Second Tuesday Zoom Talk: Rails Reclaimed: How Toronto’s Rail Infrastructure Found New Life

Rails Reclaimed uncovers the afterlives of Toronto’s rail infrastructure. How many former streetcar, radial and rail properties were eventually repurposed as markets, subways, parks and neighbourhoods, and reasons that some traces were erased. Using historic photographs, maps and then-and-now comparisons, Jeremy Hopkin reveals a past that still shapes the city today.

About our speaker:

Jeremy Hopkin is a Toronto historian whose love of local history began as a child trailing his railfan photographer father along the city’s tracks. A graphic designer and artist by trade, he enjoys weaving visual storytelling with archival sleuthing to bring Toronto’s history to life. Jeremy is the Official Toronto Historian and regular quarterly guest of the award-winning Toronto Mike’d podcast, a contributor to Spacing magazine, an ambassador for Motorista Studio, and a board member of the Leaside Heritage Preservation Society. He brings curiosity, warmth, and a knack for turning his research into vivid local stories.

About the series:

The Toronto Railway Museum hosts guest speakers online via the Zoom Webinar platform the Second Tuesday of each month. These talks are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $10 to support future programming. The Toronto Railway is a registered Canadian charity (838626943RR0001) and charitable tax receipts will be issued for donations over $25.