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Grand Trunk Railway Shops
(Stratford Ont.)
1856..The Grand Trunk Railway came to town on September 3. The first train came into the GTR station at Queen and Regent Street. This was the start of a long association with the city of Stratford.

1858.. The Buffalo Brantford and Goderich Railway arrived on December 8.

1870.. Construction began on the Grand Trunk Railway Motive Power Shops. It was completed in 1871. Machinery and staff were transferred from Brantford and Toronto Ontario. The main building was 270 feet long, 90 feet wide and 14 feet to the eaves, A smaller building of 150 feet in length and 42 feet wide was also added,
Stratford was picked to be the new shops' location because of its position in the center of South Western Ontario.

1872.. The GTR began converting all its locomotives to standard North American gauge. It kept the shops very busy for a long time. The actual conversion of the track between Sarnia and Montreal was well organized and completed in a couple of days. The locomotives were another thing…

1888.. The Grand Trunk took over the Great Western Railway of Canada. Its headquarters and shops were located in Hamilton Ontario. In 1889 machinery and staff were relocated in Stratford increasing the manpower greatly.

1903.. A new Tender shop was built on the west end of the existing building.

1907.. This time the expansion of the shops was huge. They actually built the new shop around the old one. With the new and larger locomotives being produced the company had no choice but to expand on a grand scale.
The new shop was opened on February 18 1909 by the president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway,  Mr. Charles Melville Hays who later died in the sinking of the Titanic.


Check the flashing links below of more info on the locomotive shops
 
 


 

                                                        

 

                                           Grand Trunk Locomotive Shops in the 1870s

 

  

                                                                           Grand Trunk Railway of Canada History

                                                      Grand Trunk Pacific Railway of Canada History

                                                        Grand Trunk Railway of Canada annual passes

 

 

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