Looking north up Bartlett Ave from just north of Dupont St towards the railway tracks in the Davenport and Dovercourt Park neighbourhoods of Toronto.
The archive photo shows a watchman’s shanty on the right. Watchmen, also called gate tenders, were stationed in small structures where railway tracks intersected with the city streets. Many shanties were mounted on 4.6 m or 15 ft towers for better visibility in all directions. When a train approached, the watchman climbed down from the shanty to lower the gates manually, stopping vehicles and pedestrians from crossing the tracks and raising the gates after the train passed. The shanty has long since been removed since the gates now operate using an automated system.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
