Roundhouse Park
Toronto
Roundhouse Park is a park devoted to trains, at the foot of the CN Tower. In the middle stands a big brick roundhouse, the home of the old locomotives.
The home of the locomotives
The roundhouse was built between 1929 and 1931 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1960 the old locomotives retired; the roundhouse went on serving diesel engines until 1986. Every day, locomotives for more than forty passenger trains set off from here.
The rotating platform
In the middle of the yard there is a big rotating iron platform. A locomotive drove onto it, and the platform lined it up with the right door. Then the locomotive went into its stall for repairs. Inside, the railway workers cleaned it, checked it and got it ready for the next trip.
The tower next door
Next to the park rises the CN Tower, 553 metres tall. It was built on railway land and opened to the public in 1976. For many years it was the tallest free-standing structure in the world.
Seen from outside
From the path, look at the big doors of the roundhouse, all the same. Look for the old tall tower near the tracks and the locomotives on display outdoors. Then look up at the tip of the CN Tower.
