Visiting Toronto

[mrb190]

thanks, Ken!

Kenneth Josephson wrote:

> Here is a reply from Roger DuPuis concerning visiting Toronto:
>
> Day Pass is $7 CDN, one heck of a deal.
> Valid after 9:30 AM weekdays, all day weekends. ALL DAY means until the 'end
> of service' at 5:30 AM the following day. Few railfans will need it that
> long, of course. Only two streetcar lines run 24 hrs, subway closes around
> 1:30 am. Buses pick up the slack overnight. If you REALLY want night shots,
> do it in early evening when headways remain good. With 'regular' service on
> most routes from 5:30 am to about 1:30 am, you'll have plenty of time to ply
> the trade.
>
> Whatever. The pass is an excellent deal, and is available at all subway
> stations--not like in some cities. On Sundays and statutory holidays, two
> adults can ride on one pass. It makes railfanning so much easier. Thanks to
> TTC's good headways, getting off to snap pix is a breeze. Normally, 10-15
> minutes is considered a 'long' headway for streetcars in Toronto--and that
> includes weekend service on the busier routes.
>
> The two heritage PCCs are 4500 and 4549. They normally live at Russell
> Carhouse (aka Connaught), on Queen Street East. Russell Yard can be
> photographed very easily from the public sidewalk. If the PCCs are there, and
> in the front of the line, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. If they are
> parked between CLRVs, forget about it, regardless of where you stand.
>
> And as for going onto TTC property...As a polite caution, please do
> yourselves and the rest of us a favor and don't ruin a good thing. TTC
> streetcar staff usually are very polite and reasonably understanding when it
> comes to railfans, but good pictures can be had from the street, so
> trespassing onto carhouse property is dangerous, wasteful and foolish.
>
> The subway is much tougher. The yards are strictly verboten, and security
> does not always take kindly to photogs in the stations--which are not very
> photogenic to begin with. Bridges over some of the open-cut sections are your
> best bet. The bridge over the Yonge line south of Davisville affords nice
> views of the mainline and Davisville yard, and it's safe and legal.
>
> Some of my favorite TTC streetcar sites (and sights):
>
> 510 Spadina: From underground loop at Spadina Stn. of Bloor Subway, through
> the heart of Chinatown, to Union Station undergound loop at the lakeshore.
> Has turnback loops at King ("Charlotte Loop") and Queen's Quay (less
> frequent). Runs on central reservation. Opened 1997. Well worth the visit.
>
> 509 Harbourfront: Opened this summer. Shares 510 tracks from Union Stn. to
> foot of Spadina. It's a very short line, but the new track west of Spadina is
> interesting. Runs along the lakeshore, with high-density condos across the
> street. Great photo opportunities with the condos, CN Tower, waterfront,
> looming grain silos, and more. Architecture and surroundings make for great
> snaps. Like Spadina, it runs along a central reservation. Line west of
> Bathurst shared with 511 cars to the Ex.
>
> Intersection of Roncesvalles & Queen (where 501, 504 and the rush hour 508
> cars come together): Streetcar heaven. The special work at this intersection
> is amazing, and usually busy with regular service cars as well as pull-ins
> and pull-outs from Roncesvalles Carhouse, which is located here. "Roncy" is a
> little more awkward to photograph than Russell Carhouse, but, again, good
> views are easily accomplished from the public sidewalks.
>
> These are only a few of the great sights. Buy yourself a day pass and feel
> free to explore at leisure. Most streetcar stops are in close walking
> distance from a restaurant or at least a convenience store because the inner
> city is not dead but thriving. Combined with good headways and safe
> neighborhoods (by US standards), you need not worry about being stranded in
> hostile or isolated territory.
>
> Any other questions, feel free to email.
>
> Roger DuPuis
> r2dupuis at aol.com
> http://members.tripod.com/~riid/index.html
> Rochester, NY, USA