Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Angus Shops

 

The Canadian Pacific Railway built the Angus Shops between 1902 and 1904 for construction and maintenance of locomotives and rolling stock. This large industrial complex covered about 48 hectares. There were 68 buildings on the site, including shops for construction and maintenance, a foundry, a forge, an administrative office, and a police and firemen station. The largest building was the "Locoshop", where locomotives were assembled.


In 1912, about 6 000 employees were working at the Angus Shops. A variety of services were made available to the workers directly on site. With a library, a recreation center, medical services, playgrounds, and a branch of the Bank of Montreal, the Angus industrial complex was truly like a small city. During the First and the Second World Wars, the number of employees reached 12 000; they produced boat engines, tanks and material for artillery.


After the Second World War, the production slowed down, as the cars and the trucks gained in popularity and the railways were lesser used. From the mid-1960s, some of the buildings were torn down. The production definitely stopped in 1992.


In recent years, the Angus industrial complex was recycled and refurbished. For example, about 12 companies now have their offices in the "Locoshop", plus a supermarket. The old factory's large walls and steel structure are in a prominent position, visible to the public.


SOURCES: Grand répertoire du patrimoine http://patrimoine.ville.montreal.qc.ca/inventaire/fiche_zone.php?affichage=fiche&civique=&voie=0&est_ouest=&appellation=&arrondissement=8&protection=0&batiment=oui&zone=oui&lignes=25&type_requete=simple&id=1070

McCord Museum http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/collection/artifacts/MP-0000.25.1003

 

©2016 Linda Sullivan-Simpson
The Past Whispers
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