Overview | |
---|---|
Locale | Mimico (Toronto) - Port Credit (Mississauga) |
Dates of operation | 1892–1935 |
Technical | |
Track gauge | 1892-1922: 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) 1922 to 1927: 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge 1927-1935: 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge |
Length | 8.37 mi (13.47 km) (1905-1927) |
The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company was incorporated in 1890, and operated the Mimico radial line in the Toronto area. The line started operation in 1892 as a short suburban line that later was extended to Port Credit. In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Mimico Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Mimico line. In 1927, the TTC took over the operation of the Mimico line and extended its service eastward to Roncesvalles Avenue. In 1928, the TTC double-tracked the line from Humber to Long Branch and made that portion part of the Lake Shore streetcar line. The portion beyond Long Branch to Port Credit became the Port Credit line, and continued operation as a single-track radial line until its closure on February 9, 1935.
On 16 July 16, 1892, the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company (incorporated November 14, 1890) began initial service between Sunnyside and the Humber River. [1] The electrified line operated along a single track with only open cars, two of which were double-deck. The line used Toronto gauge [2]
On July 5, 1893, the Toronto Railway Company acquired controlling interest in the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company, [1] after the latter became insolvent due to a decline in ridership during winter as the line had no closed cars. [2] The ridership on the line at that time was mainly from summer excursions. The TRC introduced two closed cars, both former horse cars that had been motorized, and these were the only closed cars until 1896. [3]
On July 10, 1893, the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company extended service from Humber River to Mimico Creek, and further to Etobicoke Creek (Long Branch) on September 29, 1893. [1] The line ran on the north side of Lake Shore Boulevard with passing sidings at Park Lawn Road, Allen Avenue and Royal York Road. The line could now give summer service to Long Branch Park, which evolved into an amusement park in the 1890s. [2]
On June 20, 1896, two open, double-deck cars (numbers 1 and 3) built went into service. Both cars were built by the TRC, and could each carry up to 96 passengers. In addition, the line already had two smaller double-deck cars (numbers 10 and 11) from a different manufacturer. The TRC also provided open motor car 301, converted from an open trailer. [3]
On June 13, 1897, the line started Sunday service, [2] helping to increase summer excursion traffic. Growth in towns and villages along the route also increased ridership. [3]
For the fiscal year ending June 1902, the railway showed a profit. [2]
In 1903, Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company changed its name to the Toronto and Mimico Railway Company. [1]
On August 1, 1904, the Toronto and Mimico Railway Company was merged into the Toronto and York Radial Railway becoming its Mimico Division, [4] thus ending the Toronto Railway Company's involvement in suburban services. [3]
On December 24, 1905, the Mimico line was extended from Long Branch to Port Credit [1] at Hurontario Street, and a year later to Stavebank Road, about 175 metres (574 ft) east of the Credit River. [4] [5] West of the Etobicoke Creek, the line was on the south side of Lake Shore Road. [6] A trip from Port Credit to Yonge Street would take 2 hours and cost 18 cents. [5]
On August 16, 1922, the City of Toronto formally acquired the T&YRR lines. The plan was that the city portions of the T&YRR radial lines would be incorporated into the TTC, and the portions outside the city would be managed by Ontario Hydro as the Hydro-Electric Railways: Toronto and York Division. [7]
On November 1, 1922, Hydro-Electric Railways took over operation of the T&YRR lines outside of the city limits. [1] The TTC replaced the radial line between Sunnyside and the Humber River with a double-track streetcar line. After 1922, Hydro changed the gauge of the Mimico line between Humber (the line's new eastern terminal) and Port Credit from Toronto gauge to standard gauge. HER introduced new standard-gauge cars and doubled service frequency. [7]
From 1923 to 1926, ridership on the Mimico line decreased steadily from 3,760,299 to 2,325,701. Competing railway service could deliver passengers from Port Credit direct to Union Station in almost half the time at half the fare as taking the radial and transferring to a city streetcar at Humber. [7]
On January 12, 1927, the Toronto Transportation Commission started operating the T&YRR lines under contract. Shortly after, the TTC converted the Mimico line from standard gauge back to Toronto gauge. [7]
On November 21, 1927, the TTC extended the Mimico route eastwards to Roncesvalles Avenue. [6]
On May 9, 1928, the Beach streetcar route was extended west to Humber Loop evenings, Saturday afternoons and Sundays, overlapping Mimico radial service. [6]
As of September 28, 1928, [6] the TTC split the Mimico line into two portions. The portion between Humber Loop and Long Branch Loop was double-tracked and became part of the Lake Shore streetcar route coming from downtown. The portion between Long Branch and Port Credit became the Port Credit line, a single-track radial line using older radial cars. [7] The Port Credit line operated every 30 minutes even overnight. [6]
On February 9, 1935, the Long Branch-Port Credit radial service ended, being replaced by bus service. [8]
On October 28, 1942, during World War II, a temporary double-track streetcar extension went into service from Long Branch Loop west to an armaments factory. Roughly following the route of the defunct Port Credit radial line, the "Small Arms Extension" ran for.33 mi (0.53 km) on the north side of Lakeshore Road over Etobicoke Creek via a highway bridge and terminated at a loop near the factory. Peter Witt streetcars served the extension. Service ceased by October 14, 1945, and the extension was removed thereafter. [9] [10] : 45
This is a partial description of the fleet:
Make/Model | Description | Car numbers | Fleet size | Year acquired | Year retired | Notes |
Ottawa Car Company R Class [11] | radial cars | 409–416 | 8 | 1924–1925 | 1928 | Transferred to Wychwood Carhouse in 1928 then to North Yonge Railways in 1930 |
The Halton County Radial Railway is a working museum of electric streetcars, other railway vehicles, buses and trolleybuses. It is operated by the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association (OERHA). It is focused primarily on the history of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and its predecessor, the Toronto Transportation Commission, Its collection includes PCC, Peter Witt, CLRV and ALRV, and earlier cars from the Toronto streetcar system as well as G-series and M-series Toronto subway cars.
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. The TRC was also a manufacturer of streetcars and rail work vehicles, a few of which were built for other streetcar and radial operators.
The Toronto and York Radial Railway was a transit operator providing services to the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a subsidiary of the Toronto Railway Company. The company was created by merging four Toronto-area interurban operations. The company was part of the empire of railway entrepreneurs Sir William Mackenzie and Donald Mann which included the Canadian Northern Railway and the parent Toronto Railway Company. The line was abandoned by the TTC in 1948.
The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph.
The Metropolitan line in the Toronto area, operated by the Metropolitan Street Railway, started out as a local horsecar line and transformed itself into an electric radial line extending to Lake Simcoe, following an old stage coach route. In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Metropolitan Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Metropolitan. In 1927, the TTC took over the operation of the Metropolitan Line to Sutton, and renamed it the Lake Simcoe line. In 1930, the TTC closed the Metropolitan Line but shortly reopened the portion between Glen Echo and Richmond Hill operating it as the North Yonge Railways until 1948.
The North Yonge Railways was a radial railway line operated by the Toronto Transportation Commission from 1930 to 1948 between Glen Echo (Toronto) and Richmond Hill. The line was created by reopening the southern portion of the TTC's Lake Simcoe radial line that had closed in 1930.
The Toronto streetcar system is a network of eleven streetcar routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is the third busiest light-rail system in North America. The network is concentrated primarily in Downtown Toronto and in proximity to the city's waterfront. Much of the streetcar route network dates from the 19th century. Three streetcar routes operate in their own right-of-way, one in a partial right-of-way, and six operate on street trackage shared with vehicular traffic with streetcars stopping on demand at frequent stops like buses. Since 2019, the network has used low-floor streetcars, making it fully accessible.
The history of public transportation in Toronto in Canada dates back to the middle 19th century under many different private companies, organizations and owners, which were all later unified as a single government-run entity during the 1920s.
501 Queen is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It stretches from Neville Park Loop in the east, running along Queen Street and in a reserved right-of-way within the median of the Queensway to Humber Loop in the west. In the late evenings, the 501 Queen route is extended west from Humber Loop, running on Lake Shore Boulevard to Long Branch Loop, replacing route 507 Long Branch. This route operates as part of the TTC's Blue Night Network service, operating in the early morning hours as the 301 Queen.
Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company was established in August 1892 to provide street railway service to the Upper Beaches district within the City of Toronto, Ontario and to the neighbouring Township of Scarborough. Except for two branches, the line ran as a radial along Kingston Road.
The Toronto radial lines were interurban lines radiating from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. All are now defunct.
The Schomberg and Aurora Railway was a 36 km long railway in Ontario, Canada, running from the town of Schomberg to Oak Ridges, just south of Aurora. It connected Schomberg to the Metropolitan Line of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) tram service running along Yonge Street, and from there into the Toronto city proper. The service ran for 25 years between 1902 and 1927; the rails were pulled up shortly thereafter.
Humber Loop is a multimodal transit station and a hub for streetcar routes. It consists of two streetcar turning loops and one bus loop. Humber Loop is located between the Gardiner Expressway and the Queensway just west of the Humber River in Toronto. The loop is accessed by a private right-of-way along the Queensway on the east side of the loop and by Lake Shore Boulevard on its west side. As of November 19, 2023, four Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar routes either pass through or terminate at Humber Loop.
The Roncesvalles Carhouse is a storage and maintenance facility for the streetcar network of the Toronto Transit Commission. Located at the northwest corner of the Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, west of its downtown core, it is the oldest of the TTC's three active carhouses. The carhouse serves vehicles on routes 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas, 506 Carlton, 511 Bathurst, and 512 St. Clair.
Long Branch Loop is the westernmost streetcar stop within the Toronto streetcar system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It is located in the Long Branch neighbourhood in southwestern Toronto, close to the boundary with Mississauga. Long Branch Loop is the western terminus for four streetcar routes but is principally served by the 507 Long Branch route. Several TTC and MiWay bus routes terminate at the loop.
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 Toronto Transportation Commission, the Yonge line was the busiest and most congested streetcar line in the city leading to its replacement in 1954 by the Yonge Subway line, also Toronto's first and the first in Canada.
The Canadian National Electric Railways (CNER) was a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railways created to operate a few electric lines. It was formed in November 1923, with headquarters in Toronto.
Lakeshore Road is a historic roadway in the Canadian province of Ontario, running through the city of Burlington and the town of Oakville in Halton Region, as well as the city of Mississauga in Peel Region. As its name implies, the road closely follows the shoreline of Lake Ontario, although the lake itself is not visible from the road in most areas. Lakeshore Road was once a key section of the historic Highway 2, which traversed the province, but has since been downloaded to local municipalities. Despite this historical role as a major route, however, most of the road is a lower-capacity picturesque residential and historic commercial street with only two through lanes until it becomes a four-lane, higher-volume artery after it enters Mississauga and jogs to the north.
Toronto-gauge railways are tram and rapid transit lines built to Toronto gauge, a broad gauge of 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in. This is 2+3⁄8 in (60 mm) wider than standard gauge of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in which is by far the most common track gauge in Canada. The gauge is unique to the Greater Toronto Area and is currently used on the Toronto streetcar system and the Toronto subway, both operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. As well, the Halton County Radial Railway, a transport museum, uses the Toronto gauge so its rail line can accommodate its collection of Toronto streetcars and subway trains. Several now-defunct interurban rail systems also once used this gauge.
507 Long Branch is an east–west Toronto streetcar route in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It runs along Lake Shore Boulevard between Humber Loop and Long Branch Loop. It operates entirely within Toronto's Etobicoke district. After 10 pm, 507 Long Branch is replaced by a westward extension of the 501 Queen from Humber Loop to Long Branch Loop. Overnight, 301 Queen, part of the TTC's Blue Night Network service, replaces both 501 Queen and 507 Long Branch, operating from approximately 1 am to 5 am between Neville Park Loop and Long Branch loop. The rush-hour 508 Lake Shore route overlaps 507 Long Branch west of Humber Loop.
Chapter 4 - Radiating Out in Every Direction
Chapter 5 - The Toronto & York Radial Railway
Chapter 9 - Who Wants to Run the Radials?
Chapter 10 - The End of the Line