Toronto – Geeky Girl Engineer

Historic Don Jail

Posted on May 26, 2019 by geek

One of the buildings open for Doors Open Toronto was the historic Don Jail, which now houses Bridgepoint Active Healthcare Administration Building. The jail was built between 1800-1866 and closed in 1977. I have not toured that many old jails, but this building has ornamentation that I honestly did not think would ever be in a jail. It was built as a reform jail, and evidently sunlight was part of that idea. The cells, or at least the doorways I could see, were still pretty darn tiny though. Architecturally, it is something to behold.

After it closed, the jail evidently sat unused for a while because really, what do you do with an old jail? Bridgepoint purchased it to turn it into an administrative building next to their hospital. They preserved its historic elements. It does seem like some of the offices must be nice, but I can’t imagine working in an old jail no matter how many fresh coats of paint are put on it. There is even a closed off area, which was open for photos, where the gallows were. The are offices across the hall for the gallows room. I really don’t think I could work on that hallway.

Atrium which is shaped as half an octagon.

The atrium balconies are help up by really ornate brackets shaped like dangerous animals like servants and dragons

A better view of the dragon brackets supporting the balconies

Isolation cells for punishment were about a cot’s width

Cells that have been turned into offices

Gallows area. The outline of where the wood gallows were was left visible.

F.J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant

Posted on May 26, 2019 by geek

The F.J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant was one of my top two reasons for coming to Doors Open Toronto. Sadly, no wastewater treatment plants were open for the event, as I find them more interesting than water treatment plants. However, water treatment plants are still interesting. This plant was even more interesting than I initially thought it would be because I am fairly this is the first water treatment plant I have been to where they use ozone for the initial disinfectant. This is the second water treatment plant I have visited in Toronto. The first Doors Open Toronto I came to, I visited the absolutely magnificent R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant. F.J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant is not as beautiful, but it is interesting none the less.

The plant’s water intake is from pipes in Lake Ontario over 2 km from shore. It is then pumped to the plant and then up from the pipes which are (I think) nine stories below the surface. The plant sits on cliffs high above the water surface. Ozone is added to the water. Ozone disinfects the water. The ozone is made at the treatment plant from liquid oxygen. Before the water leaves the tanks where is contacts ozone, sodium bisulfite is added to remove any left over ozone.

Ozone generation unit from liquid oxygen and electricity

Coagulant is then added to the water. Coagulant causes certain ions and tiny particles to start to come together to make bigger particles, which are easier to filter out. The water is pumped to sediment filters. The filters have a lower sand layer topped with a carbon layer. The filter tanks are huge, but so are the pipes in the building.

Gigantic water pipe conveying water (I think) to the filter tanks

This is a horrible photo because is taken through glass with wire lining, but that is water in the filter tanks. The filters are at the bottom, and I think blue plastic thing is the trough where the backwash goes when the unit is backwashed.

Another horrible photo taken through glass, but on the left side is an empty filter tank, and on the right side is a filter tank with water.

Low pressure air pipes in the filtration gallery

Gigantic air pipes running through the main part of the building

After the water has been cleaned, chlorine is added. The water has already been disinfected at this point, but a residual disinfectant is needed to kill any bacteria the water may encounter in the distribution system on its way to customers.

Bay Lower Subway Station

Posted on May 25, 2019 by geek

Another site I visited with Doors Open Toronto was an abandoned subway station. When the Bay Subway Station was built, there was an upper and lower level. According to the Doors Open Toronto website “When Line 2 officially opened in 1966, Bay Lower was in full use. Alternate trains used the Wye connection, which allowed customers to travel from Line 1 to Line 2 without changing trains. The TTC tested this system for six months and also tested the two separate subway lines for six months. Following testing, the TTC decided that two trains worked best and Bay Lower was closed.” If like me, you do not live in Toronto, that means very little or nothing. Having studied the Toronto subway map for a little bit of time, I think I now understands what it means, but to be perfectly honest, it sounds like it was a dumb idea from the start. Yes, yes, hindsight is 20/20, but it just seems overly complicated, and I know how long it took me just to understand New York City’s local versus express lines, so this seems like it might have made things easier for some but confused the heck out of others. It also sounds like something that carried not insignificant risks for train operation and train traffic control.

The lower level was not used for very long, but it has been used ever since by TTC for testing and training. It has also been used by the television and movie industry quite a bit for shooting scenes. The signs they had displayed seem to indicate that it has been a stand in for many U.S. city subway lines. Ever since I visited the lower level, I have been trying to think how many U.S. cities actually have a subway, as in trains that run underground. There are not that many, and furthermore, not many look like this station. Then again, the movie industry may not always care about things like that. But I digress.

In any event, it was kind of neat to walk around the platform. They had a train on either track with all doors open, so you could walk around the trains. They also let people visit the conductor’s seat/booth/area/I don’t what it is called. Today I learned, when given the opportunity to visit this area, people both young and old, really, really, really like to honk the horn. How the employees watching everything were not developing headaches from the horns constantly going off in the confined station where the noise really bounces around, I have no idea.

One final observation. I am rather fascinated by Toronto’s subway trains because the individual cars are all connected into one true train where you can walk very easily between all the cars. I don’t how many other systems have cars like this, but I was fascinated by it. I am most familiar with the Washington, D.C. and New York City subway systems where walking between cars requires going outside and is rather frowned upon or difficult. It would seem likely this would make it rather difficult for trains to be taken apart should only one or two cars need service, but I am not sure how often cars are taken apart and reconfigured on other systems where visually at least, it would appear to be easier.

One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. You can easily walk the entire length of the train.

One of the trains at the Bay Lower Subway Station. In the foreground is where two cars are joined, and you can walk in between.

View from the end of the Bay Lower Subway Station platform into the tunnel.

City of Toronto Archives

Posted on May 25, 2019 by geek

One of the places I visited for Doors Open Toronto was the City of Toronto Archives. The main reason I wanted to visit was a photo I had seen on the website, which once I got there was the viewing gallery. All the photos taken below were taken from there. It is a really neat area where you can look to see the stacks of archive boxes. Well, you can see some of the archives box because there are a LOT of archive boxes, and you can’t see them all. They are kept in a climate controlled area with fire protection. I honestly wanted to learn more about the engineering of the climate control and fire protection, but there didn’t seem to be anyway to ask.

However, while there, I ended up spending quite a bit of time looking at some photographs from their files. I also talked with man who worked with the archives about the restoration and digital scanning of archives. It was fascinating. They scan and also photograph archives depending on the piece. They also had a lot of information about vinegar syndrome, which sounds rather funny, but happens to cellulose acetate film and causes irreversible damage once it starts occurring. They keep cellulose acetate film in a freezer to try to prevent it.

City of Toronto Archives. The lift equipment in the middle is what employees use to retrieve the high boxes, which doesn’t sound the least bit scary.

Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility

Posted on May 25, 2019 by geek

I am in Toronto for Doors Open Toronto. When any city allows people to visit a rail yard or water or wastewater treatment plant, I will be there. One of the places that was on the top of my list to visit is the Eglinton Maintenance and Storage Facility. It houses the Crosstown Light Rail Vehicles where they are inspected, cleaned and maintained. It only opened in January 2019, which was evident because it is still very clean and looks barely used. It is a well designed facility that appears to have been designed with the human worker in mind.

The facility has a train wash, paint booth, and numerous bay for maintenance. The maintenance areas have pit to work underneath the trains besides the platforms to work on the side or inside the trains, but it also has balconies so that the workers can get to the top of the trains.

In one area, there are several sand pumps. The trains carry sand, and if the tracks are really wet or if there is snow or ice, then the driver sprays sand to increase traction on the tracks.

The paint booth where two workers can work, each on their own lift.

The large maintenance bay with balconies

One of the trains in the maintenance bay

More of the maintenance bay. I did not find out what the green carriage is for.

Nicely labeled and color coded pipes and conduits

High Level Pumping Station

Posted on June 1, 2016 by geek

As part of Doors Open Toronto, I visited the High Level Pumping Station. It is the oldest building in Toronto’s water supply system. The oldest part of the building dates back to 1906 with other additions added later until the final one in 1953. The building houses a vertical triple expansion steam engine from 1909 with a huge crank and flywheel, not to mention a lovely set of huge wrenches hanging next to it. The building also houses a steam-geared centrifugal pump. However neither of those are used anymore but instead have been replaced with nine electric motor-driven pumps to fulfill the pumping station’s objection of conveying drinking water to that area of Toronto.

High Level Pumping Station

Entrance Sign

Monitor roof allows light in and original crane can be seen in background

Columns with pressed metal molding and tile on walls

1913 steam engine

1909 vertical triple-expansion steam engine

Original steam engine gauges

Room with electric motor-driven pumps

R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant

Posted on May 30, 2016 by geek

As part of Doors Open Toronto, I toured the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, which is not only the most beautiful water treatment plants I have ever visited, it is one of the beautiful buildings I have ever visited period. Colored stone and brass are everywhere. It was built in Arts Deco style, and in my opinion as an engineer, lays tribute to the importance of what the plant does, providing clean water to Toronto. It has two galleries with huge windows to allow viewing of the filtration chambers. In front of these windows are gorgeous stone tables with simple bronze control levers. The plant itself sits on hill overlooking Lake Ontario, where it gets its supply of water to clean.

R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant: filtration building on right, pumping station on left in foreground

View of Lake Ontario from filtration building

Filtration building gallery, windows on side allow views of filtration chambers

Pylon in filtration building indicating time and filter backwash conditions

Gauge on pylon

Filter chamber control table

Filter chamber control panel

Filtration chamber

Filtration chamber, not currently in use

Pumping station

Signal panel in pumping station indicating status of pumps

Sign reads “Original 1950s cone valve restored and ready for reinstallation

Inside the restored cone valve

Portlands Energy Centre

Posted on May 30, 2016 by geek

As part of Doors Open Toronto, I toured the Portlands Energy Centre. They produce electricity by two processes. First, they combust the natural gas, which turns gas turbines. Second they capture the heat from the combustion and use it produce steam, which then turn steam turbines. The gas turbines and steam turbine produce the actual electricity. They use Lake Ontario water as cooling water, but here is what I find interesting. They need ultra pure water to use in the equipment for cooling, so they have a multi step process to clean the water, including filtration, disinfection, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange. When that cooling water is later released to Lake Ontario, after being properly cooled, it is actually cleaner then when they pumped it into the plant. I followed the maze of pipes wondering how they ever find the right one when they need to do maintenance, and I desperately a process flow diagram, so I could follow everything along. When standing in the room with several pumps for the cooling water, the room was actually vibrating from the pump motion. Then of course, I started to wonder about the structural engineering and the amount of motion the structure has to be able to bear. Things an engineer thinks about, even when on vacation.

I took lots of photos because I find a beauty in the maze of pipes. It’s probably the chemical engineer in me. Some were labeled, so were not. Almost all were silver. This must make for a fun time when you need to pipe a specific pipe. However, there is a simple elegance, and please excuse me, but beauty in the pipes going everywhere, one next to another and a top another, in an orderly fashion. It is a maze but a logical maze. No mess. Just order.

Huge pipe of cooling water

Ion exchange columns

One of the pumps so powerful it made the room vibrate

Reverse osmosis step

Billy Bishop Airport

Posted on May 29, 2016 by geek

Billy Bishop Airport opened up its behind the scenes areas for Doors Open Toronto. The airport is located on a little island just off of downtown. By just off of, I mean late last year they opened a pedestrian tunnel connecting it to the mainland, so you can literally walk to the island. They pulled out a lot of the equipment they use for maintenance including snow removal and also for emergencies including fire fighting. They have so really cool equipment. One thing I found really interesting was that they don’t use a snow plow on the runways; they use a snow brush. The snow brush is better because of the short length of the runways. They use plows for taxi areas and places where cars go. The brushes also are used during the summer to remove rubber build up from the runways. Planes braking as they land leave rubber marks, and when enough builds up, it lowers the traction, so the rubber has to be removed. They spray a chemical to the runway, then come through with the brush to break up the rubber.

New pedestrian tunnel linking airport to mainland

View from a hanger

Snow brusher

Front of snow brusher, the brush

Snow plow

Fire truck in action

Fire truck

TTC Leslie Barns

Posted on May 28, 2016 by geek

As a part of Doors Open Toronto, I got to tour Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) Leslie Barns. Leslie Barns is a streetcar maintenance and storage facility, and it is brand new. It is not completely finished, but it is already being used. I had to ask several employees about this because I find it difficult to believe that it is being used at all. It is without a doubt the cleanest, neatest, prettiest maintenance facility I have ever been in. If you look at my blog at all, you will see I have seen a few. I love touring them. This place is ridiculously clean and organized. The pipes are not only labeled, but they are also color-coded. It makes my chemical engineering heart go pitter patter. The facility was built for the new street cars that Toronto is purchasing, which are very sleek looking. The place has a paint booth, maintenance areas, and car wash for street cars. Outside is a storage area for the street cars, and in the middle of it is a stormwater retention pond.