[PRCo] Re: Toronto 1966

Thu Mar 1 18:30:56 EST 2007

At the end of 1965, TTC streetcars operated over 184.68 miles of single track. Route miles were 72.57.  I haven't found a number shortly after the Bloor Danforth subway opened.
Maximum ROUND TRIP miles on the abandoned lines as of April 7, 1959 was:

Bathurst--Downtown  8.52
Bloor                        20.09
Coxwell                      2.45
Danforth                   11.09
Dupont                       8.50 
Fort                            8.17 (3.26 Queen-Exhbition)
Harbord                   16.30
Parliament                  2.87
St. Clair-Avon           9.58 (an extension of 1.37 rt miles over Subway-Keele normal service)

Two major lines were closed, three if you count Dupont which was abandoned in 1963 when the University Ave. subway opened as phase 1 of what was then called the "crosstown subway." Some lines that weren't abandoned had huge cuts in their service.  King went from 75 cars to 36. The plan was to get rid of all streetcar lines as subway lines were  built. 

While Pittsburgh gave a separate number to each route variation the TTC ran numerous route variations under one name.  TTC route maps are deceiving as they only showed routes that operated 18-20 hours a day. Tripper route of which there once were many were never shown until recent times. From information supplied by John Bromley for an article I wrote, it is clear the TTC had  three types of streetcar operations. Regular routes operating 18-20 hours a day, tripper routes giving one-seat rides to downtown and tripper cars which ran over part of a line and often came and went as demand dictated.  As of early 1950 there were eight variations on the King car line:

King (Vincent Loop to Erindale Loop)
King trippers to Jane Loop 
King via Parliament (PM rush)
King AM East Trippers
King AM West Trippers
King PM East Trippers
King PM West Trippers
King Exhibition (operated mainly during the CNE)

Apart from Jane Loop trippers, many of these survived until the Bloor-Danforth subway opened. In Pittsburgh each of these would probably have had a separate route number.

While Pittsburgh was generally characterized by wide headways and extensive PRW operation, the TTC was generally characterized by very intensive operation with very short headways along narrow city streets focused on downtown until February 25, 1966.  These are the AM car requirements and headways as of April 7, 1959 when the 10 year, $200 million financing of the Bloor-Danforth subway was approved:

Bathurst (downtown) 41, 1.30
Bloor                      113,  2.13
Coxwell                      4, 4.30
Danforth                    30, 3.20
Dupont                     40, 1.38
Fort                         17, 3.00
Harbord                   54, 2.09
Parliament                 4, 5.00

St. Clair-Avon ran every 6.00 minutes, but the car requirements were hidden in the rest of St. Clair route.  Some of the track that was abandoned in 1966 is still active carbarn access track (Coxwell below Gerrard, Bathurst north of Bloor) or diversion track (Parliament below Gerrard).

Much track and overhead was ripped out, especially along Bloor, Danforth, Harbord, Pape, Carlaw, Adelaide (west of Spadina), Bay (south of City Hall and above Bloor), Dupont, Lansdowne, Davenport,  and Dovercourt.

----- Original Message ----
From: Ken & Tracie <ktjosephson at earthlink.net>
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 10:03:21 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Toronto 1966

How much track mileage was lost, as opposed to route mileage?

For a Pittsburgh example, abandoning 43-Neeld or 42 Dormont would not have 
resulted in any lost mileage.

My understanding was that during the 1966 abandonments,  two major TTC lines 
were closed during 1966 because they were replaced by subway lines and 
others were re-routed to feed the subways.

K.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Robb" <bill937ca at yahoo.ca>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2007 5:04 PM
Subject: [PRCo] Toronto 1966

> Pittsburgh wasn't the only place loosing streetcar lines in the 1960s. 
> Today marks 41 years since the TTC cleared out half the system in one day.
>
> Today,  February 25 marks the 41st anniversary of the last day for the 
> Bloor, Danforth, Fort, Harbord, Coxwell, Kingston Rd.-Coxwell, 
> Bathurst-Downtown, Parliament, St. Clair-Avon Loop (rush hour only) 
> streetcar lines and the King/Church and King/York trippers.  Danforth and 
> Lansdowne carhouses closed on the same date.
>
> Last cars were:
>
> Harbord 4010
> Fort 4496
> Bathurst/Downtown 4528
> Coxwell 4158
> Kingston Rd/Coxwell 4326
> Bloor 4428
> Parliament 4213
> Danforth Tripper 4182
> King/Church Tripper 4368
> King/York Tripper 4112
>
> Over 200 out of service PCCs were stored at Danforth, Lansdowne and St. 
> Clair carhouses.
>
> With the opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway February 26, 1966 much of 
> the diversity of the system was gone.
>
> February 26, 1966 was the first day for Dundas cars to Broadview Station, 
> Bathurst cars to Bathurst Station only and the first day of revenue 
> service for Keele, Dundas West, Bathurst, Broadview  and Woodbine Station 
> streetcar loops.
>
> Night Cars
>
> The streetcar network of the early 1960s included all night service on 
> eight streetcar lines: Bathurst, Bloor, Carlton, Dupont, King, Kingston 
> Road-Coxwell, Queen, and St. Clair.
>
> http://www.transitstop.net/Ride%20Guides/Aug1960%20Night.jpg
>
> When Dupont was replaced with the Bay buses in February 1963 all night 
> service was dropped on that route.
>
> Today only Queen and Carlton continue to have all night streetcar service.
>
> In additon to streetcar lines abandoned Febraury 25, 1966, the summer of 
> 1965 was the last season for some seasonal streetcar services.
>
> Ferry Docks
>
> The last Dundas-Docks cars ran August 15, 1965 just before the 1965 
> Exhitibition opened.  Service to the ferry docks dated back to 1928 when 
> Dundas and Bathurst cars first served the ferry boat docks.  Until March 
> 30, 1954 there also was all day service to the Docks provided by Bay cars.
> After 1 PM March 30,1954, Dupont cars were routed full time to the Docks 
> Loop.  The last summer of Dupont service to the Ferry Docks was 1962. When 
> the University Avenue subway (which was considered phase 1 of the 
> crosstown subway) opened February 28, 1963 Dupont cars were replaced with 
> Bay buses.
>
> Streetcar service to the Ferry Docks did not return until 1990.
>
> Exhbition Cars
>
> The 1965 Exhibition was the last summer of city wide 'Direct-To-The-Ex' 
> trunk streetcar service.
>
> King-Exhibition cars operated from Hillingdon Loop near Coxwell and 
> Danforth via Danforth, Parliament (Broadview until 1946), King, Bathurst 
> and Fleet to the Eastern Exhibition loop.
> Bathurst cars operated from Vaughan Loop via Vaughan, Bathurst and Fleet 
> to the Eastern Exhibition Loop.
>
> Kingston Road-Exhibition cars operated from Bingham Loop via Bingham, 
> Kingston Road, Queen, Dufferin, Sprinhurst and Fort Rouille to the 
> Dufferin Loop.  Dundas Exhibition cars operated from Runnymede Loop via 
> Dundas, Roncesvalles, King, Dufferin, Sprinhurst and Fort Rouille to the 
> Dufferin Loop.
>
> Streetcars continued to run to the Exhibition in the years after the 
> Bloor-Danforth subway opened but the lines quickly became high density 
> feeders to the subway. King Exhibition and Kingston Road-Exhibition were 
> essentially combined into a single service to the Eastern Exhibition Loop, 
> while Bathurst cars only operated as far as Bathurst Station and 
> Dundas-Exhibition cars continued as before.  The Dufferin bus quickly 
> became a key feeder to and from the subway.
>
> Bill Robb
>
>
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