40 years ago, when I first started truck driving, I crossed this bridge in a 5 ton straight truck. My truck almost stalled on the bridge, and I thought for sure I was going to collapse the bridge. I'm glad I did not. Love that bridge and never forgot that memory.
Thanks Steve! My father was in RCE camp building Bailey Bridges in 1944 when VE Day arrived. I often used this bridge on my homeward commute, if leisure served. I regret that I never got him out to see it while his health allowed it.
I discovered this bridge years ago by accident. I was travelling Finch eastbound when it suddenly ended at Morningside. Trying to continue east I ended up on Old Finch and wound my way through there. After that when travelling through Scarborough I stuck to Steeles. Love your videos.
In my teen years, 73 now, I used to delight in driving Old Finch in my Austin Mini, great fun and this area always struck me as beautiful, wilderness in the city. Thanks Steve for the memories.
Even today, some of us gearheads will enjoy Old Finch as a twisty respite from the boring grid-pattern roads that make up most of the city. It's especially nice in a convertible during autumn.
FWIW: The Indian Line Road bridge, out by Claireville Dam, had a Bailey Bridge over it for nearly 20 years ~1963 to ~1983 … before the 427 swooped in … it was goofy, it was noisy, it slowed things down … but I kinda miss it 🤔
Steve - I came here because one of your fans tipped me off to this video. They had been following the saga of the failed lift bridge in Kingston, Ontario, which has led to the preparation of a Bailey style bridge to replace it temporarily. I enjoyed your account of the bridge on Old Finch and will be sure now to drop by again. Thank you for all you do to keep our understanding of our environment alive
The one on Plug Hat has a 'cyclists dismount' sign because two of my friends hit that bridge about 30 years ago at speed in the wet and that bridge deck is like ice in the wet. Both required a hospital visit and dozens of stitches. Be careful when that bridge deck is wet or even with dew.
@@Justsayingthat I used to bomb across it myself but after my friend's crash, I slow, click one foot out. Watch your tires.. if they get wet, be careful. If dry, you're good.
@@johnandrews3568 I also used to ride my bike across that bridge at speed 30 years ago when I was young and fearless. What made it really scary was the fact that inconsiderate motorists would often drive just a couple feet behind me. I knew I'd be dead if I fell. I certainly wouldn't do it now.
I was a combat engineer in the army in the 70's we would build these on the shore of a water crossing and the company would push these bridges to the other side with manpower alone, it was so much fun
Great stuff. :) Yeah, a long time ago, Finch did go right through across what's now Morningside. Sewell's Road used to cross it and head due south from it, though that course was obliterated by the subdivisions there in the 50s. For at least a century, though, Finch made a little triangular hop to go under a pair of railroad bridges to eliminate the level crossings. It's a much wider curve now and meets with Morningside, as it has for a decade or so. If you REALLY want to see what Hurricane Hazel did to the bridges in the GTA, though, drive up Brock Road in Durham to 8th Concession, turn east and drive to the end... which once went clear across. Get out and walk a minute or two down to the creek and there on the right you will see the most amazing sight; a real testament to the power of that storm!
I love this kind of stuff. My head is full of such trivia to the point of bursting, but I can't help cramming in just a little bit more. I really love the city I live in --- facing up to it's good and bad features is the duty of love. In this case, I'm impressed by the "can do" attitude with which a sudden problem was faced. So many of the people who did such things were just fresh from the War, and it influenced the way they dealt with problems. Just after that war there was a tremendous housing shortage --- worse than what we face today. The Liberal government of Louis St. Laurent tackled it with prefab houses that could be built in a day, using a selection of pre-approved architectural plans, and quickly laid out the regulatory and financial system for building them, and negotiated with the Provinces to implement them. They were small and simple, but they did the job. Many of them are still standing today.
Your video inspired me to explore the area! It was fun driving over the bridge as well as the Sewell's Road bridge. And picking up a pie at the Rouge Park Pie stand and butter tarts at Julie's. What an amazing area!
Fascinating video! The Bailey Bridge on Old Finch reminds me of one recently built in my home state of Kerala, India, after a landslide. The army was able to save a lot of lives by establishing a crucial connection. Thank you for your video!
There's bailey bridges all over- there's two in the west end near Springhurst avenue. There's one in the Portlands on Unwin avenue. You see them a lot in the country when they are replacing a culvert and the road has to divert. Some are stacked 3 levels high to allow for large trucks.
As kids we took this road to school, we called it the "zoo way"; so much more fun than the main avenues, and sometimes we caught a glimpse of the giraffes
Great video. There is also the Hillside Bridge over Little Rouge Creek on Meadowvale Rd. just N of the Zoo, and also Twyn Rivers Bridge on Twyn Rivers Dr. in the new park. When I lived in Pickering I used to ride my mtn. bikes all over the Rouge Valley and the dump, summer and winter.
There is a Bailey here in Bracebridge, Ont. as well. It crosses the Muskoka River at the top of High Falls. It’s for hikers and picnickers in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. I’ve driven across it many times in our five ton trail groomer - was interesting feeling the flexing of the bridge as I passed over the water at the crest of the falls. They are in the process of replacing it this fall, I haven’t heard why or what design they will be using.
2nd Field Engineer Regiment put up these bridges from a stockpile that Ontario Hydro had. They were awarded the freedom of the city and all of the boroughs for their work in getting the traffic moving again.
I use to build the Bailey when I was in the military. It’s like Lego. Really heavy Lego. Neat note, many Bailey bridges were replaced with the Acrow bridge. What’s an Acrow? A galvanized Bailey bridge.
"A Bailey Bridge...? Like the WW2 portable bridges? In toronto...!?" Got me clicking on the video and I was not disappointed. Amazing it's stood for so long.
It is time to find out and check it out. Difficult for me as I do not drive. With out the car I am stuck and prevented in discovering Ontario also. Not many trains for ex. to Elora or not bus there...Cheers!
There's a lovely set of rapids on the Rouge from the Sewell's Rd bridge to the parking lot south of the bailey bridge. The S-bend of the river gives you a nice set of rapids and a short hike back to your car. Whitewater skills are mandatory.
Please do a history of Rosedale street evolution from the horse paths created by the Jarvis’ horses from their estate which was all of Castle Frank south of Bloor. Also Glen Rd Bridge history is interesting as well with the 2 year reconstruction of it just completed.
Great video Steve! You're genuinely one of my favourite UA-camrs. Wondering if you're interested in covering the bridge on Midland at Midland and St Clair. It's interesting because it's level with the intersection to its south, but I've always wondered why :)
Thanks! I'm not aware of that bridge - not my neighbourhood and it's not an area I tend to pass through. But who knows, maybe that will end up on my list of videos to make at some point.
looking at street view thats a rail bridge. if its CN or CP, the land is likely owned by CN and they'd rather a train go straight. it's a matter of fuel and safety as the trains weigh a lot. if its passenger rail then it would be up to the original engineering proposals and what the city chose.
I went to combat engineer school at Fort Leonard Wood, in 1995. They thought us how to build a Bailey Bridge. It’s not too fun when you have to move one of those panels, with six soldiers. A crane definitely makes things a lot easier.
I really love this street, whenever I have the chance I take a detour route to drive on it. Just the other day my friend and I drove on it late at night and it was surprisingly busy even when it's 10:30 at night
Very interesting! In my neighborhood in Don Mills in the 1960s there were remnants of "Old Lawrence" avenue. Lawrence between what is now Don Mills road and Victoria Park used to take a windy path down into the valley where it crossed the Don on a stone bridge. The old abutments are still there. Lawrence was later straightened, a much bigger bridge was built to span then entire valley, and the leftover bits were named Old Lawrence. The City of Toronto has an Aerial Photograph archive that is fascinating to explore. Very interesting seeing how my old neighborhood took shape. The earliest images are from 1947.
Former Don Mills guy here... there are lots of old photos of Don Mills pre-war. Did you know that there used to be a small golf course where Edwards Gardens now stands?
I cant believe im about to trump Notsmoothsteve, but Unwin Ave. over the cooling chanel for for the gas plant has one of these bridges. Its a hell of a nail biter as its the only access to the southern portlands for trucks in which you see it strain every time a heavy load goes over it!
Yup - none of my research for this video mentioned that one, and it's tucked away in a part of the city where almost nobody (including me) goes. Fortunately, I did word my video to leave myself some wiggle room on that :)
My parents moved to Scarborough just before hurricane hazel and remember this being put in. There was also one on Morningside Ave north of West Hill collegiate (at the time I’m the road went down in to the valley unlike today) Growing up we spent a lot of time wandering around there.
I remember the Bailey bridge on Morningside Av. very well indeed. For Toronto Boy Scouts this was the access route to the Camp of the Crooked Creek by means of public transit ie. street cars in the city and then the bus along Kingston Road to West Hill. Getting off at Kingston Road and Morningside Av. we'd hike north on Morningside, down into the valley and crossing that Bailey bridge, then into the public park and on to the Camp of the Crooked Creek. Many a Toronto Scout spent his first days under canvas there and cooked his first meal on a camp fire. Scouting friends and I spent many a week on the "mountain" in that camp during one summer. It was a great spot for genuine outdoor experience in the city.
@@BasementEngineer it was still the location of “Snow Job” the scouts winter camp. The park itself is still a real jem. I’d argue Morningside park and the entire highland creek system is superior to the more famous High Park. The east end is such a great part of the city
There is something else weird near there. At 255 Old Finch (south side, just east of morningview trail) there is the remains of what looks like a gate, that is blocked off and a dissued communal mailbox. There is an abandoned road that leads south in to the forest behind the newer development. Last time I explored this area was in the early 2000s. Back then there was several homes at the end of this road (deep in the forest), and people actually did live in them. But then suddenly around 2010ish (might have been earlier) I went exploring with friends and all the home were gone, completly razed. I have tried for years to learn what in the world this little enclave was and why it was razed.
I believe the Bailey bridge on Unwin Avenue (downtown Toronto) is still in service (crosses the cooling water channel for the R.L. Hearn Generating Station, now decommissioned).
Thanks! Google street view backs you up on that. I looked at a number of sources when researching this video (and found that there's a lot of wrong or incomplete information, like listings of "Bailey bridges" in Toronto that aren't actually Bailey bridges) but this one never came up.
I'm curious about the old pedestrian bridge on Glen Road that crosses Rosedale Valley Road. I walked across it many hundreds of times when I grew up in Toronto in the 1950s-'70s. The deck looked flat like the Bailey bridges, but the structure underneath was more complex. I understand it is currently in the process of being replaced. When was it built and did it ever carry vehicular traffic? What is the name for this type of bridge. It was a unique bridge in its time, as most other bridges in the area carried vehicles.
I live in the High Park area and there is an Old Weston Rd around Annette and Dundas Street West. It puzzles me. Do you ,Sir have the segment on that. Thank you for all material you gather and share with us. Greetings from High Park.
I don't - sorry. I have a video planned not too far from there but Old Weston Road wouldn't fit the video. The Wikipedia page on Weston Road has some info and hopefully that will satisfy your curiosity. Thanks for watching!
@@notsmoothsteve Thank you, Sir . I live in Toronto from 1983 and I come from Eastern Europe and consider Toronto full of undiscovered treasures. As an academic it is in my blood. Thank you again . Looking forward to more materials from you. Cheers!
Iv been crossing her for years and I can’t believe they still haven’t updated it the did some repairs a few years ago and put a dozen or so steel plates to repair the mesh decking the funny thing is there is not many signs that say how small and tight it is the rd to the east used to be fun in a sporty car or bike now it’s to broken
I see a couple of bridges on that road in Google Earth, and one has a metal mesh deck, but it's not a Bailey bridge - it's a truss bridge of some sort.
Did you see the old tree farm (? At least that’s what it looks like from satellite images) been driving me insane for 13 years trying to figure out what that was
Any idea what the source of this bridge was? The triangular pieces above each transom aren't standard for any of the military versions of the Bailey Bridge.
Apparently after the war Ontario Hydro bought a whole bunch of Bailey bridges and used them as frames for buildings, and I've read that their stock of bridge parts was used for this bridge.
That bailey bridge is a WW2 left over piece of military kit............................ it SERVES ITS PURPOSE by allowing cars and LIGHT trucks to pass over it................... however it is a ONE LANE bridge and if traffic in the area - out past the Metro Zoo increases then it will need to be REPLACED to eliminate the one lane bottle neck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@notsmoothsteve You must be thinking of the bridge close to where you were, on Sewells. The one at Plug Hat where it meets Meadowvale is the other Bailey Bridge. Pretty sure it is one.
@@johnandrews3568 Yes it's still the same. In much better shape than the one on Old Finch which keeps getting holes in the deck and plates welded on them!
@@notsmoothsteve Also if you want to see another interesting old bridge, check out the Lakeshore Rail Overpass Timber Bridge in Clarington. 3792 Lakeshore Road. It is amazing. There's another timber deck bridge around there but can't locate it on google maps at the moment. I'll leave it for you to discover. 🙂
@@notsmoothsteve Regarding the "haunting" of the bridge, the story behind the haunting is made up and not true. But the "unexplained" occurrences at the Bailey Bridge are unique as to any alleged haunting anywhere in North America. Many people have been scared out of their wits when they ventured out on the bridge in the wee hours of the morning after midnight and sang "Happy Birthday to You" and then experienced (on rare occasions) the phenomenon that occurred. The alleged "haunting" has a very real explanation but I don't want to give it away because that would ruin the fun for so many younger people who have gone out there at night over the many years. Not knowing what the "haunting" is only makes that place even more intriguing!
Here's a Bailey Bridge for ya! ua-cam.com/video/TQzY_dKUz7E/v-deo.html This is similar to what I have seen and driven across up North but there they have three horizontal layers.
I was hoping you were going to be there in the dark and sing happy birthday. Totally off brand for your channel but for those from there, you know what I mean.
NO Lets just use basic common sense Its just old concession land division lines if that. I doubt that There was any road road there called finch there to begin with. The naming and alignment of streets in Toronto became an inane obsession of retardation and only engineers can come up with such namings. After the rural / suburban townships became Metro Toronto, a two tiered municipal federation for sharing municipal services came about and engineers started to stitch roads that never met or existed to create arterial roads across the new metro toronto. It was an obsession when you look at the 100 small streets that was stitched together to create the parts two parts of Dundas street that never met or lost due to farming or devlopment How does a street continue across a 1/2 mile across a valley and have the same name? You know its made up retardation if you look at St.Clair Avenue in Scarborough. St.Clair was just a small local road in the far west end of Toronto the what was York township
Yeah, there's a rumour about that! I didn't see anything ghostly, but then again, the middle of the day in summer doesn't seem like the spookiest time for spirits to come out :)
It's not haunted. People hear strange noises there. It's next to the Toronto Zoo. You'll sometimes hear peacocks screeching or lions roaring, for example. It does feel a little creepy there at night so if you're inclined to get spooked easily your imagine can run wild.
@@squeekycat Yes! The unexpected hearing from the Bailey Bridge of a screeching/screaming peacock during the night in the distance from the Toronto Zoo would be very unnerving!
I did a followup to this video. Check it out here - ua-cam.com/video/Mljc_34Djyo/v-deo.html
From one Torontonian to another, I love your content, Steve. - Curt
40 years ago, when I first started truck driving, I crossed this bridge in a 5 ton straight truck. My truck almost stalled on the bridge, and I thought for sure I was going to collapse the bridge. I'm glad I did not. Love that bridge and never forgot that memory.
love that bridge and the suspension bridge just to the North
Thanks Steve! My father was in RCE camp building Bailey Bridges in 1944 when VE Day arrived. I often used this bridge on my homeward commute, if leisure served. I regret that I never got him out to see it while his health allowed it.
I discovered this bridge years ago by accident. I was travelling Finch eastbound when it suddenly ended at Morningside. Trying to continue east I ended up on Old Finch and wound my way through there. After that when travelling through Scarborough I stuck to Steeles.
Love your videos.
In my teen years, 73 now, I used to delight in driving Old Finch in my Austin Mini, great fun and this area always struck me as beautiful, wilderness in the city. Thanks Steve for the memories.
Even today, some of us gearheads will enjoy Old Finch as a twisty respite from the boring grid-pattern roads that make up most of the city. It's especially nice in a convertible during autumn.
@@JohnHill-qo3hb same. but for me it was a '94 VW Golf, 5 speed!
FWIW: The Indian Line Road bridge, out by Claireville Dam, had a Bailey Bridge over it for nearly 20 years ~1963 to ~1983 … before the 427 swooped in … it was goofy, it was noisy, it slowed things down … but I kinda miss it 🤔
Steve - I came here because one of your fans tipped me off to this video. They had been following the saga of the failed lift bridge in Kingston, Ontario, which has led to the preparation of a Bailey style bridge to replace it temporarily. I enjoyed your account of the bridge on Old Finch and will be sure now to drop by again. Thank you for all you do to keep our understanding of our environment alive
i cross this bridge on one of my twice annual bike rides from Rouge Hill past the Toronto Zoo. Never gave it a thought until now. Thanks.
Me as well. Used to cross it on my bike or taking a hike.
The one on Plug Hat has a 'cyclists dismount' sign because two of my friends hit that bridge about 30 years ago at speed in the wet and that bridge deck is like ice in the wet. Both required a hospital visit and dozens of stitches. Be careful when that bridge deck is wet or even with dew.
@johnandrews3568 That is horrible. Many people including myself, just ride across even though we are supposed to dismount
@@Justsayingthat I used to bomb across it myself but after my friend's crash, I slow, click one foot out. Watch your tires.. if they get wet, be careful. If dry, you're good.
@@johnandrews3568 I also used to ride my bike across that bridge at speed 30 years ago when I was young and fearless. What made it really scary was the fact that inconsiderate motorists would often drive just a couple feet behind me. I knew I'd be dead if I fell. I certainly wouldn't do it now.
I was a combat engineer in the army in the 70's we would build these on the shore of a water crossing and the company would push these bridges to the other side with manpower alone, it was so much fun
Great stuff. :) Yeah, a long time ago, Finch did go right through across what's now Morningside. Sewell's Road used to cross it and head due south from it, though that course was obliterated by the subdivisions there in the 50s. For at least a century, though, Finch made a little triangular hop to go under a pair of railroad bridges to eliminate the level crossings. It's a much wider curve now and meets with Morningside, as it has for a decade or so.
If you REALLY want to see what Hurricane Hazel did to the bridges in the GTA, though, drive up Brock Road in Durham to 8th Concession, turn east and drive to the end... which once went clear across. Get out and walk a minute or two down to the creek and there on the right you will see the most amazing sight; a real testament to the power of that storm!
I love this kind of stuff. My head is full of such trivia to the point of bursting, but I can't help cramming in just a little bit more. I really love the city I live in --- facing up to it's good and bad features is the duty of love. In this case, I'm impressed by the "can do" attitude with which a sudden problem was faced. So many of the people who did such things were just fresh from the War, and it influenced the way they dealt with problems. Just after that war there was a tremendous housing shortage --- worse than what we face today. The Liberal government of Louis St. Laurent tackled it with prefab houses that could be built in a day, using a selection of pre-approved architectural plans, and quickly laid out the regulatory and financial system for building them, and negotiated with the Provinces to implement them. They were small and simple, but they did the job. Many of them are still standing today.
Your video inspired me to explore the area! It was fun driving over the bridge as well as the Sewell's Road bridge. And picking up a pie at the Rouge Park Pie stand and butter tarts at Julie's. What an amazing area!
Love these little nooks and crannies videos
Long live the Bailey Bridge! It's a cute artifact.
discovered your channel recently and love it, keep up the great work!
Fascinating video! The Bailey Bridge on Old Finch reminds me of one recently built in my home state of Kerala, India, after a landslide. The army was able to save a lot of lives by establishing a crucial connection. Thank you for your video!
Keep them coming, my friend......your work is much appreciated
Youre an oddly compelling fellow & I enjoy your content
It would seem to me that Bailey Bridges were temporary fixes -- amazing they have lasted so long.
There's bailey bridges all over- there's two in the west end near Springhurst avenue. There's one in the Portlands on Unwin avenue. You see them a lot in the country when they are replacing a culvert and the road has to divert. Some are stacked 3 levels high to allow for large trucks.
Praise the YT algorithm for recommending this!
at 60 I grew up in Richmond Hill , that bridge has always made me smile as I remember a few now long gone 1 lane bridges around York Region
As kids we took this road to school, we called it the "zoo way"; so much more fun than the main avenues, and sometimes we caught a glimpse of the giraffes
Looks like I'm off to Scarborough tomorrow. I have to see this bridge.
bring a fishing rod
check out the suspension bridge just to the North up Morningside
@@FandersonUfoWill do. I haven't been to that part of Scarborough in years. Thanks
If I still lived in Toronto I'd do some metal detecting in the area
@@theastuteangler Don't encourage people to fish illegally. There are enough problems with that already.
Great video. There is also the Hillside Bridge over Little Rouge Creek on Meadowvale Rd. just N of the Zoo, and also Twyn Rivers Bridge on Twyn Rivers Dr. in the new park. When I lived in Pickering I used to ride my mtn. bikes all over the Rouge Valley and the dump, summer and winter.
There is a Bailey here in Bracebridge, Ont. as well. It crosses the Muskoka River at the top of High Falls. It’s for hikers and picnickers in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. I’ve driven across it many times in our five ton trail groomer - was interesting feeling the flexing of the bridge as I passed over the water at the crest of the falls. They are in the process of replacing it this fall, I haven’t heard why or what design they will be using.
2nd Field Engineer Regiment put up these bridges from a stockpile that Ontario Hydro had. They were awarded the freedom of the city and all of the boroughs for their work in getting the traffic moving again.
two & a half minutes in - am somehow properly enthralled
I use to build the Bailey when I was in the military. It’s like Lego. Really heavy Lego. Neat note, many Bailey bridges were replaced with the Acrow bridge. What’s an Acrow? A galvanized Bailey bridge.
a few bailey bridges are used in balt. county Maryland on lesser used roads, after hurricane Agnes(1972) wiped them out.
"A Bailey Bridge...? Like the WW2 portable bridges? In toronto...!?" Got me clicking on the video and I was not disappointed. Amazing it's stood for so long.
It is time to find out and check it out. Difficult for me as I do not drive. With out the car I am stuck and prevented in discovering Ontario also. Not many trains for ex. to Elora or not bus there...Cheers!
It was built by the Royal Canadian Engineers after the original bridge was washed out in 1954. Sections of the bridge were dated 1944.
There are a few in the GTA. One in the Forks of the Credit.
I did a project in grad school that was partially about Bailey bridges - I had totally forgotten 😂 The modularity is so cool
I was all over Toronto when I lived and I didn't discover this bridge. Thanks for doing a video on it Steve!
There's a lovely set of rapids on the Rouge from the Sewell's Rd bridge to the parking lot south of the bailey bridge. The S-bend of the river gives you a nice set of rapids and a short hike back to your car. Whitewater skills are mandatory.
Fantastic work as always!
Please do a history of Rosedale street evolution from the horse paths created by the Jarvis’ horses from their estate which was all of Castle Frank south of Bloor. Also Glen Rd Bridge history is interesting as well with the 2 year reconstruction of it just completed.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Great video Steve! You're genuinely one of my favourite UA-camrs.
Wondering if you're interested in covering the bridge on Midland at Midland and St Clair. It's interesting because it's level with the intersection to its south, but I've always wondered why :)
Thanks! I'm not aware of that bridge - not my neighbourhood and it's not an area I tend to pass through. But who knows, maybe that will end up on my list of videos to make at some point.
looking at street view thats a rail bridge. if its CN or CP, the land is likely owned by CN and they'd rather a train go straight. it's a matter of fuel and safety as the trains weigh a lot. if its passenger rail then it would be up to the original engineering proposals and what the city chose.
I went to combat engineer school at Fort Leonard Wood, in 1995. They thought us how to build a Bailey Bridge. It’s not too fun when you have to move one of those panels, with six soldiers. A crane definitely makes things a lot easier.
Awesome video thanks sad how Toronto doesn't build roads anymore
I really love this street, whenever I have the chance I take a detour route to drive on it. Just the other day my friend and I drove on it late at night and it was surprisingly busy even when it's 10:30 at night
Very interesting! In my neighborhood in Don Mills in the 1960s there were remnants of "Old Lawrence" avenue. Lawrence between what is now Don Mills road and Victoria Park used to take a windy path down into the valley where it crossed the Don on a stone bridge. The old abutments are still there. Lawrence was later straightened, a much bigger bridge was built to span then entire valley, and the leftover bits were named Old Lawrence. The City of Toronto has an Aerial Photograph archive that is fascinating to explore. Very interesting seeing how my old neighborhood took shape. The earliest images are from 1947.
Then you may enjoy my video on that!
ua-cam.com/video/6kvtV2Q_wdg/v-deo.htmlsi=6N-z-87btF2ox22q
Former Don Mills guy here... there are lots of old photos of Don Mills pre-war. Did you know that there used to be a small golf course where Edwards Gardens now stands?
@@notsmoothsteve Just watched that video, very cool. Thanks!
I cant believe im about to trump Notsmoothsteve, but Unwin Ave. over the cooling chanel for for the gas plant has one of these bridges. Its a hell of a nail biter as its the only access to the southern portlands for trucks in which you see it strain every time a heavy load goes over it!
Yup - none of my research for this video mentioned that one, and it's tucked away in a part of the city where almost nobody (including me) goes. Fortunately, I did word my video to leave myself some wiggle room on that :)
This was so cool!
Unwin Drive has a similar bridge, which is the only route to Cherry Beach with the Cherry Street Ship Channel Bridge under repair.
My parents moved to Scarborough just before hurricane hazel and remember this being put in. There was also one on Morningside Ave north of West Hill collegiate (at the time I’m the road went down in to the valley unlike today)
Growing up we spent a lot of time wandering around there.
I remember the Bailey bridge on Morningside Av. very well indeed.
For Toronto Boy Scouts this was the access route to the Camp of the Crooked Creek by means of public transit ie. street cars in the city and then the bus along Kingston Road to West Hill.
Getting off at Kingston Road and Morningside Av. we'd hike north on Morningside, down into the valley and crossing that Bailey bridge, then into the public park and on to the Camp of the Crooked Creek.
Many a Toronto Scout spent his first days under canvas there and cooked his first meal on a camp fire.
Scouting friends and I spent many a week on the "mountain" in that camp during one summer.
It was a great spot for genuine outdoor experience in the city.
@@BasementEngineer it was still the location of “Snow Job” the scouts winter camp.
The park itself is still a real jem. I’d argue Morningside park and the entire highland creek system is superior to the more famous High Park.
The east end is such a great part of the city
How about the Glen Road Bailey Bridge north of Howard Street and the Bailey Bridge down in front of the Hearn Plan on Unwin Ave
There is something else weird near there. At 255 Old Finch (south side, just east of morningview trail) there is the remains of what looks like a gate, that is blocked off and a dissued communal mailbox. There is an abandoned road that leads south in to the forest behind the newer development. Last time I explored this area was in the early 2000s. Back then there was several homes at the end of this road (deep in the forest), and people actually did live in them. But then suddenly around 2010ish (might have been earlier) I went exploring with friends and all the home were gone, completly razed. I have tried for years to learn what in the world this little enclave was and why it was razed.
That’s amazing it was built in 3 days
It is a cool bridge! We paddled canoes under it this year.
I remember riding my bike across this bridge as a kid. It was quite scary.
I believe the Bailey bridge on Unwin Avenue (downtown Toronto) is still in service (crosses the cooling water channel for the R.L. Hearn Generating Station, now decommissioned).
it's still there.
Thanks! Google street view backs you up on that. I looked at a number of sources when researching this video (and found that there's a lot of wrong or incomplete information, like listings of "Bailey bridges" in Toronto that aren't actually Bailey bridges) but this one never came up.
there used to be one that went across the river or stream coming from Clairville dam, it was just below in the valley... if my memory is correct.
I'm curious about the old pedestrian bridge on Glen Road that crosses Rosedale Valley Road. I walked across it many hundreds of times when I grew up in Toronto in the 1950s-'70s. The deck looked flat like the Bailey bridges, but the structure underneath was more complex. I understand it is currently in the process of being replaced. When was it built and did it ever carry vehicular traffic? What is the name for this type of bridge. It was a unique bridge in its time, as most other bridges in the area carried vehicles.
I don't know a lot about that bridge, but I believe it was over a century old, and yes, at one time it did carry vehicular traffic.
I live in the High Park area and there is an Old Weston Rd around Annette and Dundas Street West. It puzzles me. Do you ,Sir have the segment on that. Thank you for all material you gather and share with us. Greetings from High Park.
I don't - sorry. I have a video planned not too far from there but Old Weston Road wouldn't fit the video. The Wikipedia page on Weston Road has some info and hopefully that will satisfy your curiosity. Thanks for watching!
@@notsmoothsteve Thank you, Sir . I live in Toronto from 1983 and I come from Eastern Europe and consider Toronto full of undiscovered treasures. As an academic it is in my blood. Thank you again . Looking forward to more materials from you. Cheers!
Iv been crossing her for years and I can’t believe they still haven’t updated it the did some repairs a few years ago and put a dozen or so steel plates to repair the mesh decking the funny thing is there is not many signs that say how small and tight it is the rd to the east used to be fun in a sporty car or bike now it’s to broken
Drove it today.
That "temporary" bridge on Dufferin Street has been there for about 10 years now.
So, it's having a race with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT to see which project will drag on the longest?
This was our party place in the 1970’s.
Isn’t the nearby bridge on Twyn Rivers Drive also a Bailey bridge also put in place due to hurricane Hazel?
I see a couple of bridges on that road in Google Earth, and one has a metal mesh deck, but it's not a Bailey bridge - it's a truss bridge of some sort.
Did you see the old tree farm (? At least that’s what it looks like from satellite images) been driving me insane for 13 years trying to figure out what that was
Any idea what the source of this bridge was? The triangular pieces above each transom aren't standard for any of the military versions of the Bailey Bridge.
Apparently after the war Ontario Hydro bought a whole bunch of Bailey bridges and used them as frames for buildings, and I've read that their stock of bridge parts was used for this bridge.
@@notsmoothsteve Thanks, I thought it looked like WW2 era, but wanted to check.
Much like the many homes which were needed post war. And hurricaine hazel was weather event 70 forgotten years ago. By current premiere.
I e been across that bridge a thousand times and I think I’ve managed to get a green light as I approached maybe twice.😂
That bailey bridge is a WW2 left over piece of military kit............................
it SERVES ITS PURPOSE by allowing cars and LIGHT trucks to pass over it...................
however it is a ONE LANE bridge and if traffic in the area - out past the Metro Zoo increases then it will need to be REPLACED to eliminate the one lane bottle neck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What about the bridge on Plug Hat? Is that not a Bailey bridge as well?
I'm not familiar with the area, but the only bridge I see on Plug Hat is a regular concrete road bridge.
@@notsmoothsteve unless it's changed in the last year, it was a Bailey with a steel, open mesh bridge deck.
@@notsmoothsteve You must be thinking of the bridge close to where you were, on Sewells. The one at Plug Hat where it meets Meadowvale is the other Bailey Bridge. Pretty sure it is one.
@@johnandrews3568 Yes it's still the same. In much better shape than the one on Old Finch which keeps getting holes in the deck and plates welded on them!
@@notsmoothsteve Also if you want to see another interesting old bridge, check out the Lakeshore Rail Overpass Timber Bridge in Clarington. 3792 Lakeshore Road. It is amazing. There's another timber deck bridge around there but can't locate it on google maps at the moment. I'll leave it for you to discover. 🙂
Is this the legendary haunted bridge?
Yeah, there's a rumour that this bridge is haunted. I didn't see anything, but maybe ghosts prefer to come out at night :)
@@notsmoothsteve Regarding the "haunting" of the bridge, the story behind the haunting is made up and not true. But the "unexplained" occurrences at the Bailey Bridge are unique as to any alleged haunting anywhere in North America. Many people have been scared out of their wits when they ventured out on the bridge in the wee hours of the morning after midnight and sang "Happy Birthday to You" and then experienced (on rare occasions) the phenomenon that occurred. The alleged "haunting" has a very real explanation but I don't want to give it away because that would ruin the fun for so many younger people who have gone out there at night over the many years. Not knowing what the "haunting" is only makes that place even more intriguing!
Here's a Bailey Bridge for ya!
ua-cam.com/video/TQzY_dKUz7E/v-deo.html
This is similar to what I have seen and driven across up North but there they have three horizontal layers.
Try going here at night lol the red light is terrifying 😂
What's the one before the zoo?
Dufferin Bailey bridge is definitely permanent 😂 it has been temporary for decades
Mate you wouldn't catch me standing there. Place is reportedly haunted
I was hoping you were going to be there in the dark and sing happy birthday. Totally off brand for your channel but for those from there, you know what I mean.
That bridge still sounds the same after all these years, good way to the zoo
NO
Lets just use basic common sense
Its just old concession land division lines if that.
I doubt that There was any road road there called finch there to begin with.
The naming and alignment of streets in Toronto became an inane obsession of retardation and only engineers can come up with such namings.
After the rural / suburban townships became Metro Toronto, a two tiered municipal federation for sharing municipal services came about and engineers started to stitch roads that never met or existed to create arterial roads across the new metro toronto.
It was an obsession when you look at the 100 small streets that was stitched together to create the parts two parts of Dundas street that never met or lost due to farming or devlopment
How does a street continue across a 1/2 mile across a valley and have the same name? You know its made up retardation if you look at St.Clair Avenue in Scarborough. St.Clair was just a small local road in the far west end of Toronto the what was York township
nothing pertinent to add.
just feeding the algo-deities of the tube'y'all.
Isn't this haunted? hahah
Heard it was! I never saw😅 anything though through the years
Yeah, there's a rumour about that! I didn't see anything ghostly, but then again, the middle of the day in summer doesn't seem like the spookiest time for spirits to come out :)
It's not haunted. People hear strange noises there. It's next to the Toronto Zoo. You'll sometimes hear peacocks screeching or lions roaring, for example. It does feel a little creepy there at night so if you're inclined to get spooked easily your imagine can run wild.
@@squeekycat Yes! The unexpected hearing from the Bailey Bridge of a screeching/screaming peacock during the night in the distance from the Toronto Zoo would be very unnerving!
Jesus that's sketchy.