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WALKERVILLE – PERE MARQUETTE
The station above was on Devonshire Road in Walkerville. The station was designed by Detroit Architects Mason & Rice, in 1890. The station was demolished in 1957.
Here’s the site of the station today.
Today Via services are run out of the new Walkerville station, with talk of replacing this station with a new one.
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GRAND TRUNK RAILROAD/CANADIAN NATIONAL
The CN station was located on the waterfront at the foot of Goyeau in Windsor. It was built in 1884 and closed in 1961. It was demolished shortly after.
The photo above and below appeared in the Michael Gladstone White book “A Moment in time”, however as usual there is no credit given for the source of the images. The one below however ran in the Windsor Star December 30, 1952.
The Star at the time was calling for the end of this station, and the story alongside the photos read as follows:
The traveler who comes by train has already passed through London, and he undoubtedly remembers the station he saw there. The stations he sees reflect the life – or lack of it – of the communities he passes. This picture shows the Windsor waiting room. It has wooden floors, its door frames are old and scarred. In another day the glow from the old coal stove may have been a delight to the traveler, but in these times it looks incongruous. The same arrival may make the mistake of walking up the plank stair, and into one of Windsor’s toughest sections. If he finds his way to Ouellette, he finds no expansive view of the river, but in its place a barricade of old buildings. Windsor needs badly a new C.N.R. station, but it needs just a much a program to rejuvenate this vital area.
- CANADIAN PACIFIC
This station was located along the riverfront, built into the embankment for the bridge on Riverside Drive that crosses the rail cut.
The station was built in 1890 and designed by Edward Colonna, who was for a while the architect for the Canadian Pacific railroad, designing stations from coast to coast.
The station was located at the green arrow. Traces of the station can still be seen in the embankment, an old door and window, are visible in the brick wall.
- MICHIGAN CENTRAL/NEW YORK CENTRAL
This photo above is the first one I’ve ever seen of the original Michigan Central Station. This photo also appeared in the Michael Gladstone White book “A Moment in time”, without a source. He claimed in the book it was taken in 1907. He notes this station was located on the riverfront between Elm and Cameron. It must have been replaced shortly after as the new station opened in 1911.
The 1911 station has been covered here recently in full detail. It was torched by an arsonist in 1996.
More info on this station can be found on this post.
Please add what you know below…
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Andrew, very interesting photos I love them…I noticed something in the very top picture….that fountain in the middle of the picture….was that saved…and now sitting in Willistead Park? It looks very simliar to the one in Willistead?
Such a shame….were is the history in windsor….?
They are always tearing down, and destroying our past!!
Does anyone remeber the boarding house for the railroad that was located behind the Ivy Rose motel. It was at the end of the road & would have been built on the property where the overpass runs now. It serviced the people who worked at the Roundhouse & the men who needed a room to sleep during a lay – over from a long haul. It was a huge old brick place with about 4 floors of small sleeping rooms with a big restaurant on the ground floor. It had a very long breakfast bar & stools. My parents used to take us there & I do remember they had great breakfasts. My uncle worked for CN for many years until he retired which is most likely why we went there.
Ross – It is the same fountain. It was moved to Willistead after the station was demolished.
You say the remnants of the CPR station can be seen in the embankment? Where abouts, I’ve NEVER noticed. Maybe I’ve always been able to see it without really seeing it? I gotta go down there and look again.
Im not sure but i thought the station on Devonshire was anandoned & burned to the ground
sometime in the mid eighty’s.
Chris what burned down on Devonshire was the baggage handling building.
Keith the remains are visible in the west wall of the embankment that holds up the bridge on Riverside Drive.
To Keith Wilson. If you look at the Riverside Dr bridge to the left you can see in the brick work a window and door. I believe the space behind it is still vacant with no infill.
chris I have heard that it was in the late 1970s but that it was the baggage/storage area.
Isn’t it nice to see in the photo of the vacant property in Walkerville that Windsor hasn’t changed much? It still takes decades to do anything with vacant land. If anything will be done at all! I guess in another 30 years we will still have seas of parking downtown as well.
Congrats Windsor in the ability to not change in such changing times…it has served us all so well.
Excellent post!! It appears that the Windsor Star of the time didn’t much like the CN station’s condition or location. Also, it did not like the ‘barricade of old buildings’ along the river front and called for a rejuvenation of the area… watch out what you wish for!
Andrew, perhaps some day you can feature some of the county rail stations such as CASO in Amherstburg, Essex, Comber and Leamington which still stand. As well, the Walker’s station in Kingsville and the preserved CN station (Tecumseh) now in Heritage Village could be featured.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa has an excellent photo gallery and features several Windsor images. http://www.imagescn.technomuses.ca/index1.html
Thankyou for another excellent post, from the words of a Joni Mitchell song
“don’t it always seem to go, That you don’t know what you’ve got, ‘Til it’s gone”
Very interesting pics! I recall the complaints when CN shut down the station at the foot of Goyeau and starting using their new Walkerville (now VIA) location as being in an “inconvenient” location and too far from downtown. The taxis however, made good $$$ moving passengers to/from downtown. But the Crosstown bus was just a short walk away. Would that the VIA station was at the Goyeau location now — nestled among the bars and parking lots :-). However, a track meandering along the beautiful waterfront park would be too disruptive for the picnicers and pigeons, I guess.
About the first great picture, wasn’t that the origin of Hiram Walker’s railway? I think it was called the Lake Erie & Detroit River railway ’til he sold to Pere Marquette…
Wonderful job on this site, Andrew; keep up the great work.
Maybe its time to stop calling the Via station in Walkerville new it was supposed to be a temporary fix by C N. If we leave it to long it could be one of Windsors heritage buildings.
If they ever get high speed rail on Via, it will probably go thru Sarnia, Durand Mi. to Chicago. Amtrack is building a new station in Troy Mi. bet the Chicago train goes north to Durand, then Chicago.
re:Amy Sisson – I know the building you’re speaking of . Check it out at http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/windsor-boardinghouse.jpg
nice post Andrew!
Andrew, that boarding house Amy is talking about is the same one i sent you pic of last year. we figured out it’s now below the crest of the westbound howard ramp.
i’ve never seen that original MCR station either….i wonder when it was built
Aaron, I’m going to guess the old MCRR station was maybe 1870-1880?
thanks Andrew…..i’m surprised MGW didn’t take credit for building it.
Did Michael Gladstone White kill your puppy or something?
I`m not sure but the top photo was`t that station destroyed by a fire in the nities.
no…he just has a habit of not giving credit where credit is due. sorry if you’re offended Aidan. but if knew who did, he wouldn’t tell me who it was.
Aidan, no. I just hate when credit isn’t given. I know for a fact that he doesn’t own the rights to the majority of the photos in his books, and that he can even credit the sources of the photos isn’t cool.
At least 80% if not more came from the Archives and Museum, and he passed them off (in my opinion) as his own.
rob, see my second comment above. The baggage building is what burned down.
I didn’t mean for my comment to sound dickish, I was just curious. I’d never heard of him, but I agree that he should be giving credit where it’s due.
Ha! No worries. He published a few books back in the late 80’s/early 90’s, all packed full of photos and not a single source given.
Last I heard he was leaving the area (he was living in LaSalle), not sure if he’s around or not these days.
if you go to the lot where the old pere marquette station once stood you will notice the old yellow railing made from pipe well the railroad used old sections of rail for an employee parking area if you look really hard there are steel plates welded to these railsections that still say C&o employees but their pretty rusty boy i miss that railroadalso if you go behind the salvation army store on walker road in the rear of the building where the fence is you will find the conrete pad that held the old semephore the mainline as well as a couple sidings ran along that area
The photo of the original Canada Southern/MCRR station on the riverfront near present day CBC appears in a book titled “Canada Southern Country” by Robert D. Tennant (The Boston Mills Press). It is credited to the “Hiram Walker Historical Museum”. The estimated date of construction is given as about 1882-1883. The caption also refers to a 1901 newspaper photo showing four tracks in addition to the one shown in the foreground.
Nice post there Andrew, but it opens up a question. You referenced the “new” CNR/VIA Walkerville station. When was it built? I remembner boarding CN/Michigan Railroad Club steam excursions behind 4-8-4 6167 in ’63 there, so the “new” station is at least 47 years old, right?
Doug – a 4-8-4????! where did it turn around! did our turntable even accomidate such a beast?! was there a wye yet for westbound access to the old LE&DR in ’63 or was the studebaker plant still standing there at that time? is this too many questions???
Aidan – sorry for my dickish comment! had i only known 🙂
Doug, you’re probably right, I imagine that the Walkerville station went into service to replace the CN station downtown. The CN one closed in 1961, so I imagine that this was the replacement…
Stephen, thanks for the source, the Hiram Walker Historical Museum is the Baby House Museum today on Pitt St.
Aaron…..
…..they spun it around at the CN/Wabash roundhouse on Riverside (?), east of the ferry slips. Somewhere (I wish I could find it) I’ve got a picture of either 6167 or 6218 poking out of the roundhouse. A Wabash cab unit is in the next stall. Last time I was in the Metro area, (1995) the pit was still there, although I understand it’s been filled in now.
I think they probably tuen the engine on the Y at Jefferson Bld. The CN line runs parrel to Jefferson across Tecumseh Rd. and crosses Jefferson again, by Krazy Kellys.
VIA turns there trains on this Y svery day.
Thanks Doug!
Richard – I wonder if that line next to Jefferson would have existed before Essex Engine was built…..
Aaron, not sure exactly when that line along Jefferson was built but it was there in the early 50s… long before Essex Engine was built.
Richard….
….it was turned at the CN/Wabash roundhouse. Trust me. Remember, back then there was a full roundhouse for locomotive servicing.
Bruce.
That’s it! That is definitely the railroad boarding house. I remember the grain silo as well.I was beginning to think it was just my imagination.
Thank you very much for bringing back a great childhood memory.
VIA Rail has just recently purchased some properties in Windsor. Perhaps this has to do with a new station to replace the Walkerville one?
Aaron that line that runs along Jefferson has been there a looonnnggg time back when chrysler built cars before the advent of the minnie van both CN and CP used to ship cars via rail the CP used to pull long cuts of tri level cars to the yard east of cental avenue once or twice a week a CN switch engine used to run along the line adjacent to jefferson couple onto these loaded trilevel cars and bring them back to the CN yard at the river for shipment across Canada and the US there was also a line that ran beside Grand marias road that was owned by CN that went into the back of the car plant that BIG long pipe that you see when you drive down grand marias road towards central is the route the rail line took
Maybe the engine you memtion used the turntable but later in the sixties or very early seventies CN did use the Y to turn one. I think it was a type nicknamed Bulletnose Betty because of the shape of the front of the steam chamber. This engine had recently restored or was about to be retired.
Confusingly, the land that VIA has recently bought seems to be adjacent to the current station.
i remeber as a kid in the late 60’s there used to be a Dominion store at walker and tecumseh rd.The C&O railroad crossed tecumseh here ,i remember the dominion store had a snack bar where you could get hotdogs,sandwichs,pop and coffe once in awhile the switching crew off the train would stop and take there break here a couple times the engineer would let us ride in the cab of the old GP-7 diesel south as far as Walkerville junction the area south of grand marias road where the CP has there Vaxas x-ray set up is known as Walkerville junction the original wye track and a couple old rust covered sidings are all that remain of original PM,C&O trackage although all the track as far south as Pelton is original C&O track
there is a wye across the tracks from the Walkerville Via station it used to be used on a regular basis back when Via cut the engine off the front of the train,and recoupled tothe oppositeend of the passenger train,over the last half dozen years CN/Via for what ever reason just turns the train with the wye east of jefferson blvd i think it has something to do with keeping the baggage car behind the engine to act as a noise buffer for the passenger coaches
The snack bars where a fixture in Dominion Store, they had the best fifteen cent hot dog in the sixties. With the takeover of Dominion by A&P ,the snack bars went.
The old C&O line now ends at the CP at Grand Marisin the north, an the old Canada Southern in the south. CN still uses the line east of Walker Rd.
Chris the station was abandoned after the line into windsor was abandoned even though the csx abandoned the line after the line was under the CN flag the csx still ran a train twice a week into windsor the line wnt as far as the Essex Terminal who did interchange business with the csx most of these movements were very early in the morning with the occasional late afternoon train the trains were dispatched out of chatham i think the fire that destroyed the station was in 89 or 90
i think of all the railroadsin the windsor are i liked the C&O the best not only because it was an american railroadbut because of it’sbranch line operations you never saw long trains on the line north of Pelton to walkerville they were always short trains you only saw the long trains with multable engines when they enter onto C&O trackage at pelton interlocking it was always the old blue gp7’s,the strangest thing i ever saw on that line was one sunday morning i had my youngest son with me i drove to the walkerville station totake some photos of the geep and caboose and found to my delight an old western maryland chop nosed gp-7in the red white and black circus theme as it was known boy what memories
the reason that the Western Maryland engine was at the old Wlkerville station was because during the Chessie System years the western maryland was under the Chessie flag
The C & O railway mergd or got control of the Western Maryland, Baltimore & Ohio (US first railroad) and a Florida railroad. This became the Chesse System later changed to three letters and battleship grey locos.
The red white and blue circus colors where their Bicenteal paint scheme in 1976. the country not the railroad.
Richard the Western maryland actually had 2 paint schemes for their motive power black with yellow writing and the the red white and black which was know as the circus scheme i don’t know why it was called that the three letters you refer to are the CSX there were alot of variations of this paint scheme as well they also brought the old family lines system under the CSX flag the old gray Louisville &Nashville this railroad’s old gray units used to show up on the headend of chessie freights taking the wye at Pelton jct
the old pere marquette station in walkerville had a 2nd floor ocupied by the old Walkerville Coal %Coke company if you looked in the window of the main entrance door into the station and up the stairs they had the main entrance door to this office the class wash like they used to have in banks so you couldn’t see thru it it wouldhave been worth trying to save this but i guess it perished in the fire along with everything else
For Amy and Bruce…
Amy, thanks for the description of the boarding house, which led to the link that Bruce sent with the photo. Thanks Bruce.
It’s my understanding that my great grandparents ran the boarding house (which side I’m not sure – either Marentette or Revait family).
Can I assume the photo is from the rear of the building? I too remember going there as a kid for Pepsi. I lived in the old set of buildings nearby we called “the flats” with outhouses servicing quite a number of families and with everything else quite primitive, as you might imagine.
Anyone out there with a photo of the building from the other direction? Or, how about a photo of the old roundhouse that used to be quite near, as well.
I’m trying to search out Marentette and Revait family histories and this is a huge help along the way.
John Johnson
they showed a photo in yesterdays paper of what the new CN/VIA station is going to look like and you know what it looks almost identical to the new bus station where’s the originality i just hope the railroad doesn’t give the city a hand in naming it the windsor international train station and another thing that really gets my goat we have the PEACE FOUNTAIN ,THE PEACE BEACON and finally the PEACE CLOCK again i ask where the hell is the oriinality????
Amy I don’t think that silo was for grain. It was for coal I played in it when I was a kid and would come home black.