Division Selection List Our Recent Projects Project: CF-5 Aircraft Mounting Location: Downsview, Ontario Contact: Rob Doucet/ Mark Carney The Canadian Forces CF-5 Freedom Fighter was ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1968 as a tactical support aircraft in Canada, as well as being committed to NATO’s northern flank as a rapid deployment force. The 7.87m wingspan aircraft has a maximum speed of 1,575km/h and range of 1,400km. After 27 years of operation, the aircrafts where retired in 1995. Defence Construction Canada contracted Western to mount a CF-5 aircraft outside of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) building in Toronto, Ontario where it stands as a monument. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: CN Railway Bridge Location: Port Credit, Ontario Contact: Larry Eisses/Mark Carney For the GO Transit’s Lakeshore West corridor (West Toronto, Ontario) track time has become more precious than ever as it handles more than 60,000 commuters every working day. With increasing ridership, GO transit added a third track to the corridor. A potential bottleneck to the expansion was the Credit River Bridge, but Western was able to meet that challenge. The method of installation Western proposed to CN and GO Transit provided a safer and more-cost-effective alternative to the more common practice of assembling the bridge over open water; Western made it possible to assemble the bridge safely, a few feet from the ground. The bridge was hydraulically driven onto four railcars and shunted onto the existing bridge. The 330 Ton bridge was then driven under strand jacks and lowered into place. The installation took five hours as the next train needed to use the track, making the first run of passengers for the day. Using this unique lifting method, a safe solution to installing the bridge was made in a tight window of time without any interruptions to the commuter service. Photos by: H.B. Photo & Western Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Dundas St. Bridge: Phase 1 Girder Installation Location: Oakville, Ontario Contact: Dan Eisses The Dundas St. Bridge consists of five - 200ft. spans approximately 150ft. above 16 Mile Creek. Because of the unique geometry of the new bridge, Western identified an innovative opportunity to cost effectively install the required 35 girders which weighed as much as 200ton. The gantry system used to install the girders was supported by the existing bridge and a temporary steel truss. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Essalea Barn Relocation Location: Thorton, Ontario Contact: Rob Doucet A 140ft. by 96ft. was requested by Western to be relocated across Hwy. 27 just north of Thorton, ON. The move stopped traffic on the highway for only 10 minutes as the structure crossed and travelled through a corn field. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Frontier Reactor Heavy Lift Location: Oakville, On Contact: Larry Eisses Hooper Welding Enterprises is a recognized leader in the design and manufacturing of pressure vessels and alloy fabrication. At Hooper’s main facility in Oakville, Ontario a 1.4 million pound reactor was fabricated for and oil refinery in El Dorado, Kansas. Logistically, moving a reactor approximately 130’-0” long 14’-8” diameter and 1.4 million pounds requires specialized equipment including a 20 axle double wide transporter (320 tires), Western’s specialized lifting devices and a specialized 36 axle Schnabel railcar. Western was in charge of all lifting and trans-loading of this reactor prior to the 20 day railway journey to the oil refinery in Kansas, as well as the assembly of the Schnabel railcar. This load is the single heaviest ever moved on the CN railway network. Photos by H.B. Photo Services Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: General Civil Projects Location: Canada - United States Contact: Eric Duivenvoorden Western's Civil division contains a very diverse group of project managers and Foreman. This enables the civil division to tackle a wide variety of project ranging from Pre-engineered building construction to foundations for large industrial machinery. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Goreway Generating Station Location: Brampton, Ontario Contact: Dan Eisses Goreway Station is a natural gas powered electrical generating facility with a power output of 874MW in Brampton, Ontario. Essential to the power production, a 356 ton steam generator and a 136 ton steam turbine are housed more than sixty-five feet above ground. Posed with installing these two large components, Western developed a lifting apparatus using strand jack technology and gantry jacks. Since the Goreway Station project, Western has used similar rigging arrangements for many electrical generating facilities across Ontario. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Halton Hills Generating Station Location: Halton Hills, Ontario Contact: Dan Eisses Halton Hills Generating Station is a facility with the capacity to generate power to approximately 600,000 homes. TransCanada has been awarded the contract to own and operate the 683 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario. Using state-of-the-art low emissions technology and meeting high environmental standards, Halton Hills Generating Station is built to fulfill the Ontario Power Authority’s request for clean power generation. Western was awarded the heavy lift package for the entire Halton Hills project including transformers, combustion turbine and generator, HRSG modules, HP steam drums, HP and IP turbine, generator rotor and stator. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Halton Landfill Gas Generation Location: Halton Region, Ontario Contact: Dan Verner Western was hired as part of a design build team to provide the complete installation for all trades of two 1 Mega Watt power generation units at the Halton Region Landfill. The work included the installation of a 5000Amp, 600Volt service and switchgear. As well Western installed and connected all auxiliary gas treatment, instrumentation and communications equipment to condition the gas for use in the generators. The benefits of the project are twofold as not only can the power be exported to the grid but after combustion the environmental impact of the methane gas (which would normally escape directly to the atmosphere) is substantially reduced. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Hwy 407 over Rouge and Little Rouge River Bridge Location: Markham, Ontario Contact: Dan Eisses Installation of CPCI 2300 girders over the Rouge River and Little Rouge River Bridges for the widening of Hwy 407. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Hwy 407-404 Interchange: Bridge Expansion Location: Toronto, Ontario Contact: Rob Doucet Toronto’s 407 ETR (Electronic Toll Route) is the world’s first all-electronic, barrier-free toll highway. The 407 continues to improve the highway for the daily commute of hundreds-of-thousands of drivers. Western played a key role in the 407 bridge expansion over the four-hundred series highway, the 404. This expansion gave way to unique challenges as the bridge was the middle of a three-level highway interchange. Working closely with Dufferin Construction (contractor), All Canada Crane (crane services), and Anderson Haulage (transporter); Western coordinated the installation of the twenty-four CPCI concrete girders in under 12 hours. With some girders installed at clearances of a few inches above the crane boom, planning was essential to the success of this project. Included in the planning, Western designed and built a low profile sheave that rigged directly to the CPCI girders, saving precious rigging height and making clearances possible for the crane boom under the overhead bridge. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Locomotive 1531 Relocation Location: Barrie, Ontario Contact: Rob Doucet Western Mechanical was hired by the City of Barrie to move Locomotive 1531, tender and caboose from its location on Lakeshore in Barrie to the Midhurst Museum. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Locomotive 6167 Relocation Location: Guelph, Ontario Contact: Rob Doucet CN locomotive 6167 was built in 1940 and used to move goods, products and people from Ontario to the East-coast ports during World War II, eventually logging 2 million kilometres of service. Being one of the most photographed locomotives in North America, the locomotive was retired at the Guelph Bus Terminal in 1959. Western was hired to relocate the 403,000 lbs locomotive and 280,000 lbs tender to facilitate a new downtown transit terminal. Photos by: H.B. Photo Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Malartic Stator Move Location: Toronto, Ontario & Malarctic, Quebec Contact: Rob Doucet Representing the second biggest gold reserve in Canada, the Canadian Malartic gold mine in the Abitibi mining district in Quebec is currently in the development stage by the Osisko Mining Corporation. Part of this development is the installation of the facility’s gold processing equipment. Western was hired for the heavy lift portion of moving the processing facility’s 233,200lbs stator quarter sections from Toronto, Ontario to Malartic, Quebec. Due to the abnormal center-of-gravity and shape of the stator sections, railway clearances and logistics were a particular challenge to the project. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Oil Pre-Flash Tower Move Location: Oakville, Ontario Contact: Dan Eisses Fabricated by Hooper Welding, Western along with Anderson Haulage completed the loading and transportation of a 300 ton pre-flash tower for oil refining. The oversized vessel was offloaded onto a waiting barge at Bronte Harbour, Oakville. Photos for this project were taken by H.B. Photo Services. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Press Foundation: 1600 Ton Blow Location: New Market, Ontario Contact: Eric Duivenvoorden Western successfully installed the foundation to a 1600 Ton Blow Press for the automotive industry under harsh time restriction. Both the press and foundation are idealized at the manufacturer’s ‘model’ equipment. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Process Piping Location: Penetanguishene, Ontario Contact: Jeff Bennet Multiple Steam & Hot Water Boiler Installation for industrial, commercial and institutional applications. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Snow Valley Highlands Location: Barrie, Ontario Contact: Dan Verner Western was hired to provide complete turnkey services for the construction of a standalone water and waste water treatment plant for the Snow Valley Highlands residential development. The project consists of a well pump house feeding water to the centre from over 1 km away to a treatment, testing and monitoring area within the facility. From there, the treated water is fed into storage tanks for distribution to the residential development. Returning from the residential development the sewage is treated through a sequential batch reactor (SBR) exterior to the facility. Western installed and connected all equipment on the project including the main 600V service, distribution and control equipment, instrumentation and the facilities standby generator. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Suncor Voyageur Project Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta Contact: Dan Eisses/Mark Carney Suncor Energy recovers bitumen ore from oil sands and upgrades it to refinery ready feedstock and diesel fuel near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Suncor Energy is taking part in the new ‘Voyageur‘ upgrade, part of a planned $20.6 billion oil sands expansion, with an expected additional 100,000 barrels of oils per day production. At the heart of this expansion, Western Mechanical has taken part in the delivery of Suncor’s four new refinery reactors. Fabricated in Japan, the 1.13 million pound reactors travelled by ship three quarters of the world, approaching Canada from the Atlantic and offloaded onto train in Thunderbay, Ontario. The reactor’s journey across the prairies was one of the largest load ever travelled on a Canadian railway. Once in Alberta, Western Mechanical assembled a 1.8 million pound capacity gantry using strand jack technology to trans-load the reactors from the railcars to a transport for their final journey. Taking simple methods and applying it to new technology, Western was an essential connection to Suncor Voyageur’s success. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Transformer Installations Location: Chicoutimi, Quebec Contact: Dan Eisses Rigging, loading, transportation, offloading and installation of 22 transformers. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Trucking Location: Where ever Required Contact: Steve Rumsey Western has it own fleet of transports used to transport our own equipment to our various project as well as haul our customers goods from point "A" to Point "B". Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used Project: Various GO Station Pedestrian Tunnel Location: - Contact: Rob Doucet As the GO transit infrastructure continues to grow, Western is a regular contributor to rapid installations of pedestrian tunnels under busy rail lines. A typical installation of a tunnel involves assembling the precast concrete tunnels adjacent to live railway track. In this assembly area, the tunnel can be prestressed and waterproofed beforehand. Once the rail lines are closed and the tracks are prepped, Western can jack-and-slide the precast tunnel into place within an hour. Show photo gallery for this project View equipment used
Our Recent Projects
The Canadian Forces CF-5 Freedom Fighter was ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1968 as a tactical support aircraft in Canada, as well as being committed to NATO’s northern flank as a rapid deployment force. The 7.87m wingspan aircraft has a maximum speed of 1,575km/h and range of 1,400km. After 27 years of operation, the aircrafts where retired in 1995. Defence Construction Canada contracted Western to mount a CF-5 aircraft outside of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) building in Toronto, Ontario where it stands as a monument.
For the GO Transit’s Lakeshore West corridor (West Toronto, Ontario) track time has become more precious than ever as it handles more than 60,000 commuters every working day. With increasing ridership, GO transit added a third track to the corridor. A potential bottleneck to the expansion was the Credit River Bridge, but Western was able to meet that challenge. The method of installation Western proposed to CN and GO Transit provided a safer and more-cost-effective alternative to the more common practice of assembling the bridge over open water; Western made it possible to assemble the bridge safely, a few feet from the ground. The bridge was hydraulically driven onto four railcars and shunted onto the existing bridge. The 330 Ton bridge was then driven under strand jacks and lowered into place. The installation took five hours as the next train needed to use the track, making the first run of passengers for the day. Using this unique lifting method, a safe solution to installing the bridge was made in a tight window of time without any interruptions to the commuter service. Photos by: H.B. Photo & Western
The Dundas St. Bridge consists of five - 200ft. spans approximately 150ft. above 16 Mile Creek. Because of the unique geometry of the new bridge, Western identified an innovative opportunity to cost effectively install the required 35 girders which weighed as much as 200ton. The gantry system used to install the girders was supported by the existing bridge and a temporary steel truss.
A 140ft. by 96ft. was requested by Western to be relocated across Hwy. 27 just north of Thorton, ON. The move stopped traffic on the highway for only 10 minutes as the structure crossed and travelled through a corn field.
Hooper Welding Enterprises is a recognized leader in the design and manufacturing of pressure vessels and alloy fabrication. At Hooper’s main facility in Oakville, Ontario a 1.4 million pound reactor was fabricated for and oil refinery in El Dorado, Kansas. Logistically, moving a reactor approximately 130’-0” long 14’-8” diameter and 1.4 million pounds requires specialized equipment including a 20 axle double wide transporter (320 tires), Western’s specialized lifting devices and a specialized 36 axle Schnabel railcar. Western was in charge of all lifting and trans-loading of this reactor prior to the 20 day railway journey to the oil refinery in Kansas, as well as the assembly of the Schnabel railcar. This load is the single heaviest ever moved on the CN railway network. Photos by H.B. Photo Services
Western's Civil division contains a very diverse group of project managers and Foreman. This enables the civil division to tackle a wide variety of project ranging from Pre-engineered building construction to foundations for large industrial machinery.
Goreway Station is a natural gas powered electrical generating facility with a power output of 874MW in Brampton, Ontario. Essential to the power production, a 356 ton steam generator and a 136 ton steam turbine are housed more than sixty-five feet above ground. Posed with installing these two large components, Western developed a lifting apparatus using strand jack technology and gantry jacks. Since the Goreway Station project, Western has used similar rigging arrangements for many electrical generating facilities across Ontario.
Halton Hills Generating Station is a facility with the capacity to generate power to approximately 600,000 homes. TransCanada has been awarded the contract to own and operate the 683 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario. Using state-of-the-art low emissions technology and meeting high environmental standards, Halton Hills Generating Station is built to fulfill the Ontario Power Authority’s request for clean power generation. Western was awarded the heavy lift package for the entire Halton Hills project including transformers, combustion turbine and generator, HRSG modules, HP steam drums, HP and IP turbine, generator rotor and stator.
Western was hired as part of a design build team to provide the complete installation for all trades of two 1 Mega Watt power generation units at the Halton Region Landfill. The work included the installation of a 5000Amp, 600Volt service and switchgear. As well Western installed and connected all auxiliary gas treatment, instrumentation and communications equipment to condition the gas for use in the generators. The benefits of the project are twofold as not only can the power be exported to the grid but after combustion the environmental impact of the methane gas (which would normally escape directly to the atmosphere) is substantially reduced.
Installation of CPCI 2300 girders over the Rouge River and Little Rouge River Bridges for the widening of Hwy 407.
Toronto’s 407 ETR (Electronic Toll Route) is the world’s first all-electronic, barrier-free toll highway. The 407 continues to improve the highway for the daily commute of hundreds-of-thousands of drivers. Western played a key role in the 407 bridge expansion over the four-hundred series highway, the 404. This expansion gave way to unique challenges as the bridge was the middle of a three-level highway interchange. Working closely with Dufferin Construction (contractor), All Canada Crane (crane services), and Anderson Haulage (transporter); Western coordinated the installation of the twenty-four CPCI concrete girders in under 12 hours. With some girders installed at clearances of a few inches above the crane boom, planning was essential to the success of this project. Included in the planning, Western designed and built a low profile sheave that rigged directly to the CPCI girders, saving precious rigging height and making clearances possible for the crane boom under the overhead bridge.
Western Mechanical was hired by the City of Barrie to move Locomotive 1531, tender and caboose from its location on Lakeshore in Barrie to the Midhurst Museum.
CN locomotive 6167 was built in 1940 and used to move goods, products and people from Ontario to the East-coast ports during World War II, eventually logging 2 million kilometres of service. Being one of the most photographed locomotives in North America, the locomotive was retired at the Guelph Bus Terminal in 1959. Western was hired to relocate the 403,000 lbs locomotive and 280,000 lbs tender to facilitate a new downtown transit terminal. Photos by: H.B. Photo
Representing the second biggest gold reserve in Canada, the Canadian Malartic gold mine in the Abitibi mining district in Quebec is currently in the development stage by the Osisko Mining Corporation. Part of this development is the installation of the facility’s gold processing equipment. Western was hired for the heavy lift portion of moving the processing facility’s 233,200lbs stator quarter sections from Toronto, Ontario to Malartic, Quebec. Due to the abnormal center-of-gravity and shape of the stator sections, railway clearances and logistics were a particular challenge to the project.
Fabricated by Hooper Welding, Western along with Anderson Haulage completed the loading and transportation of a 300 ton pre-flash tower for oil refining. The oversized vessel was offloaded onto a waiting barge at Bronte Harbour, Oakville. Photos for this project were taken by H.B. Photo Services.
Western successfully installed the foundation to a 1600 Ton Blow Press for the automotive industry under harsh time restriction. Both the press and foundation are idealized at the manufacturer’s ‘model’ equipment.
Multiple Steam & Hot Water Boiler Installation for industrial, commercial and institutional applications.
Western was hired to provide complete turnkey services for the construction of a standalone water and waste water treatment plant for the Snow Valley Highlands residential development. The project consists of a well pump house feeding water to the centre from over 1 km away to a treatment, testing and monitoring area within the facility. From there, the treated water is fed into storage tanks for distribution to the residential development. Returning from the residential development the sewage is treated through a sequential batch reactor (SBR) exterior to the facility. Western installed and connected all equipment on the project including the main 600V service, distribution and control equipment, instrumentation and the facilities standby generator.
Suncor Energy recovers bitumen ore from oil sands and upgrades it to refinery ready feedstock and diesel fuel near Fort McMurray, Alberta. Suncor Energy is taking part in the new ‘Voyageur‘ upgrade, part of a planned $20.6 billion oil sands expansion, with an expected additional 100,000 barrels of oils per day production. At the heart of this expansion, Western Mechanical has taken part in the delivery of Suncor’s four new refinery reactors. Fabricated in Japan, the 1.13 million pound reactors travelled by ship three quarters of the world, approaching Canada from the Atlantic and offloaded onto train in Thunderbay, Ontario. The reactor’s journey across the prairies was one of the largest load ever travelled on a Canadian railway. Once in Alberta, Western Mechanical assembled a 1.8 million pound capacity gantry using strand jack technology to trans-load the reactors from the railcars to a transport for their final journey. Taking simple methods and applying it to new technology, Western was an essential connection to Suncor Voyageur’s success.
Rigging, loading, transportation, offloading and installation of 22 transformers.
Western has it own fleet of transports used to transport our own equipment to our various project as well as haul our customers goods from point "A" to Point "B".
As the GO transit infrastructure continues to grow, Western is a regular contributor to rapid installations of pedestrian tunnels under busy rail lines. A typical installation of a tunnel involves assembling the precast concrete tunnels adjacent to live railway track. In this assembly area, the tunnel can be prestressed and waterproofed beforehand. Once the rail lines are closed and the tracks are prepped, Western can jack-and-slide the precast tunnel into place within an hour.
