The Older Photo clearly shows the Steam Floating Crane with the Lovely Whistle, long a Fixture in the Basin at the Entrance to the Lachine Canal.
In the Left Foreground is a Railway Track which Travelled West, once Connecting with the Montreal and Southern Counties, then Wended it’s Way West to Cross the Swing Bridge at Wellington Street and then on Further West Parallel to St. Patrick St. past Northern Electric, Stelco, LaSalle Coke, the Bascule Bridge at Ville St. Pierre and then to the CPR at LaSalle.
What is more Interesting is the SWINGING GATE to the Left of the Track, in Front of the Motor Scooter, which was Closed at Right Angles to the Track when Ice Jams in Lac St. Pierre caused Water to Back Up into the Harbour of Montreal.
Sand Bags would be then be Placed at the Toe of the Gate to Plug Leaks around the Track and the Cross Ties.
A Heads Up. I was in Montreal last Week for a Funeral and noticed an Old Advertizing Sign on a Brick Building just East of 7400 Sherbrooke St. West.
A Fire had Destroyed another Building adjacent to the Sutton Square/Place Apartment Building at Elmhurst and Sherbrooke, and, During Demolition, the Sign for ‘Turret’ Cigarettes appeared on the Wall next.
ALSO, a great portion of the Bricks on the Sutton Square Building FELL OFF!, and Demolition Halted.
Something for West Enders to maybe go look at.
In the so-called Good Old Days, most Railway Locomotives were Steam and to Convert to Electric was Considered a Great Step Forward.
Now it might be called ‘Green’?
Electric Operation eliminated the Smoke and Noise of Steam.
The Downsides were the High Initial Cost of Erecting the Trolley/Catenary Wire for Electric Current for Propulsion. Another Type of Green.
Another Obvious Problem was that Electric Locomotives, Streetcars and Trolley Busses could NOT Operate where the Wires did NOT go.
The Wires could be Torn Down by Ice Storms or Passing Trucks, if the Current Failed, then ALL Electric Vehicles Stopped.
( In Later Years Trolley Busses had Batteries to allow Limited Operation if Power Failed. )
Anyway, in the late 1920s the Commissaires du Havre de Montreal Electrified some of their Operations and Purchased Electric Locomotives from England.
In the Forties, CNR Requested the Harbour Board’s Electric Locomotives for the CNR’s Central Station and their New Electric Operations from Central Station to Bridge Street Station near Goose Village, and to Turcot East, where Steam Locomotives were Added or Removed to/from Passenger Trains.
Some Steam Commuter Trains left DIRECT from Central Station after Bonaventure Station Burned in 1948.
Diesel Trains could be Haulled by Electric Locomotives thru the Mount Royal Tunnel to Gohier.
The Electric Locomotives also Handled Coaches to and from the Passenger Yards at Pt. St. Charles Shops.
The Harbours Board received Steam Switchers from CNR in Exchange for the Electrics until MLW Diesels Arrived in 1951.
The Ex NHB as well as the CN’s own Original Electrics Worked on out of Central Station until 1995.
On Sept 14, 1965 Canadian Steamship Lines Package Freighter ‘Fort William’ Capsised at the Pier in the Background of the 1960 Photo.
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Interesting Photos at the Foot of McGill Street!
The Older Photo clearly shows the Steam Floating Crane with the Lovely Whistle, long a Fixture in the Basin at the Entrance to the Lachine Canal.
In the Left Foreground is a Railway Track which Travelled West, once Connecting with the Montreal and Southern Counties, then Wended it’s Way West to Cross the Swing Bridge at Wellington Street and then on Further West Parallel to St. Patrick St. past Northern Electric, Stelco, LaSalle Coke, the Bascule Bridge at Ville St. Pierre and then to the CPR at LaSalle.
What is more Interesting is the SWINGING GATE to the Left of the Track, in Front of the Motor Scooter, which was Closed at Right Angles to the Track when Ice Jams in Lac St. Pierre caused Water to Back Up into the Harbour of Montreal.
Sand Bags would be then be Placed at the Toe of the Gate to Plug Leaks around the Track and the Cross Ties.
A Heads Up. I was in Montreal last Week for a Funeral and noticed an Old Advertizing Sign on a Brick Building just East of 7400 Sherbrooke St. West.
A Fire had Destroyed another Building adjacent to the Sutton Square/Place Apartment Building at Elmhurst and Sherbrooke, and, During Demolition, the Sign for ‘Turret’ Cigarettes appeared on the Wall next.
ALSO, a great portion of the Bricks on the Sutton Square Building FELL OFF!, and Demolition Halted.
Something for West Enders to maybe go look at.
In the so-called Good Old Days, most Railway Locomotives were Steam and to Convert to Electric was Considered a Great Step Forward.
Now it might be called ‘Green’?
Electric Operation eliminated the Smoke and Noise of Steam.
The Downsides were the High Initial Cost of Erecting the Trolley/Catenary Wire for Electric Current for Propulsion. Another Type of Green.
Another Obvious Problem was that Electric Locomotives, Streetcars and Trolley Busses could NOT Operate where the Wires did NOT go.
The Wires could be Torn Down by Ice Storms or Passing Trucks, if the Current Failed, then ALL Electric Vehicles Stopped.
( In Later Years Trolley Busses had Batteries to allow Limited Operation if Power Failed. )
Anyway, in the late 1920s the Commissaires du Havre de Montreal Electrified some of their Operations and Purchased Electric Locomotives from England.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b61/SDR_North/NHB109.jpg
Such was not to last.
In the Forties, CNR Requested the Harbour Board’s Electric Locomotives for the CNR’s Central Station and their New Electric Operations from Central Station to Bridge Street Station near Goose Village, and to Turcot East, where Steam Locomotives were Added or Removed to/from Passenger Trains.
Some Steam Commuter Trains left DIRECT from Central Station after Bonaventure Station Burned in 1948.
Diesel Trains could be Haulled by Electric Locomotives thru the Mount Royal Tunnel to Gohier.
The Electric Locomotives also Handled Coaches to and from the Passenger Yards at Pt. St. Charles Shops.
The Harbours Board received Steam Switchers from CNR in Exchange for the Electrics until MLW Diesels Arrived in 1951.
The Ex NHB as well as the CN’s own Original Electrics Worked on out of Central Station until 1995.
On Sept 14, 1965 Canadian Steamship Lines Package Freighter ‘Fort William’ Capsised at the Pier in the Background of the 1960 Photo.
http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/roman.htm
The Cities of Fort William and Port Arthur later Merged to become Thunder Bay, Ontario.