Hawker Siddeley Canada
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Canadian Hawker Siddeley industrial manufacturer best known for railway freight cars, passenger coaches, subway cars, streetcars, aircraft engines, and shipbuilding-related assets.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Hawker Siddeley Canada was the Canadian operating unit of the British Hawker Siddeley Group. Formed in 1962, it assumed control of assets that had previously belonged to A.V. Roe Canada and its associated companies, including Canadian Car and Foundry and the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation conglomerate. The resulting business was substantially broader than an aircraft manufacturer: it combined transportation equipment, heavy manufacturing, steelmaking, mining, shipbuilding, and aerospace-related production. The company became especially significant in Canadian rail manufacturing. Its Canadian Car and Foundry operations in Thunder Bay, Ontario, concentrated on transit and passenger equipment, while the former DOSCO operations at Trenton, Nova Scotia, produced freight cars and operated the Trenton Forge. The two facilities gave Hawker Siddeley Canada a major presence across both sides of the railway-equipment market. Products included hopper cars for grain and other bulk commodities, tank cars, boxcars, flatcars, gondolas, cabooses, intercity coaches, commuter equipment, and subway vehicles. Its transit customers included the Toronto Transit Commission, for which the company produced much of the H-series subway fleet, and GO Transit, for which it built early bi-level commuter coaches. It also supplied equipment for the Montreal Metro, Expo 67's automated Expo-Express, and transit agencies in the United States, including the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system. Other railway customers included Canadian National Railway, the Soo Line Railroad, the Canadian Wheat Board, the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation, and the National Railways of Mexico. Hawker Siddeley Canada's aerospace activities were connected to the former A.V. Roe industrial base and included production of aircraft engines such as Canadian versions of the General Electric J79 and J85. Through its ownership of DOSCO-related businesses, the group also inherited steel mills, coal mines, manufacturing facilities, and Halifax Shipyards. Hawker Siddeley subsequently compelled loss-making coal and steel operations to close or be divested. Several assets were later taken over by public authorities or sold to other industrial groups. The Canadian company's later history was shaped by restructuring in the transportation sector. Its railcar operations passed through successive ownership changes involving the Urban Transportation Development Corporation and SNC-Lavalin. The Thunder Bay plant ultimately became part of Bombardier Transportation, while the Trenton facility became TrentonWorks and later passed to Greenbrier. The Hawker Siddeley Canada name was ultimately dissolved in 2001. Its industrial legacy survives through successor facilities and products incorporated into later Canadian and international transportation businesses.
History
Hawker Siddeley Canada was created in 1962 as the Canadian division of the United Kingdom's Hawker Siddeley Group. Its formation followed the acquisition and reorganization of assets associated with A.V. Roe Canada. Among the businesses brought under Hawker Siddeley's control were Canadian Car and Foundry, a major Canadian manufacturer, and the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation group, commonly known as DOSCO. DOSCO's holdings extended beyond manufacturing into steel mills, coal mines, industrial plants, and Halifax Shipyards. The new Canadian organization developed two principal railcar manufacturing centers. The Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, focused largely on transit and passenger equipment. The DOSCO facility at Trenton, Nova Scotia, produced railway freight cars and operated Trenton Forge, described in reference material as one of North America's largest forging facilities. This division of production allowed the company to serve both government and municipal transit programs and the freight-rail market. In urban transportation, Hawker Siddeley Canada built Toronto Transit Commission H-series subway cars, including cars in the H1 through H5 series. It also produced early GO Transit bi-level coaches and equipment for Expo 67's automated Expo-Express. Its products reached the United States through contracts associated with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Orange and Blue lines and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system. The company also supplied passenger coaches to Mexico's national railway and freight equipment to Canadian railway and commodity organizations. Its freight-car portfolio included covered hopper cars for grain and other dry bulk materials, tank cars for liquids and compressed gases, boxcars, flatcars, gondolas, and cabooses. The company built equipment for customers such as Canadian National Railway, the Soo Line Railroad, the Canadian Wheat Board, and the Saskatchewan Grain Car Corporation. It also produced lightweight passenger designs, including the RT85 Tempo family and RTC85 commuter equipment. Aerospace production remained part of the broader inherited industrial base. Hawker Siddeley Canada manufactured Canadian versions of General Electric J79 and J85 aircraft engines for aviation applications. Through DOSCO and related holdings, it also retained exposure to steelmaking, mining, and shipbuilding. The group later directed the closure of unprofitable coal mines and steel mills. Some of those assets were taken over by Canadian and Nova Scotian public entities, including organizations associated with Cape Breton coal production and Sydney steelmaking. Halifax Shipyards was eventually sold to Irving Shipbuilding in the 1990s. The Canadian rail-equipment business was reorganized during the later twentieth century. Operations were acquired or transferred through relationships involving the Urban Transportation Development Corporation and SNC-Lavalin. SNC-Lavalin acquired the railcar business and mothballed the TrentonWorks plant; the facility subsequently passed through government ownership and was sold to Greenbrier. The Thunder Bay facility was sold to Bombardier Transportation. Greenbrier later closed TrentonWorks during a severe contraction in the railcar market. Hawker Siddeley Canada's name was dissolved in 2001, although successor companies continued operating some of its former plants and product lines. Bombardier Transportation's successor ownership later brought the Thunder Bay facility into Alstom's portfolio in 2021.
- 2021
Former Thunder Bay plant enters Alstom ownership
[1]Alstom acquired Bombardier Transportation, bringing the former Hawker Siddeley facility in Thunder Bay into Alstom's portfolio.
- 2001
Corporate name discontinued
[1]The Hawker Siddeley Canada name was ultimately dissolved after the company's operations had been reorganized or sold.
- 1995
Greenbrier acquires TrentonWorks
[1]The Greenbrier Companies acquired the TrentonWorks plant after its earlier transfer from Hawker Siddeley-related ownership.
- 1988
Trenton railcar plant transferred to Lavalin Industries
[1]The Trenton facility was sold to Lavalin Industries and renamed TrentonWorks.
- 1970
Expansion of North American transit and freight business
[1]The company continued supplying railway freight cars, subway vehicles, passenger coaches, and commuter equipment to Canadian, United States, and Mexican customers.
- 1967
Expo-Express equipment enters service
[1]Hawker Siddeley Canada supplied automated surface-metro cars for Montreal's Expo 67 World's Fair.
- 1965
Transit-car production begins for major Canadian programs
[1]The company produced subway and automated surface-metro equipment, including Toronto H-series cars and Expo-Express vehicles.
- 1962
Canadian division established
[1]Hawker Siddeley Group formed its Canadian division and assumed assets associated with A.V. Roe Canada, including Canadian Car and Foundry and DOSCO-related businesses.
Products and positioning
A diversified Canadian heavy-industrial manufacturer serving public transit agencies, railways, bulk-commodity shippers, aerospace customers, and shipbuilding markets.
Urban rail vehicles · 1965
Toronto Transit Commission H-series subway cars
Hawker Siddeley Canada produced the H1 through H5 series of subway cars for the Toronto Transit Commission. These vehicles formed a substantial part of Toronto's early modern subway fleet and were manufactured at the company's Canadian transit-equipment operations.
Commuter rail vehicles
GO Transit bi-level coaches
The company built early bi-level coaches for GO Transit, supporting the development of high-capacity regional commuter rail in the Toronto area. Hawker Siddeley Canada produced Series I and II coaches, while later series involved UTDC participation.
Automated metro vehicles · 1965
Expo-Express cars
These automated surface-metro cars were supplied for Expo 67 in Montreal. They provided visitor transportation during the World's Fair and represented the company's work in automated and specialized urban transit equipment.
Urban rail vehicles · 1972
PA3-type rapid-transit cars
Hawker Siddeley Canada manufactured PA3-type rapid-transit cars for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson system and related Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority applications. The vehicles formed part of the company's North American export transit business.
Freight rolling stock
Railway freight cars
At Trenton, Nova Scotia, the company produced freight equipment for railways, leasing companies, and commodity shippers. Its range included covered grain hoppers, tank cars, boxcars, flatcars, gondolas, and cabooses for bulk, industrial, forest-product, and general-freight applications.
Passenger rail vehicles
RT85 Tempo passenger cars
The RT85 family was a lightweight passenger-car design offered in coach, club-coach, and club-cafe configurations. It was associated with Canadian National and Mexico's national railway and reflected Hawker Siddeley Canada's effort to develop lighter intercity equipment.
Aerospace components
Aircraft engines
The company's aerospace-related manufacturing included Canadian production of General Electric J79 and J85 engine variants. These activities originated in the wider A.V. Roe and Orenda industrial heritage incorporated into Hawker Siddeley Canada's Canadian operations.
Brand decisions
2001
Discontinuation of the Hawker Siddeley Canada identityStrategyBackground
The company's former operating units had been transferred, sold, or reorganized under successor companies.
Action taken
The Hawker Siddeley Canada name was dissolved.
Aftermath
Former facilities and product capabilities continued under organizations including SNC-Lavalin, Bombardier Transportation, TrentonWorks, Greenbrier, and later Alstom.
1988
Transfer of the Trenton railcar facilityM&ABackground
The company's Canadian rail operations were being reorganized and separated among successor owners.
Action taken
The Trenton plant was sold to Lavalin Industries and renamed TrentonWorks.
Aftermath
The facility later passed to Greenbrier and was eventually closed during a downturn in the railcar market.
1970
Withdrawal from loss-making coal and steel operationsStrategyBackground
Several DOSCO coal mines and steel mills were unprofitable within the wider Hawker Siddeley portfolio.
Action taken
Hawker Siddeley directed the closure of loss-making coal mines and steel operations and shed other inherited assets.
Aftermath
Some facilities were expropriated or taken over by federal and Nova Scotian public bodies, while the group's Canadian business became more concentrated on manufacturing and transportation.
1962
Consolidation of A.V. Roe Canada assetsM&ABackground
Hawker Siddeley Group established a Canadian division in the aftermath of A.V. Roe Canada's corporate restructuring and obtained control of several associated industrial businesses.
Action taken
The Canadian organization brought Canadian Car and Foundry, DOSCO-related holdings, and other assets under Hawker Siddeley control.
Aftermath
The move created a diversified Canadian group spanning rail equipment, aerospace, steel, mining, manufacturing, and shipbuilding.
Sources1 sources
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