates Beer in Canada and produces onl ...

, and the restaurant and entertainment complex

The Rec Room The Rec Room is a Canadian chain of entertainment restaurants owned by Cineplex Entertainment. It first opened in Edmonton in 2016 and its locations feature entertainment and recreational attractions such as an Amusement arcade, arcade, driving ...

. The park is also home to a collection of trains, the former Canadian Pacific Railway Don Station, and the Roundhouse Park Miniature Railway. The park is bounded by

Bremner Boulevard The Esplanade is an east-west street along the central waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally conceived as a city beautification project to clean up the city's waterfront in the 1850s, the street was taken over by the coming of the ra ...

, Lower Simcoe Street,

Lake Shore Boulevard West Lake Shore Boulevard (often incorrectly compounded as Lakeshore Boulevard) is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore ...

Gardiner Expressway The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends ...

and Rees Street.

History

The John Street Roundhouse was built in 1929-31. Following the renovations of the roundhouse in the 1990s, the area to the east of the building became a city-owned park named Roundhouse Park in 1997. The Toronto Railway Museum occupies Roundhouse Park and officially opened in 2010. The Museum occupies three stalls of the John St. Roundhouse and features an indoor display, an indoor restoration facility, a full-size diesel cab simulator, an outdoor miniature railway, numerous railway engines and rolling stock as well as a fully restored railway village which includes Don Station, Signal Cabin D (with toolshed), a watchman's shanty, a water tower and a

coaling tower A coaling tower, coal stage, coaling plant or coaling station is a facility used to load coal as fuel into railway steam locomotives. Coaling towers were often sited at motive power depots or locomotive maintenance shops. In the early years of ...

John Street Roundhouse

The John Street Roundhouse was built for the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

(CPR) in 1929–1931 by Anglin-Norcross to replace the earlier John Street roundhouse built in 1897. Trains were so properly maintained at this location that railroaders recognized them by their "John Street polish". When diesel-run trains began being used, business slowed at the roundhouse, and the building was last used for its original purpose in 1986. The CPR donated the roundhouse to the City of Toronto. It is the only remaining roundhouse in downtown Toronto (the

CNR Spadina Roundhouse The CNR Spadina Roundhouse was owned by the Canadian National Railway, built in 1928 (by Anglin-Norcross of Montreal). The purpose of Spadina Roundhouse was the pretrip inspection, service and repairing of the motive power of passenger trains, in ...

was demolished to make way for construction of the

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, i ...

). One-third of the original structure was dismantled, to allow construction of the

Metro Toronto Convention Centre Metro Toronto Convention Centre (originally and still colloquially Metro Convention Centre, and sometimes MTCC), is a convention complex located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada along Front Street (Toronto), Front Street West in the former Railway Land ...

below, then reconstructed (1995) by Hotson Bakker Architects and is now home to Steam Whistle Brewing. Renovations to the brewery interior were done by William Hurst Architects. The remaining two-thirds was rehabilitated by IBI Group Architects and now house the

Toronto Railway Museum Roundhouse Park is a 17 acre (6.9 ha) park in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the former Railway Lands. It features the John Street Roundhouse, a preserved locomotive roundhouse which is home to the Toronto Railway Muse ...

and Cineplex's Rec Room entertainment complex. The turntable and courtyard, Roundhouse Park with the restored wooden railway buildings was also completed by IBI and has received a number of design awards. The

SkyWalk A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very often take the form of enclos ...

retains a direct connection from the Roundhouse Park, to

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

. John Street Roundhouse could maintain 32 locomotives at a time. 32 bay doors make up the inner rounded façade of the building and face the turntable. This turntable was the largest used by the CPR and was constructed by the Canadian Bridge Company. The exterior and interior of the building are mostly composed of brick and glazing. Each of the bay doors is of wood construction and can be left open to reveal a floor-to-ceiling glass wall with a regular-sized man door inset. Natural light floods the interior space from the curved loft space and all exterior façades. Refurbished wooden columns also stand within the interior of the structure. The coaling tower and water tank are auxiliary structures still located in the park from the working days of the John Street Roundhouse.Toronto Railway Historical Association
Trha.ca. Retrieved on 2013-07-26. The John Street Roundhouse was designated a

national historic site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

in 1990. The roundhouse and associated structures were first protected under Part IV of the ''Ontario Heritage Act'', passed by Toronto City Council on August 12, 1996. It was then designated under Part V of the act with by-aw 634-2006 passed on July 27, 2006, as part of the Union Station Heritage Conservation District (encompassing the Park,

and the Royal York Hotel).

Toronto Railway Museum

The Toronto Railway Historical Association (TRHA) was established in 2001 and is now incorporated as a federally registered charity. Its primary focus is the development of the Toronto Railway Museum (TRM). The museum opened on May 28, 2010. The TRM operates year-round. Cabin D has also been moved to Roundhouse Park from the City's collection of historic buildings and was repainted and repaired but remains in its original structural state.

Don Station

The Don Station was built in 1896 by Canadian Pacific Railway and was originally located at the

Don River The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire. Its ...

and

Queen Street East Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street (Toronto), King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline f ...

along the western bank of the river. In 1969, it was moved to

Todmorden Mills Todmorden Mills was a small settlement located in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. It started out as a lumber mill in the 1790s. Originally known as "Don Mills", it grew into a small industrial complex and village before becoming part of ...

. For many years while it was there, the station was boarded up and not open to the public. Upon its relocation to the Roundhouse park, it was repainted and repaired and opened to the public to purchase tickets for the Roundhouse Park Miniature Railway.

Miniature Railway

The Toronto Railway Museum's Miniature Railway opened in 2010 within Roundhouse Park provides rides to visitors to the museum in season. The ride has 4 cars carrying 4 passengers each, a caboose and is either towed by a replica steam locomotive/tender or replica CLC diesel-electric Whitcomb center-cab switcher.

Collection of trains

Roundhouse Park contains four full-sized locomotives, three freight cars, two passenger cars and one diesel multiple unit. *

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

No. 6213 U-2-G

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

MLW 1942 – formerly located at Exhibition Place * Canadian Pacific 7020 Class DS10-B,

Alco The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

S-2 1944 * Canadian National Railway No. 4803 GMD GP7 1953 *

Canadian Locomotive Company The Canadian Locomotive Company, commonly referred to as CLC, was a Canadian manufacturer of railway locomotives located in Kingston, Ontario. Its works were located on the south side of Ontario Street between William and Gore streets on Kingston' ...

50 Ton Whitcomb Centre Cab Switcher 1950 * Canadian Pacific "Jackman" sleeper 1931 * Canadian Pacific "Cape Race" Buffet-compartment-solarium-observation-sleeper, 1929 *

Dominion Atlantic Railway The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia in Canada, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley. The Dominion Atlantic Railway was unusually diverse for a ...

"Sans Pareil" (now "Nova Scotia") Pullman dining car built in 1896 *

Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway The Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway was a railway based in Hamilton that ran in Southern Ontario from 1892 to 1987. It never reached the other two cities in its name, although it did have branch lines extending to Dunnville and Port Maitla ...

Caboose #70 steel sheathed, 1921 * Canadian Pacific Railway 188625 – "Fowler" steel frame boxcar, built 1917 * Reinhart Vinegars RVLX 101 – wooden vinegar tank car, built 1938 * Toronto Terminal Railway (TTR) – Pyke Self-Propelled Crane *

GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...

Hawker Siddeley RTC-85SP/D diesel multiple unit, built 1967

Gallery

File:John St Roundhouse.JPG, Inside the unfinished portion of the Roundhouse in May 2008 File:Don train station after being moved to the John Street Roundhouse Museum -a.jpg, The Don Station File:Railway control building, moved to the John Street Roundhouse Museum -b.JPG, Cabin D File:Panoramic View of Roundhouse Park.jpg, Panoramic View of Roundhouse Park File:Little red locomotive at the John Street Roundhouse.jpg, Red locomotive File:CN_4-8-4_at_Toronto.jpg, CN 4-8-4 No. 6213 and water tower File:CN Tower footings 1973.jpg, John Street Roundhouse (left) in 1973. The roundhouse on the right was

, which was demolished.

Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it ...

stands in its place. File:Steam_Whistle_Brewing_Toronto_Canada.jpg,

File:More skyline near the John Street Roundhouse.jpg, Condos next to the park File:79144 Canadian National Railway.jpg, 79144 Canadian National Railway File:Green locomotive of Canadian National Railway.jpg, Green locomotive of Canadian National Railway

Other Toronto roundhouses

demolished 1986 to make way for

* CPR Lambton Roundhouse at St. Clair Avenue West and Runnymede Road, 1912–1913 (demolished 1960) * CPR West Toronto Roundhouse, 1884, 1891 (demolished 2001) * CPR Parkdale Roundhouse, King and Queen at Dufferin Street, 1891 by

Credit Valley Railway The Credit Valley Railway was a railway located in Ontario, Canada from Toronto to St. Thomas. Chartered in 1871 by Ontario railway magnate George Laidlaw, it operated as an independent company until 1883 when it was leased by the Ontario and Quebe ...

; machinery and turntable moved to John Street Roundhouse in 1897; last used 1907 *CNR Mimico 34-stall Roundhouse,

Mimico Yard Via Rail's Toronto Maintenance Centre is a railway yard in the western end of Toronto, which stores and services Via trains. It lies within the south side of the former CN Mimico Yard directly opposite of the Willowbrook Rail Maintenance Facilit ...

(current site of the Via Toronto Maintenance Centre), built in 1913 by the Grand Trunk Railway, demolished in 1969 after a 1965 fire *CNR Danforth 31-stall Roundhouse, south and across the tracks from current Danforth GO station, 1884 by the Grand Trunk Railway, torn down 1940's

References

External links

Official site

{{authority control Canadian Pacific Railway facilities City of Toronto Heritage Properties Museums in Toronto Parks in Toronto Railway Lands Railway museums in Ontario Railway roundhouses in Toronto Transport infrastructure completed in 1931