Pictured here in 1977, construction of the first phase of Toronto’s Eaton Centre reached completion.
The demolition of the old Eaton store at Yonge and Queen streets, was essential to the next phase of the project that took two years.
The wrecking ball was the way to go for this demolition project. This American Crane Corp. Model 9520 conventional mobile crane was on rental from Nadrofsky Steel Erecting Ltd., based in Brantford, Ontario. Nadrofsky was among the first to put this model 9520 into service in Canada in the early 1970s.
These heavy lift mobile cranes were powered by Cummins or Detroit Diesel in the 260-kW range. The carrier was built by FWD Corp. factory in Clintonville, Wisconsin.
From a meagre start with a well-worn 1950 winch truck bought from another Brantford local construction company, Nadrofsky flourished well into the 1990s. They sought the best hoisting engineers and kept them on the team.
The picture shows not only a demolition site. There’s also a Caterpillar 977 crawler loader getting a welding field repair. You always need a good welder!
The Historical Construction Equipment Association (HCEA Canada) 2023 event, The Last Blast returns on October 14. The event takes place at the Simcoe County Museum near Barrie. To see more than 60 pieces of vintage construction equipment in action be sure to attend. HCEA Canada is a proud Heritage Partner of the Simcoe County Museum. Visit hceacanada.org for updates.
