Mile 1.8: Thompson Road (Stop 1)
Thompson Road marked the southern edge of London in 1927. From here north to the Thames River were two major industrial enterprises and the beginnings of several residential neighborhoods that were springing up to house their employees.
Just north of Thompson Road was the Beatty Brothers factory. They started out in 1874 manufacturing farm equipment in Fergus, Ontario. Eventually they diversified into home appliances and were the first to produce an electric washing machine in Canada. The Beatty family retained control of the business until 1961 when it became a division of the General Steel Wares company.
Further north was the Richards-Wilcox plant. The product of a 1912 merger between the Richards Manufacturing company and the Wilcox Manufacturing Company, this firm produced sectional overhead doors of various types at their London facility.
Both plants were served by the L&PS and here we see L1 switching at the Beatty Brothers factory with the Richards-Wilcox plant just out of sight in the distance. These factories are gone now - both swept away with the ending of the industrial age.
( MSTS )