Regular IM reader and commenter DouglasM was asking about old photos of the Windsor Waterfront when it was still covered in rails. Doug used to live in the Detroit area, back when the waterfront on both sides was occupied with rails, and was the staging grounds and rail yards for rail cars crossing the river by ferry.
I put out a request to Bernie Drouillard to check his collection and see if he had anything he could dig up.
As usual, Bernie’s collection is a treasure trove, and Bernie dug out the following slides. John digitized them for us, and at Doug’s request here are some vintage photos taken by Bernie. Thanks as always goes out to Bernie & John for taking the time to share these photos with us.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken June 9, 1974. Looking east from the end of the CN Freight Shed.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken March 20, 1988. Looking east from Devonshire Rd. I believe that is the backside of the Hiram Walker Flatiron Building on the left. It was demolished in the early 1990’s.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken July 17, 1987. Shot taken west of the roundhouse looking east.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Photo taken February 19, 1989. Looking east on the waterfront towards Hiram Walker’s.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Looking west from around Langlois, February 17, 1990.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Looking west from around Moy, February 17, 1990.
Photo © Bernie Drouillard
Taken February 17, 1990, this shot shows a train crossing Devonshire. The backside of the old Walkerville Town Hall/Post Office is visible from when the building used to sit on Riverside Dr. In the early 1990’s the building was moved from that location, around the corner to its present site on Devonshire.
This last photo is a bit of a treasure trove for there are a couple other noteable MIA’s to Walkerville landscape today, starting with the Peabody Bridge which is visible in the background.
These photos certainly illustrate the massive and dramatic changes in the city’s landscape over the past few years. It’s certainly wonderful to have the parkland on the waterfront we now have (though it’s potential remains mostly unrealized) — yet I look at this photos and get pangs of nostalgia — something comforting and reassuring about those trains and the image of industriousness and prosperity they represent.
I would have to say this is a great post, but still more pictures of the area. I have a couple from my fathers collection and grandfathers collection from down there, and its always good to see what was down there. I have heard lots of stories from my father who worked down there till the yard Closed, back in the early 90’s, and then lots of items changed. If there is more pictures from down there post up, of like the buildings. I know the now Washrooms on around the Casino area, is the former Yard office, that was not much to look at till the city fixed it up. But is there any other pictures of the Round house, Yard Tower, and other items from down there.
Thank you, Andrew and Bernie. I grew up in Ferndale, and some of my best memories were of standing along the Detroit waterfront at Brush Street Station, watching the CN/GT ferry Lansdowne paddle across the river between Detroit and Windsor.
It’s obvious in looking at the pictures the other day that a lot has changed. But I’m glad the ferry slips are still there. They act as a reminder that the riverfront was once a thriving commercial zone. I know it can’t be preserved (industrial antiquities seldom are), but it IS a part of the history of Windsor, as is……assuming it’s still there…..the turntable pit at the CN roundhouse. If I had my druthers, I’d put historical markers along the waterfront pointing out what was present but is now gone……
Thinking about rail lines has me thinking about union made auto parts shipped by rail, and the declining rail service has me thinking of this two week union shut down and strike at the University of Windsor and holding students trying to improve themselves hostage. I read in last week’s Star that the average professor’s salary is $132,000 and they are going to continue to shut down the university until they get another $20,000 increase. And, then I have to hear about Ken Lewenza and the CAW in the paper backing this strike. OH what a travestyI All these impoverished profesors. I guess $132,000 is poverty in this city, considering you can buy three houses around the university for that kind of money.
Do the unions not have a grasp of what all the strikes are doing to this city? And, for these amounts? $132,000 a year for seven hours a week of inclass teaching is nothing to sneeze at. This is ridiculous. Come on already!
And, where the hell is Pupa-useless and Dwight dumbass?? How about introducing some back-to-work legislation already like other governments have done with other public sector workers?? Useless fiberals ignoring this city again.
We have the highest unemployment rates in the country and I have to keep hearing about another union going on strike and shutting down a part of the city or unionized public sector workers trying to gouge drowning taxpayers some more. How the hell is this city ever supposed to recover?!
Great Pictures Andrew! Just wondering if you have any photo’s of the old Peabody bridge?
Wow David I said before you need some serious psychologic help you definately have some mental issues.
A post about an old rail yard has been spun around again into a union discussion.
Well I remember you stating that autoworkers are not educated enough to earn what they do now professors who are very educated I’m sure more than you are and you are jealous of what they earn and say it’s too much.
Please go look in a mirror and repeat to yourself “I’M A JEALOUS LOOSER”, “I’M A JEALOUS LOOSER” over and over.
David – please don’t derail the posts with unrelated clutter. The only time I ever get email complaints from readers, is only about your posts.
If you try to posion this post with union/anti-union arguments, I will have no choice but to start removing your inflamatory posts when you make them.
Thanks in advance for your co-operation.
Great photos of the waterfront and the lost trains- and Andrew- great pun- “please don’t de-rail the posts!”- that is a classic….
andrew do you have any pics of the peabody bridge?
It’s too bad the city wasn’t able to incorporate a trolley line or some other form of light rail into the waterfront. It would have tied the entire area from the foot of the Ambassador Bridge to the Hiram Walker grain elevators together and created a bona-fide tourist attraction in a city starved of them.
Lilly & Paul – Look for something on the Peabody on Monday next week…
The Peabody is/was such a mysterious place/memory. It was torn down just as I started to pay attention to things, so my idea of it is the most rickety of structures, ready to collapse at any moment. Buses could not use it, and it had weird blind curves. However I clearly remember that you could look into the 2nd floor of the apartments adjacent — which seemed like such an urban moment. Windsor used to have many more urban moments before the hallowing out started.
George> A trolley line from the Train Station to downtown, along the water, is not a bad idea. As long as it wasn’t simply a tourist thing, and maybe connected to the tunnel somehow (for Americans who use the train to come up to Toronto). Though it isn’t like anybody uses transit to connect to the Detroit side of the tunnel, they drive.
“hollowing” out, that is. Not to say Windsor isn’t hallow.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Peabody Bridge. I heard a lot about it. My parents never took me to that end of town….just stayed in south windsor until I was able to drive. I don’t remember the Flat Iron building, the rail yards or some of the other Hiram Walker buildings that were taken down in the mid 90s either. Shucks.
Rich, when you say you stayed in S. Windsor until you learned to drive, it reminded me of how the Peabody Bridge was the place your driving instructor would warn you you were most likely to fail your test. At the time the MTO was on Wyandotte nearby and the examiner usually took you over that bridge, and there was a sign that said 20 or 30kph but no one obeyed it 100% (this is Windsor after all, hehe).
Hiram Walker’s destruction of the Flatiron is their greatest crime against Windsor.
It did happen after they were gobbled up by Allied Lyons, the British multinational. So we can blame England perhaps.
Shawn, I’m not sure who to blame. As ususaly the demolitions were done to save taxes on the unused buildings. Destroying the density around the distillery, and preventing any future reuse.
If that Flatiron Building was still standing, I guarantee it would be lots above with ground floor retail today. Sadly it was demolised about 15 years too soon.
So really the blame needs to go back on the City of Windsor and their shitty tax policy. More buildings have been lost under the guise of “tax relief” than any other reason.
What year was the Peabody torn down? I’m pretty sure I drove on it a few times before it met its maker. The flatness of the area around it struck me once it was gone.
I believe the year was about 1995 that the crappy, death trap known as the Peabody bridge was torn down.
Also MIA in those photos the the Hiram Walker sign on the grain elevators. More of Widnsor lost, never to be recovered.
I also second Andrew’s tax policy issue in Windsor. What a shame…
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to point that out ME !! Sometimes it’s easy to take stuff like that for granted until you look at a photo that’s barely 20 years old and can literally make a list of cool stuff that’s now gone.
Every time I see those Silos, I think of back in 2000 right before the huge Hiram Walker’s sign was scheduled to be removed. Me and this girl snuck up to the top and stole a light bulb out of the sign. By the time we got back down, police were waiting for us.
Did they give you a ticket or just a warning?
very cool! i’m glad i’m old enough to remember the rails on the river front. my brother, myself and our grandpa used to go to the river all the time to watch the trains, ferries and ships. i mostly remember watching the yard in detroit shunting trailers. they’d build up a bunch of momentum and let a string of cars go sailing down the tracks all by themselves lol
great post andrew!
AND…..i just KNEW i had been over the peabody before! i told my mom i remembered going over it with my grandpa and being terrified about it. she said it was gone before i was even born! well the proofs in the pudding now isn’t it! lol i was at least 9 when bernie took that picture.
the really weird memory is me playing around the old train station. which……by all accounts, shouldn’t be a memory of mine. makes you wonder………..
Shawn i beg to differ the buses infact did goover the peabody bridge the riverdale which is now the cross town bus traveled along wyandotte turned at strabane and continued westbound on riverside drive until it arrived at the old bus station on university
David i worked for the Corporation of the city of windsor for 32 years and i take offence to your bashing just remember if it wasn’t for unions the people of this city wouldn’t have half of what they have yourprobably one of the assholes that keeps voting Liberal every election…nuff said
some mentioned putting markers all along the park from Walkers to where the rail yard ended downtown to show where prominent railroad buildings once stood sounds like a excellent idea it wouldcertainly be alot nicer than those pathetic lited blue mile markers the city put along the park most of the lites in them are already burned out and whats up with this storm water retention basin does it really necessetate fencing in the trail all the way back east to walkers??
Peabody Bridge? Yep took my chauffeur driver’s test in a 6 ton dump truck from Bell disposal and the instructor had me go down Riverside Drive back towards Walker Road over the bridge when we made the turn on the bridge and started down, I think he crapped his pants from the dip. Like a roller coaster.
great photos of the Norfolk Southern and even the black and yellow new york susquehenna and western diesel the NS is the off spring of the once mighty Norfolk and western railroad/Wabash