Sunnyside station (Toronto)

Last updated
Sunnyside
Sunnyside Station 1915.jpg
Looking west along the station platform in 1915
General information
Location Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Coordinates 43°38′18″N79°26′46″W / 43.63833°N 79.44611°W / 43.63833; -79.44611
Connections BSicon BUS2.svg Sunnyside Bus Terminal
BSicon CLRV.svg TTC Streetcars
Other information
StatusDemolished in 1973
History
Opened1910
Closed1971
Former services
Preceding station Canadian National Railway Following station
Oakville
toward Sarnia
Grand Trunk Railway
Main Line
Toronto
toward Montreal
Mimico Niagara FallsToronto
Local stops
Toronto
Terminus
Preceding station Canadian Pacific Railway Following station
Hamilton
Terminus
HamiltonToronto Toronto
Terminus

Sunnyside railway station was formerly located at the intersection of King Street, Queen Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operated passenger service from 1910 until 1971.

Contents

History

The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) had operated rail lines along the lakeshore of Toronto since 1850. The lines encountered a steep hill into the Parkdale area of Toronto, from the west. In the first decade of the 1900s, the GTR operated the South Parkdale railway station at the intersection of Jameson Avenue and Springhurst Avenue. In 1910, the GTR embarked on a project to create a cut through the Parkdale neighbourhood, eliminating the grade. The railway decided to close the South Parkdale station and build a new one at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue, in the area commonly known as 'Sunnyside'.

The company built a temporary station, opening service in 1910. A permanent station was completed in 1912. It was situated at street level at the King and Queen Streets intersection. The ticket office and waiting area was at street level, and passengers would walk down staircases to track level. A separate bridge would pass over the tracks for passengers travelling east-bound.

The grade elimination project also removed a level crossing of Queen Street to the Lakeshore Road. The following year a roadway bridge was built over the tracks immediately to the west of the station to connect the Sunnyside intersection with Lakeshore Road. The bridge was eventually demolished in the 1950s to build the Gardiner Expressway project.

The location was well-situated, with access to the popular Sunnyside Amusement Park and streetcar routes nearby. A coach station, the Sunnyside Bus Terminal, was built across the street in 1936, providing access to motor coaches of the Gray Coach bus lines. The Edgewater Hotel was built next to the bus station on the north-west corner of the intersection in 1939.

The rail lines and service was amalgamated into Canadian National Railways around 1920.

GO Transit began service in May 1967 and took over CN's Toronto to Hamilton route. While CN's Hamilton train had stopped at Sunnyside, GO's Lakeshore West line bypassed the station resulting in a significant drop in its use. CN closed the station in 1971 and its buildings were demolished in 1973.

Legacy

Beaty Boulevard Parkette
Sunnyside station (Toronto)
Location1575 King Street West, Toronto
Operated by Toronto Parks
Website Beaty Parkette

The site of the former station is now Beaty Boulevard Parkette, a small city park. The park is home to Katyń Monument commemorating the 1940 Katyn massacre in Poland.

Current Situation

The former Sunnyside Station in Toronto is now a city park called Beaty Boulevard Parkette. The park is home to the Katyń Monument, which commemorates the 1940 Katyn massacre in Poland. The station was built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1910 and was situated at the intersection of King and Queen Streets. It was well-situated, with access to nearby streetcars and the Sunnyside Amusement Park. The station was later taken over by Canadian National Railways, but it was closed and demolished in 1971 after the introduction of GO Transit, which bypassed the station.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gardiner Expressway</span> Toronto municipal expressway

The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends from the foot of the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) in the east, just past the mouth of the Don River, to the junction of Highway 427 and the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) in the west, for a total length of 18.0 kilometres (11.2 mi). East of Dufferin Street to just east of the Don River, the roadway is elevated for a length of 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi), unofficially making it the longest bridge in Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkdale, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Parkdale is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by Roncesvalles Avenue; on the north by the CP Rail line where it crosses Queen Street and Dundas Street; on the east by Dufferin Street from Queen Street south; and on the south by Lake Ontario. The original village incorporated an area north of Queen Street, east of Roncesvalles from Fermanagh east to the main rail lines, today known as part of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood. The village area was roughly one square kilometre in area. The City of Toronto government extends the neighbourhood boundaries to the east, south of the CP Rail lines, east to Atlantic Avenue, as far south as the CN Rail lines north of Exhibition Place, the part south of King Street commonly known as the western half of Liberty Village neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Street, Toronto</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east–west avenues of Toronto's and York County's grid pattern of major roads. The western section of Queen is a centre for Canadian broadcasting, music, fashion, performance, and the visual arts. Over the past twenty-five years, Queen West has become an international arts centre and a tourist attraction in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roncesvalles, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Roncesvalles is a neighbourhood in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, centred on Roncesvalles Avenue, a north–south street leading from the intersection of King and Queen Streets to the south, north to Dundas Street West, a distance of roughly 1.7 kilometres. It is located east of High Park, north of Lake Ontario, in the Parkdale–High Park provincial and federal ridings and the municipal Ward 4. Its informal boundaries are High Park to the west, Bloor Street West to the north, Lake Ontario/Queen Street West to the south and Lansdowne Avenue/rail corridor to the east. Originally known as "Howard Park", most of this area was formerly within the boundaries of Parkdale and Brockton villages and was annexed into Toronto in the 1880s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roncesvalles Avenue</span> Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Roncesvalles Avenue is a north–south minor arterial street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at the intersection of Queen Street West, King Street West and the Queensway running north to Dundas Street West. At its southern starting point, King Street West traffic continues northward onto Roncesvalles Avenue unless the traffic turns east or west onto Queen Street West or the Queensway. At its northern end point, traffic continues onto Dundas Street, which is essentially a straight-line northern extension of Roncesvalles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Shore Boulevard</span> Street in Toronto

Lake Shore Boulevard is a major arterial road running along more than half of the Lake Ontario waterfront in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Prior to 1998, two segments of Lake Shore Boulevard were designated as part of Highway 2, with the highway following the Gardiner Expressway between these two sections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Queensway</span> Road in Toronto and Mississauga in Ontario, Canada

The Queensway is a major street in the municipalities of Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is a western continuation of Queen Street, after it crosses Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in Toronto. The Queensway is a divided roadway from Roncevalles westerly until 600 metres of the South Kingsway with its centre median dedicated to streetcar service. The road continues undivided west from there to Etobicoke Creek as a four- or six-lane thoroughfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danforth GO Station</span> Railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Danforth GO Station is a railway station on GO Transit's Lakeshore East line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station is situated in the east end of Old Toronto, south west of the intersection of Main Street and Danforth Avenue. The station is a short walk from Main Street station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside, Toronto</span> Lakefront district

Sunnyside is a lakefront district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It includes a beach and park area along Lake Ontario's Humber Bay, from west of Exhibition Place to the mouth of the Humber River. The area has several recreation uses, including rowing clubs, sports clubs, picnic areas, playgrounds, a nightclub, a bathing pavilion and public pool. The area is a 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long strip along the lakeshore, bounded by the Gardiner Expressway and rail lines, which separate it from the Parkdale, Roncesvalles and Swansea neighbourhoods to the north. The name originates in a local farm owned by John Howard, which was situated just to the north, on the location of the current St. Joseph's Health Centre hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">501 Queen</span> Streetcar route in Toronto, Canada

501 Queen is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It stretches from Neville Park Loop in the east, running along Queen Street and in a reserved right-of-way within the median of the Queensway to Humber Loop in the west. In the late evenings, the 501 Queen route is extended west from Humber Loop, running on Lake Shore Boulevard to Long Branch Loop, replacing route 507 Long Branch. This route operates as part of the TTC's Blue Night Network service, operating in the early morning hours as the 301 Queen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside Amusement Park</span> Former amusement park in Toronto, Canada

Sunnyside Amusement Park was a popular amusement park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that ran from 1922 to 1955, demolished in 1955 to facilitate the building of the Metro Toronto Gardiner Expressway project. It was located on the Lake Ontario waterfront at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue, west of downtown Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Parkdale station</span> Railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The South Parkdale railway station was a passenger rail station on the Grand Trunk Railway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was located at Jameson Avenue and Springhurst Avenue in the former village of Parkdale. It was demolished in 1911 as part of a grade separation engineering project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jameson Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Jameson Avenue is a multi-lane arterial road in the Parkdale neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a north-south roadway from Lake Shore Boulevard to Queen Street. Originally laid out in the 19th century as a two-lane residential street, its traffic and land use has changed considerably from a suburban/semi-rural street to a main arterial connecting to an expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansdowne Avenue</span> Thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario

Lansdowne Avenue is an arterial road in Toronto, Ontario. It runs north–south and starts at Queen Street West and proceeds north to St. Clair Avenue West. Lansdowne Avenue is primarily a four-lane arterial road, with two lanes regularly used for motor vehicle parking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto streetcar system loops</span>

Turning loops of the Toronto streetcar system serve as termini and turnback points for streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The single-ended streetcars require track loops in order to reverse direction. Besides short off-street track loops these can also be larger interchange points, having shelters and driver facilities, or be part of a subway station structure for convenient passenger interchange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humber Loop</span> Toronto Transit Commission streetcar station

Humber Loop is a multimodal transit station and a hub for streetcar routes. It consists of two streetcar turning loops and one bus loop. Humber Loop is located between the Gardiner Expressway and the Queensway just west of the Humber River in Toronto. The loop is accessed by a private right-of-way along the Queensway on the east side of the loop and by Lake Shore Boulevard on its west side. As of November 19, 2023, four Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar routes either pass through or terminate at Humber Loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roncesvalles Carhouse</span> Storage and maintenance facility for streetcars in Toronto, Canada

The Roncesvalles Carhouse is a storage and maintenance facility for the streetcar network of the Toronto Transit Commission. Located at the northwest corner of the Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, west of its downtown core, it is the oldest of the TTC's three active carhouses. The carhouse serves vehicles on routes 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas, 506 Carlton, 511 Bathurst, and 512 St. Clair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverdale station (Toronto)</span> Railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Riverdale Railway Station was located on De Grassi Street just north of Queen Street East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) in 1896 as "Queen East Station", on what is now the Lakeshore East line, the station was renamed "Riverdale Station" in 1907. The Canadian National Railway (CNR) took over the station in 1923, when they absorbed the Grand Trunk Railway. CNR discontinued passenger train service at the station in 1932, later for commercial use and demolished the building in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkdale station (Toronto)</span> Railway station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Parkdale railway station or North Parkdale railway station as it was also known was a passenger train station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station served the Parkdale village on the then-outskirts of Toronto. The station served trains on the Northern Railway of Canada and Credit Valley Railway, later the Canadian Pacific Railway, railways. It was situated at the intersection of Dufferin Street and Queen Street West. The train station was decommissioned in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunnyside Bus Terminal</span> Former bus station in Canada

Sunnyside Bus Terminal was an interurban bus station located in Sunnyside in the west end of Toronto at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue and its intersection with King Street and Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was across from Sunnyside Amusement Park and beside the Roncesvalles Carhouse.

References

    Commons-logo.svg Media related to Sunnyside, Toronto railway station at Wikimedia Commons