Historic Places Days – Celebrating National Historic Places
This summer the National Trust for Canada invites you to virtually visit historic places across Canada. Hundreds of sites are waiting to be discovered, including the Toronto Railway Museum. As an official participating site, we’ll be celebrating Historic Places Days from July 3 to 31.
A National Historic Site
The Toronto Railway Museum is located in the heart of the historic John Street Roundhouse. A National Historic Site, the John Street Roundhouse was built in 1929 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. As a result, its purpose was to house and repair the CPR’s large fleet of passenger locomotives travelling through Union Station.
Above all, the Roundhouse was a very active industrial building; in use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moreover, steam locomotives were serviced in the 32 stalls around the clock. In its prime, the John Street locomotive facilities contained 43 structures and several miles of track and covered nearly 16 acres of property. Rail activity at the John Street Roundhouse began to dwindle in the 1960s when diesel locomotives began to replace steam locomotives, and eventually closed in 1986.
The western portion of the park closest to the Roundhouse features the original, fully restored and operational 120-foot long locomotive turntable. Immediately north, is a carefully chosen collection of full-sized railway equipment, which make up part of the Toronto Railway Museum’s collection. You can discover more about the John Street Roundhouse on the museum blog here.
The Toronto Railway Museum tells the stories of Toronto’s railways through static and interactive exhibits inside of Stall 17, as well as by leading guided tours through the rolling stock and rail buildings in the collection. Explore our Museum From Home activities here.
Ways to Participate in Historic Places Days
Digital Selfie Contest
Celebrate #HistoricPlacesDay with us from home and check out the National Trust’s online photo tool. Strike a pose from anywhere, upload your photo, and share! Can’t make it to the museum at the John Street Roundhouse? No problem! Digital Selfie tool available here.
Visit Lists
Build your dream Historic Places Days itinerary with Visit Lists! Whether you’d like to round-up your favourite local spots, or make a wish list of must-see sites across Canada, Visit Lists let you personalize your #HistoricPlacesDays.
From July 1st to 31st, you create and share your #VisitList online for a chance to win one of fifteen $500 VIA vouchers! It’s simple and easy to do with only a few short steps. To enter, set up an account on Historic Places Days, start off your one of a kind #VisitList with a catchy title, featured image, and an introduction of at least 100 words to invite online travelers to check out your amazing itinerary. Your #Visitlist should be composed of a minimum of three sites which are registered on the Historic Places Days – Every Place A Story website.
Check out two of our past Visit Lists below.
All Aboard! Visit List
Hop on board and explore these railway heritage sites and museums! From museums and heritage train stations, to operating steam railways and memorial gardens, there’s something for everyone on this Visit List. Moreover, discover the ways Canada’s railway history changed your local area with one of these Historic Places. Above all, happy exploring!
In the Neighbourhood Visit List
Finding yourself in downtown Toronto? Wondering where to explore next? This list is here to guide your plans. While Toronto’s downtown core may look like a jungle of glittering skyscrapers at first, there are hidden pockets of history everywhere you go! These places are within an approximately hour-long walk, or a 30 minute transit ride away from the Toronto Railway Museum.
Stay Tuned
Stay tuned for more Historic Places Days news! Follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter here to stay in the know.