Also known as: Toronto Locomotive Works, Toronto Engine Works & Toronto Stove Works
James Good immigrated to Canada in 1832 and established an iron-founding business in York. In 1840, he acquired the Union Furness Company at the north- east corner of Yonge Street and Queen Street, with help from his father-in- law. His foundry was destroyed by fire in December 1841, but he built a new foundry on the same site. In 1845 he built a brick house at the north-west corner of Queen and Bond.
He formed the Toronto Locomotive Works at the foundry and, in 1853, produced the very first locomotive ever built in the city, the Toronto, for the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway. By 1856 he had built 21 locomotives and switched to building other pieces of equipment. He continued to own the property and business, but formed a partnership with three Americans and renamed the business the Toronto Engine Works. When fire destroyed the entire factory complex and two dozen other properties in June 1875, his American partners pulled out, leaving Good to gather his resources and begin again. He built yet another factory on the same property and named this business the Toronto Stove Works. His widow sold the property after he died in 1889.
At its peak, as the Toronto Engine Works, it was a three storey frame building 125 feet by 122 feet. It had machine, moulding, blacksmith, pattern, and stove mounting shops, plus a warehouse and counting room. One 35 hp engine powered all of the equipment, and he employed a staff of 45. This company made stoves, hollow-ware, engines of all kinds, grist and saw mill machinery, potash kettles, and tin, copper, and sheet-iron wares.
Information from “A Glimpse of Toronto’s History” MPLS# 171.