CPR West Toronto Yard
Encyclopedia
West Toronto Yard is a small marshalling yard for Canadian Pacific Railway
on the Galt Subdivision in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. The yard was built in 1882 to relieve stress at the Parkdale Yard and is located near Keele Street
and Dundas Street West
in The Junction
. It was once the main yards for Toronto, but was replaced in that role in April 1964 by the CPR Toronto Yard
in Agincourt
.
A Rona retail store stands on the site of the former roundhouse and shops. Additional buildings were located along Keele Street such as the car shops, but were demolished for the Keele Centre at 500-530 Keele Street around the 1970s. The turntable from the roundhouse and transfer table from the erecting shops were saved from destruction and relocated to a garden at the back of the Rona property. Engines from West Toronto formerly served local industry. West Toronto Yard is primary used for storage and classification of CPR's industrial customers in the Guelph - Islington corridor. CPR's premier piggyback service, the Expressway originally was sited at West Toronto, but was relocated to Hornby when volume grew too large.
When West Toronto became overcrowded in 1913, an additional yard was built immediately to the west. Called CPR Lambton Yard
, it stretches from Runnymede Road to Scarlett Road. Runnymede Road divides the yards. Plans to build a hump class yard on the expanded site were cancelled around 1950. The search for a new site for a new main and modern hump classification yard
eventually resulted in the selection of the Agincourt location.
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
on the Galt Subdivision in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The yard was built in 1882 to relieve stress at the Parkdale Yard and is located near Keele Street
Keele Street
Keele Street is a north-south road in Toronto and York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches 47km, running from Bloor Street in Toronto to the Holland Marsh. South of Bloor Street, the roadway is today known as Parkside Drive, but was originally part of Keele Street...
and Dundas Street West
Dundas Street (Toronto)
Dundas Street, also known as Highway 5 west of Toronto, is a major arterial road connecting the centre of that city with its western suburbs and southwestern Ontario beyond...
in The Junction
The Junction
The Junction is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is near the junction of four railway lines in the area known as the West Toronto Diamond. The neighbourhood was previously an independent city called West Toronto, that was also its own federal electoral district until amalgamating...
. It was once the main yards for Toronto, but was replaced in that role in April 1964 by the CPR Toronto Yard
CPR Toronto Yard
CPR Toronto Yard is a facility located in northeast Toronto, Ontario, Canada, often incorrectly referred to as Agincourt Yard because it is located in Agincourt, a neighbourhood of Scarborough....
in Agincourt
Agincourt, Toronto
Agincourt is a very diverse neighbourhood in the Scarborough district of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is centred along Sheppard Avenue between Kennedy and Markham Roads...
.
A Rona retail store stands on the site of the former roundhouse and shops. Additional buildings were located along Keele Street such as the car shops, but were demolished for the Keele Centre at 500-530 Keele Street around the 1970s. The turntable from the roundhouse and transfer table from the erecting shops were saved from destruction and relocated to a garden at the back of the Rona property. Engines from West Toronto formerly served local industry. West Toronto Yard is primary used for storage and classification of CPR's industrial customers in the Guelph - Islington corridor. CPR's premier piggyback service, the Expressway originally was sited at West Toronto, but was relocated to Hornby when volume grew too large.
When West Toronto became overcrowded in 1913, an additional yard was built immediately to the west. Called CPR Lambton Yard
CPR Lambton Yard
Lambton Yard is a freight marshalling yard for the Canadian Pacific Railway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is located to the west of and contiguous with the West Toronto Yard on the Galt Subdivision...
, it stretches from Runnymede Road to Scarlett Road. Runnymede Road divides the yards. Plans to build a hump class yard on the expanded site were cancelled around 1950. The search for a new site for a new main and modern hump classification yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
eventually resulted in the selection of the Agincourt location.