The
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and largest ...
operated the Bloor streetcar line along
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...
and
Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue (informally also known as the Danforth) and Danforth Road are two historically-related arterial streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Danforth ''Avenue'' is an east-west street that begins in Old Toronto at the Prince Edward ...
, extending at its longest from Jane Street (
Jane Loop
Jane Loop was an important Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar turning loop and bus station, prior to the completion of the Bloor Danforth Subway line. The Jane Loop opened on December 31, 1923; it was the western end of Bloor Streetcar li ...
) in the west end of the city to Luttrell Avenue (
Luttrell Loop
The Toronto Transit Commission's Luttrell Loop was the eastern terminus of the Bloor streetcar line. The loop was closed in 1968 after completion of an extension of the Bloor–Danforth subway line.
In 1913, the Toronto Civic Railways, owned b ...
) in the east. Both Luttrell and Jane loops at the termini were transfer points between streetcars and suburban bus routes. The line was abandoned in 1966 with the opening of the
Bloor-Danforth subway line, except for two stubs of the line abandoned in 1968.
[
]
Pre-TTC (1890–1921)
In 1890, the privately owned Toronto Street Railway
The Toronto Street Railway (TSR) was the operator of a horse-drawn streetcar system from 1861 to 1891 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its successor, the Toronto Railway Company, inherited the horsecar system and electrified it between 1892 and 1894 ...
started a horsecar
A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar.
Summary
The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...
service on Bloor Street between Sherbourne and Bathurst Streets. In 1891, the Toronto Railway Company
The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. ...
(again privately owned) took over the line and extended horsecar service west to Dufferin Street. In 1893, the TRC replaced the horcecars on the route with electric streetcars. In 1894, the Bloor route was further extended west to Lansdowne Avenue.
The City-owned Toronto Civic Railways
Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway ...
opened its Danforth route from Broadview Avenue to Luttrell Avenue in the east in 1913. Passengers could connect with TRC streetcars running south on Broadview Avenue. In the west end of the city, the TCR opened its own Bloor route from Dundas Street West to Quebec Avenue in 1915, and to Runnymede Road in 1917. Passengers could connect with TRC streetcars running on Dundas Street West.
In 1918, the Prince Edward viaduct
The Prince Edward Viaduct System, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct, is the name of a truss arch bridge system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, connecting Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east. The ...
over the Don Valley was completed, and the TRC's Bloor route was extended east from Sherbourne Street to Broadview Avenue. Unlike most other TRC streetcar routes, the City of Toronto built and owned this extension but had the TRC operate it. The extension was built on a private right-of-way on the side of the street. Thus, with the completion of the viaduct, the TRC's Bloor route operated from Broadview Avenue in the east to Lansdowne Avenue in the west.[ There were no streetcar tracks between Lansdowne Avenue to Dundas Street West, and thus no connection between the TRC's Bloor line and the TCR's Bloor line further to the west.][
]
TTC operations (1921–1966)
On September 1, 1921, the Toronto Transportation Commission
Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC) was the public transit operator in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, beginning in 1921. It operated buses, streetcars and the island ferries. The system was renamed the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in 1954.
H ...
(today's Toronto Transit Commission) took over the TRC and TCR streetcar systems, and would connect the TRC and TCR lines along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue.[
On October 2, 1921, the TTC temporarily joined the TRC's Broadview line (on Broadview Avenue) to the TCR's Danforth line after completion of ]Luttrell Loop
The Toronto Transit Commission's Luttrell Loop was the eastern terminus of the Bloor streetcar line. The loop was closed in 1968 after completion of an extension of the Bloor–Danforth subway line.
In 1913, the Toronto Civic Railways, owned b ...
at Danforth and Luttrell Avenues; Peter Witt streetcars ran over the route. In the west end, the TTC extended the former TCR's Bloor line (renamed to Bloor West by the TTC) from Runnymede Road to Jane Street, opening the new Jane Loop
Jane Loop was an important Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar turning loop and bus station, prior to the completion of the Bloor Danforth Subway line. The Jane Loop opened on December 31, 1923; it was the western end of Bloor Streetcar li ...
on October 9, 1921.
On July 1, 1923, the TTC created its new Bloor route from Luttrell Loop to Lansdowne Avenue. There were still no streetcar tracks on Bloor Street between Lansdowne Avenue and Dundas Street West. After the completion of two railway underpasses on that section of Bloor Street, the TTC extended the Bloor line west to join with the former TCR Bloor line at Dundas Street West. Starting August 25, 1925, Peter Witt streetcars ran on the Bloor line from Luttrell Loop in the east end to Jane Loop in the west end. Between the two end loops, the line was long, and was served by Peter Witt trains consisting of a large Peter Witt motor pulling a three-door "Harvey" trailer.
On October 22, 1932, Bloor streetcars started running on new track in the middle of Bloor Street between Sherbourne and Parliament streets replacing side-of-street operation on a private right-of-way.
On October 12, 1938, twelve PCC streetcars were introduced on the Bloor line replacing twelve trailers. By November 5, all trailers had been replaced by PCCs. By December 1, PCCs provided all Bloor line service.
On July 4, 1947, High Park Loop opened on the south side of Bloor Street at High Park Avenue. It was built to provide an off-street terminal for picnic charters to High Park
High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...
.
On August 24, 1949, four new A7-class (4400-series) PCCs with multiple-unit capability went into service during the rush hours but running as single units. On August 30, the TTC had a one-day test run of PCCs 4408 and 4409 running as an MU-train. However, there was a delay in further use of MU trains in order to resolve concerns from the union about operating MU trains.
On February 9, 1950, the TTC opened the Hillington Loop at Danforth Carhouse at the corner of Danforth and Hillington avenues. This provided an off-street location to couple and uncouple PCC trains, which would go into service the following month.
March 13, 1950, two-car, multiple-unit PCC trains started running during the rush hours. The first trains used pairs of A7-class PCCs of the 4400-series.
On September 12, 1953, the TTC opened the Bedford Loop that circled a building located at the north-west corner of Bloor Street and Bedford Road. Besides becoming the western terminal of the Danforth tripper in 1954, Bedford Loop was available to store streetcars to handle crowds from Varsity Stadium
Varsity Stadium is an outdoor collegiate football stadium located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Toronto Varsity Blues, the athletic teams of the University of Toronto. Athletic events have been hosted on the site since 1898; the ...
across the street.
On March 30, 1954, the TTC opened the Yonge subway Yonge is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), English historian and translator of Philo of Alexandria
* Charles Maurice Yonge (1899–1986), British marine biologist
* Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823†...
to replace its busiest route, the north–south Yonge streetcar line
Beginning operation in 1861, the Yonge streetcar line was the first streetcar line in Toronto and the first in Canada. It started off as a horsecar line and closed in 1954 operating two-unit trains of Peter Witt motors pulling a trailer. Under the ...
. The new Bloor subway station had stairs allowing riders to walk up to a pair of platforms in the middle of Bloor Street, where they could board eastbound or westbound Bloor streetcars.[
Also on March 30, 1954, the Danforth tripper was rerouted to run between Hillington Loop (stop: Coxwell Avenue) and Bedford Loop using MU trains. Until the Yonge subway opened, this tripper route had run downtown from Luttrell Loop.][
]
Routes
Besides the Bloor route, other routes shared portions of the Bloor streetcar line.
From July 1, 1923, to July 13, 1951, the King streetcar route (today 504 King
504 King (304 King during overnight periods) is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada. It serves King Street in Downtown Toronto as well as Broadview Avenue on the east end and Roncesvalles Avenue on the west end of the line ...
) provided rush-hour service along Bloor Street West between Dundas Street West and Jane Loop
Jane Loop was an important Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar turning loop and bus station, prior to the completion of the Bloor Danforth Subway line. The Jane Loop opened on December 31, 1923; it was the western end of Bloor Streetcar li ...
. The TTC ended this service due to declining ridership. Starting July 16, 1951, all King service turned back at Vincent Loop (until 1966 located opposite today's Dundas West station
Dundas West is a subway station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located just north of Bloor Street West at the corner of Dundas Street and Edna Avenue. The station is about 200 metres west of B ...
).
From July 8, 1923, to 1954, the Danforth tripper ran from Luttrell Loop along Danforth Avenue and south on Church Street to loop downtown. After the opening of the Yonge subway on March 30, 1954, the tripper ran from Hillington Loop (stop: Coxwell Avenue) to Bedford Loop at Bedford Road. The Danforth tripper was a rush-hour service.[
From December 8, 1945, until the Bloor–Danforth subway opened, the Harbord streetcar route was changed to run along Bloor Street West between Ossington Avenue and Dovercourt Road.][
Starting July 1, 1923, the Carlton streetcar (today ]506 Carlton
506 Carlton (306 Carlton during overnight periods) is a Toronto streetcar route run by the Toronto Transit Commission in Ontario, Canada. It runs from Main Street station on subway Line 2 Bloor–Danforth along Gerrard, Carlton and College Str ...
) ran along Danforth Avenue between Main Street and its terminal at Luttrell Loop
The Toronto Transit Commission's Luttrell Loop was the eastern terminus of the Bloor streetcar line. The loop was closed in 1968 after completion of an extension of the Bloor–Danforth subway line.
In 1913, the Toronto Civic Railways, owned b ...
. Then on May 15, 1955, the Carlton streetcar started to use its own loop on Main Street just north of Danforth Avenue in order to relieve streetcar congestion at Luttrell Loop. However, between April 25 and June 13, 1966, the Calton streetcar temporarily returned to Luttrell Loop during the construction of Main Street subway station and the station's streetcar loop.[
]
Multiple-unit operation
A characteristic of the Bloor streetcar line was the use of multiple-unit
A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contr ...
(MU) PCC
PCC may refer to:
Science and technology
* Pearson correlation coefficient (''r''), in statistics
* Periodic counter-current chromatography, a type of affinity chromatography
* Portable C Compiler, an early compiler for the C programming language
...
s running as two-car trains. By 1949, traffic congestion was making it difficult for streetcar service to stay on schedule using less than 2-minute headways. The idea was that a coupled pair of streetcars could go through an intesection faster than two single streetcars. With trains, two cars at a time could approach an intersection, stop for passengers and then proceed together through the intersection.
Only 175 of the TTC's PCC fleet could be run in trains. In 1949, the TTC had received 100 new MU PCCs (designated class A7) from Canadian Car and Foundry
Canadian Car and Foundry (CC&F), also variously known as "Canadian Car & Foundry" or more familiarly as "Can Car", was a manufacturer of buses, railway rolling stock, forestry equipment, and later aircraft for the Canadian market. CC&F history g ...
in Fort William using shells made by the St. Louis Car Company
The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri.
History
The St. Louis Car Company ...
. Later in 1952, the TTC purchased 75 PCCs second-hand from the Cleveland Transit System
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (officially the GCRTA, but historically and locally referred to as the RTA) is the public transit agency for Cleveland, Ohio, United States and the surrounding suburbs of Cuyahoga County. RTA is t ...
. The TTC added couplers to the 50 ex-CTS cars built by Pullman-Standard
The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
(class A11), which were already wired for MU operation. However, the remaining 25 ex-CTS cars (class A12, built by the St. Louis Car Company) were not so wired, and the TTC had to wire them from scratch for MU operation in addition to adding couplers.
MU operation required special adjustment to the overhead to handle the two raised trolley poles on each train. To operate an electric switch at an intersection, the overhead wire at had an NA contact and a lock contact before the switch, and an unlock contact after it. The streetcar operator sent a signal from the console to the NA contact to choose a switch direction different from the default direction (usually straight ahead) and trip the lock contact. The unlock contact automatically resets the switch back to the typical or default direction. The locking and unlocking contacts had to be spaced further apart for trains to avoid derailing the second car at the switch. Only switches on the Bloor line could handle MU-trains; if a diversion was required, the cars had to be uncoupled.
A PCC train required an operator in each of the two cars to separately control the doors on each car. Only the operator of the first car drove the train.
Demise (1966–1968)
On February 26, 1966, the Bloor-Danforth subway opened, replacing the Bloor streetcar line. In addition to the Bloor and Danforth tripper streetcar routes, the Harbord, Coxwell and Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
streetcar routes were also abandoned at the same time, and the Fort streetcar route was replaced by a shorter Bathurst route.
However, two temporary streetcar routes were created: the Bloor and Danforth shuttles. By 1966, new streetcar loops had been added at the new Woodbine and Keele
Keele is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is approximately three miles (5 km) west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale. Keele lies on the A53 roa ...
subway stations. The Danforth shuttle ran between Woodbine station and Luttrell Loop, and the Bloor shuttle, between Keele station and Jane Loop. On May 11, 1968, the Bloor-Danforth subway was extended east to Warden station
Warden is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the southeast corner of St. Clair Avenue East and Warden Avenue. The station is located perpendicular to St. Clair Avenue, and is the only Line 2 sta ...
and west to Islington station. With these two subway extensions, the Bloor and Danforth shuttle streetcar routes were abandoned, thus fully ending the Bloor streetcar line.
References
External links
*{{commons category-inline, Streetcars on Bloor Street, Toronto
Toronto streetcar system
Railway lines closed in 1966