Barrie in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Master Mechanics Building and Stores Department

— Waterfront Heritage Trail —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

1. Master Mechanics Building and Stores Department Marker

Inscription.
Fully Staffed
Most of the male population of Allandale was in the employment of the Grand Trunk Railway. The Master Mechanics Building was built in 1903, along with the Roundhouse, to service the GTR's fleet of engines. The closing of the Rail Yards in 1986 meant the end of the Master Mechanics' and Stores Department.

Rail For Sale
The City of Barrie's railway division, the Allandale Community Development Corporation, bought the abandoned rail-line through Barrie. The Master Mechanics Building received Municipal Heritage Designation under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1991.

A New Waterfront Park
This rare opportunity allowed the City of Barrie to reclaim the waterfront and transform the Master Mechanics' and Stores Department into the Southshore Community Centre in 1994. It now sits as the focal point of the park.

Building Features
See if you can find

• The original horn under the southwest eave, to signal shift changes, lunch hours and to notify mechanics of the arrival of engines for repair.
• A steam jigger lift in the building hall to lift jiggers from the track to the building basement.

Erected by Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture

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• Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.

Location. 44° 22.448′ N, 79° 40.843′ W. Marker is in Barrie, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It can be reached from Lakeshore Drive one kilometer west of Miner's Point Road, on the right when traveling west. The marker is on the Waterfront Heritage Trail at Station #3 ("The Rail Yards"), on the west side of the Barrie Southshore Community Centre. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 205 Lakeshore Drive, Barrie ON L9S 3T7, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Frederic Cumberland (here, next to this marker); The Roundhouse (here, next to this marker); Railyard Workers (here, next to this marker); Coal Chute (here, next to this marker); The Railyards at their Peak (here, next to this marker); In Recognition of the Rotary Club of Barrie Tree Planting Program (within shouting distance of this marker); Barrie's Military Heritage Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Military Heritage Park (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barrie.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Barrie Waterfront Heritage Trail Station #3 — The Rail Yards

Also see . . .

Marker detail: Master Mechanics Building, circa 1909 image. Click for full size.

Simcoe County Archives

2. Marker detail: Master Mechanics Building, circa 1909

1. Master Mechanic's Building (Canada Register of Historic Places).

Excerpt: The heritage value of the Master Mechanic and Stores Department building is in its association with the Allandale operations of the Grand Trunk Railway. It is the only rail equipment servicing building remaining on the waterfront site. Since the railway first reached Allandale near Barrie in 1853, the area has been a divisional point for rail service between eastern and western Canada. In 1903-04, the Grand Trunk Railway improved its facilities by contracting B.V. Hole to erect a Master Mechanic and Stores Department building, and a roundhouse with a machine shop. The enclave was a major service depot for steam locomotives. This industrial building, made of a relatively new building material, poured concrete, is rectangular in shape with a modified hip roof. Its location is a focal point on the south shore of Kempenfelt Bay, Lake Simcoe.

(Submitted on May 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. THEN & NOW: Master Mechanics office (Barrie Today).

(by BarrieToday Staff, 11/24/2019) Excerpt: The Grand Trunk Railway’s Master Mechanic office and Stores building was built in 1903 along with the roundhouse
Simcoe County Archives

3. Marker detail: Master Mechanics Building, Roundhouse and Rail Yards
that was next to it. It’s a marvelous example of a historical building that has been restored and repurposed, retaining so much of its original architectural detail inside and out. The Master Mechanics building was added to the Municipal Heritage Register in 1991 as a designated heritage property under the Ontario Heritage Act. In 1994, the addition was added to the old railway building and it opened as the Southshore Centre.

(Submitted on May 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

4. Master Mechanics Building and Stores Department Marker

Looking west from the Barrie Southshore Community Centre. It is the leftmost of six related interpretive panels at this location.

Southshore Centre (formerly the Grand Trunk Railway’s Master Mechanic Office and Stores building) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 5, 2024

5. Southshore Centre (formerly the Grand Trunk Railway’s Master Mechanic Office and Stores building)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 101 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 24, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.