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.
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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