Benches come out Where do the city's park benches go in the winter? In a warehouse on Papineau south of Notre Dame. They were trucked out yesterday.
Iconic sign removed The Reitman's sign that long towered over the building at the northwest corner of Somerled and Cavendish was taken down yesterday. It had been there for as long
Superhospital was once soccer mecca. The Glen Yards, seen in this photo from the 1950s, was home to a soccer field that hosted competitive games between such local teams as Shell Oil, Ulster United, Montrela South, NDG, Workers Sport, Verdun Rangers. This lasted from about 1927 to 1937 or thereabouts, possibly longer.
Glen Yards picture must be from mid 70s to 80s. Turcot spaghetti visible and most of the roundhouse is gone. 70s paint scheme on the switchers as well. Too many red cars in the parking lot for the 50s also!
ReplyDeleteBefore the Turcot Interchange was actually built, I distinctly remember that a couple of elevated sections of the proposed highway were built but then left uncompleted and abandoned for several years----similar to those long-dormant "ramps to nowhere" near the Dorval Circle.
ReplyDeleteThese incomplete segments were located near the intersection of St. Jacques and De Courcelles, puzzling motorists.
Not sure of the reason for the abandonment; whether those sections had engineering flaws or were simply erected prematurely and years later incorporated into the eventual Turcot skyway.
Perhaps someone reading this might know what that was all about?
I agree with Mr. U L. The Turcot Roundhouse was demolished in 1962 as I remember.
ReplyDeleteShortly after those tall ramps to nowwhere were constructed, leading East, just ending high up in thin air, possibly awaiting permits and demolition and funding to connect them up in later years?
( The same occurred at the South end of Pont Mercier as Seaway was being built. )
As I recall they were West of St Remi along Pullman, which then ended at the old roundhouse area.
Turcot Roundhouse looking Eastish from St Jacques and approx S end of Decarie.
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Charlie_dunver/media/Bookscan2.jpg.html
The truly ugly building in the rear lasted forever after.
When we lived on Saranac my Father and I would walk down there, I riding in a wooden coaster wagon most of the way, esp going home up the hill on Decarie above Sherbrooke.
( On another trip we took the toboggan to the Mountain by Beaver Lake. ( There was still a condemned ski slide there made of wood. ) and he pulled me down the Tramways track to Park Avenue thru the tunnel, the 11 Mountain closed for the winter.
I was scared a streetcar would come when we were in the tunnel even tho' the tracks covered with snow outside. Bump, bump bump over the ties in the tunnel as no snow in there! )
On a nice day it was a great place to sit in the grass and watch CNR service the engines, then put them away after turning them on the turntable to line up with their stalls, streetcars passing just behind and the CPR turning trains on the big loop at the Glen right across the street.
Streetcars to and from Lachine could be seen, and canallers in the Lachine Canal and the crane working at LaSalle Coke, and the change from/to electric locomotives on passenger trains ex Central Station.
Lots to see for eager young eyes.
The elevated girder to the right is for a travelling crane which used a clamshell bucket to removed quenched ashesfrom the locomotives from water-filled pits into gondola cars for use lineside for fill as it drained well.
A similar substance was often used in what then were known as 'Cinder Blocks' for construction.
Then came the automobile, with all it's woes, and spalling concrete.
The Belle Epoch was over, for Montreal, and so many other cities.
God, the Turcot expressway was awful to drive when it had the linear lights in the railings, and the first snow, they were covered and broken by the plows.
The steel portion of Pont Champlain over the Seaway Channel stood isolated for a while before it was connected up, also.
Thank You.
Another Montreal View.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.railpictures.net/images/d1/4/1/1/4411.1248794197.jpg
Westbound 31 St Henri car has just crossed over Decarie T Intersection ( to left of Red Ford truck. ). We used to cross here w the wagon and sit looking down on Roundhouse just to East, below.
CPR Glen Yard to left beyond Decarie.
The two elevated structures mentioned by Mr U L would later be just to right, ending in space, looming over St J,aimed for downtown.
Rt 31 would turn North on Old Orchard, then West on Western/U Lachine, South on Belgrave and then East back downtown on closest track..
Sun Life Building visible to left in distance. Bell Building at 1050 Beaver Hall on right, where I Hired On, then sent to BTCo Isabella Building off Little Decarie, then for training to top floor in the older Eastern section of HUnter Exchange on Monkland.
Fifty-Thousand numbers of Step by Step. HUnter 2 was Cross Bar.
The noise was something else!
Thank You.
Off Topic, but...
ReplyDeleteNo WiFi at this location.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/19530?size=_original#caption
The Linesman is splicing one 1 wire, using a rope block and tackle come-along to hold two pieces to be joined taught as he wraps the splice. Other splices can be see as thickening of respective wires.
Western Union Splice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_union_splice
Two wires here, a pair, on separate glass insulators, which screw onto vertical wooden posts on horizontal crossarms, here, each cross arm can carry ten wires = five pairs. Not all wood posts are being used.
Insulators were usually glass, porcelain or rubber, the latter used in Railway service as rubber would not break if ballast thrown at them
The metal L-Shaped brackets hung on crossarms with insulators are used to crossover wires to prevent them from being parallel for too long.
Parallel createst 'Crosstalk' amongst the pairs by induction, where conversations being heard electrically on one wire induced across creating 'phantom conversations' on adjacent pairs.
The telephone pole looks rather crude with knots and not 'round'
As children we would put our ears to the poles at the ground and 'listen' to the 'conversations' caused by wind vibrating the wires above, making the poles hum and resonate.
A loose transposing bracket would vibrate against it's crossarm creating a loud buzz similar to that of a Bee, being heard for long distances from the pole line.
Working aloft had it's hazards.
A climbing spur could cut out, throwing the linesman to the ground miles from nowhere long before radio communication.
Lightning could strike the line MILES away sending very high voltages down the wires.
Power lines could cross with telephone wires far away = same.
http://www.americansuburbx.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Enrique-Metinides.jpg
In the 1800s Arc Lighting was developed to illuminate streets and large indoor areas.
http://electricmuseum.com/?p=279
These lamps often were wired in series and operated on voltages up 4000 Volts.
Their wires could cross with other telephone lines on same poles, setting a deadly trap for linesmen.
In 1889 arc lighting wires became crossed with Western Union telegraph lines and a linesman, John Feeks was electrocuted by the unexpected current. His death was not instant and a crowd gathered below.
Death, thus, becomes 'Art'
http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/wow/0aaimagguidow.jpg
Thank You.