Canadian Railroads > Is This Looking Into Montreal Central Station?

This was with Roger Puta's slides of Montreal's Central Station. It's unlabled and dated October 1971. I tried to figure out the shot using Street View but couldn't because of new buildings and freeways.

Thanks helping me understand this shot.

Marty Bernard

---

MartyBernard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This was with Roger Puta's slides of Montreal's
> Central Station. It's unlabled and dated October
> 1971. I tried to figure out the shot using Street
> View but couldn't because of new buildings and
> freeways.
>
> Thanks helping me understand this shot.
>
> Marty Bernard

Yup....Gare Centrale

It's the viaduct leading into Central Station. It passes under Place Bonaventure first (the truck ramp can be seen at the left of the tracks).

Ray

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> MartyBernard Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > This was with Roger Puta's slides of Montreal's
> > Central Station. It's unlabled and dated
> October
> > 1971. I tried to figure out the shot using
> Street
> > View but couldn't because of new buildings and
> > freeways.
> >
> > Thanks helping me understand this shot.
> >
> > Marty Bernard
>
> Yup....Gare Centrale

This is the southern approach to Central Station in Montréal. The Bonaventure Hotel (built over the tracks) is blocking the view of the actual station building.

Gerry Gaugl
Ottawa ON

moonliter Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ghCBNS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > MartyBernard Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > This was with Roger Puta's slides of
> Montreal's
> > > Central Station. It's unlabled and dated
> > October
> > > 1971. I tried to figure out the shot using
> > Street
> > > View but couldn't because of new buildings
> and
> > > freeways.
> > >
> > > Thanks helping me understand this shot.
> > >
> > > Marty Bernard
> >
> > Yup....Gare Centrale
>
> This is the southern approach to Central Station
> in Montréal. The Bonaventure Hotel (built over
> the tracks) is blocking the view of the actual
> station building.
>
> Gerry Gaugl
> Ottawa ON

---

---

---

Thanks. You guys are good. An answer, confirmed, and pictures in 45 minutes!

Thanks,
Marty

Here's the view from an AMT cab car in July 2015.

Michael

---

OK, what happened to the wires?

Marty

MartyBernard Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> OK, what happened to the wires?
>
> Marty

When Central opened in 1943...steam power was changed out on mainline trains for an electric at Turcot Yard, Point St. Charles or Bridge St....and hauled in/out of the station. After diesels arrived....really no longer any need and most of the wires were removed.

There was also the electric commuter trains north through the Mount Royal Tunnel that continue to run today and wires are still in place on the western most tracks for a short distance on the viaduct south out of the station where the commuter trains are stored between runs.

---

If you want to see what the view looks like from the other direction, check here:

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,3870405,3870405#3870405

I see the weekend-stored boxcars are evident your photo, too.

Ray

The lovely basilica dome is visible on the left side of the pictures as well. It was a dominant element in Montreal into the 1940s.

Montreal Central station was the Canadian Northern Railway's second Montreal terminus. The first was east of downtown at Moreau Street and involved circling around Mount Royal from the north. The Cnor route to Montreal was north of the city. The Canadian Pacific and the Grand Trunk had downtown stations with access from the west.

The Canadian Northern was built from west to east, and was in severe financial straits by the time it built into Quebec. Even so, the CNor decided it needed a downtown terminal, and drilled a tunnel under Mount Royal and built the "tunnel" station in a cut in the heart of Montreal.

The CNor station buildings were very basic and plain. Bankruptcy and WW1 saw CNor become the Canadian Government Railway and in 1923, part of the CN.

Meanwhile, the Grand Trunk Bonaventure station suffered a major fire in the terminal building in the early 1920's, and the rebuilt terminal was a similarly utilitarian building missing a third floor and various ornamental towers and turrets of its original state.

The viaduct south from Montreal Central was built by CN to connect the former Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk main lines after the Canadian Government took over both railways.

I think the current Montreal Central station building is a post WW2 structure.

In time, the Grand Trunk Bonaventure passenger station became a truck and express terminal, and later abandoned entirely.

The CNor main line from Toronto and Ottawa was downgraded to an electric powered commuter train route, which survives today.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/17 12:41 by eminence_grise.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the current Montreal Central station
> building is a post WW2 structure.

From Wikipedia: "Central Station was designed by John Schofield, architect-in-chief of CNR. Construction started in 1926, but was halted in 1930 as a result of the Great Depression. Construction resumed in 1939, the economy having improved. The new station finally opened on July 14, 1943."

The CN history book "Train Country" tells a similar story, but gives 1928 as the start date.

The viaduct was built over existing streets, each accommodated with a bridge.

Something which is common in Europe, but rare in North America is the fact that there are offices and warehouse spaces built into the viaduct.

For many years, there was a huge HO scale model railroad dating back to the early 1950's in one of the spaces between the tracks in unused CN office space.

During the Hunter Harrison era, the model railroaders were told to leave and the layout put in storage. I haven't heard if it has been rebuilt elsewhere.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The viaduct was built over existing streets, each
> accommodated with a bridge.
>
> Something which is common in Europe, but rare in
> North America is the fact that there are offices
> and warehouse spaces built into the viaduct.
>
> For many years, there was a huge HO scale model
> railroad dating back to the early 1950's in one of
> the spaces between the tracks in unused CN office
> space.
>
> During the Hunter Harrison era, the model
> railroaders were told to leave and the layout put
> in storage. I haven't heard if it has been rebuilt
> elsewhere.

It actually happened a bit after he left, in 2011. More info can be found in this article: https://www.thespec.com/news-story/2207020-montreal-s-massive-model-railroad-to-be-dismantled/

While I am not a modeller, I had visited it a number of times and it was quite something to hear the numerous passenger trains pass overhead. The club did rebuild at a new location somewhere in the East End of Montreal. I believe their bad luck continued and they were kicked out sometime during the past year or so. Based on what I find on their website it looks like they found another new location: http://www.canadacentral.org/

Michael



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/17 07:24 by Mberry.