Past Generations of Transportaton

 

One from my archives shows two past generations of streetcars that were on display last fall during the TTC Open House  at the Hillcrest yards. The one on the left still appears during special events while the one on the right was a familiar sight until just a few years ago. The newest streetcars are a lot longer and are articulated.

Butterfles and Streetcar

 

These butterflies and flowers were found on the side of a commercial building along St Clair Ave W. The streetcar is a nice addition since they run along St Clair right out front of the building.

Taking part in Monday Murals. Click HERE to see more murals from around the world.

Spares

 

We all have spare tires for our cars and the TTC has spare wheels for the streetcars. These will be refurbished and used again on the different models of cars.

Ads On The Old Streetcar

 

Even today all or streetcars have ads inside running along above the windows but these ones were from the old Peter Witt streetcar that I showed you last week. I loved that they put up ads suitable to the age of the car itself. It was hard to take interior shots of the car as there were so many people standing in the aisle but you can see from this shot all the wood used. 

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

Flexing

 

This is the interior of one of our present day streetcars, the Flexity Outlook, looking towards the driver's location. You can see in the floor how the sections slide against each other to give the flex or bend to the streetcar. I couldn't get anywhere near the front as there were kids totally enjoying themselves pretending to drive.

The Driver

 

This is the driver of the old Peter Witt streetcar that I showed you last Tuesday. The interior of the streetcar was beautiful with wonderful wood used every where as you can see. I like seeing the old fare box.

Our Present Day Streetcars

 

This is one of our present day streetcars, called Flexity Outlook, which first appeared in service in 2014 and now make up the whole fleet. I guess they are called Flexity because they have 5 articulated sections. I remember how excited everyone was when they first started running here.

The CLRV Streetcar

 

These are the streetcars I have traveled on most, the CLRV (Canadian Light Rail Vehicle). These ran here from 1979 to 2019. Since most of the downtown surface routes are serviced by streetcars there were a lot of them. One more model to show you tomorrow.

Streamlined

 

The next model of streetcar to appear on Toronto streets was the streamlined PCC (Presidents Conference Committee) with the first arrivals in 1938. By 1958 there were 744 of this model running in the city with the last one in regular service in 1995. These are the ones I remember from when I was a kid going downtown shopping with my Mum. This one, #4549, is one of two that are still used for special runs and has been here since 1951.

Taking part in Signs 2. Click HERE to see more signs from around the world.

An Oldie

The Hillcrest yard of the TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) celebrated its 100th anniversary this year and recently held an open house. This old Peter Witt streetcar was one of the stars of the show. It was in operation from 1923 until 1965 when it was used the last time in active duty for a retirement ceremony. As part of the open house you could take a 5 minute ride in this streetcar around a loop in the yards which of course I did.
 

Photobombed

I was trying to get a shot of some of the towers going up on the old Honest Ed's site but found it impossible to get a clear shot with no wires or streetlights and then a streetcar rolled through the picture. Sometimes you can't win.

Memories

This is another of the older streetcars that was at the Open House at the TTC yard a few weeks ago. These are the ones I remember from when I was a kid bringing back sweet memories of heading off on a shopping trip with my mum.

An Old Ride

I went to an Open House at the TTC yards a few weeks ago and they were using this old streetcar from 1923 to give people free rides from the subway station at Bathurst St. I'll show you another view tomorrow.

A Lot Of Style

While waiting for a crowd to move along I could not help noticing the great style the young woman on the right has going on. It is hard to tell but her purse is shaped like a carton of milk. It is interesting that her 2 companions were dressed in in casual everyday clothes.

Riding The Rails

I took this shot of one of our streetcars last Sunday morning just after it had picked up a load of people who had come out of the church down the street. It was a lovely September morning.