As of yesterday, two new cars are in regular service on Spadina Avenue. Low floor, air conditioned and with fare validators on board. Fast, quiet and comfortable, I was able to ride one and it was packed, people taking pictures everywhere but no politicians, least of all our streetcar-hating mayor. Only a month and a half until the election. We're supposed to get a lot more of of them (204 in total) but the plant that builds them in Thunder Bay is on strike. And so it goes.
Thanks for the news. They will probably be moved around to several lines, not just kept on Spadina. For those that don't know, Spadina is a new line, replacing a bus service that earlier replaced streetcars. It is a north-south line, somewhat east of the main downtown area. After the streetcar-to-bus conversion, nearly all the track and wire were kept for pull-in, pull-out barn moves from other lines, but the line was rebuilt before streetcar restoration and now has dedicated lanes.
Indeed it does. When the Spadina line has it's allotment of new cars, then they're supposed to trickle down to the other lines. The CLRVs and ALRVs won't be completely replaced for at least 5 years. Some of them are looking pretty shabby and are rusted out like a car I used to own. When the St Clair line was rebuilt, boy did people scream about that, reducing car lanes and what not, same as when the Spadina line was redone. "It's going to hurt business" the merchants all said and now Spadina is busier than ever with lots of new stores, condos and so forth.
Good to hear! Are the ALRVs going first?
That I could not tell you. But, there are quite fewer new streetcars than the existing fleet and some people aren't too happy about that. But there are rumours that the new fleet (204 cars in all) may be expanded eventually. The new ones use a pole, but there are pantographs on the roof as well, I understand that pantographs will be used on the Eglinton LRT which is now under construction and the Sheppard East and Finch lines if they ever get built. They will be building more cars to use on these, the 204 are for the existing lines.
I had heard that the ALRVs were in worse shape, and were due to be retired first, partially due to the fact that the new cars have multiple sections.
Smart that they are using the same cars for both streetcar and light rail, it will save them a lot over time.
I see and ride the CLRVs and ALRVs every day. Some are in good shape, some not. The TTC is good at keeping old vehicles running long after every other transit system gave up on them as for example, the GM New Look buses which have all finally been retired. In the Hillcrest shops on Bathurst st is an actual blacksmith's forge which is still in use, fabricating parts for streetcars and buses. I have not heard of a plan to retire the ALRVs ahead of the others. I think both types will be here for a long time yet.
One thing I would suggest to TTC is that they rebuild some of the best ALrV's into four-truck, three-body-unit cars with a new low-floor center section. Lots of European cities have done this, and it gives this type of car a new life as being handicapped acsesable. This would go along with prepayment and ticket inspection instead of pay-as-enter and pay-as-leave.
I like his idea, the "two rooms and a bath" as I think it was called. I doubt there's anyone at the TTC who has that much imagination though.
two rooms and a bath was different, and involved eight wheels, not twelve. the two rooms and a bath cars were built from two old single truck cars with the four wheels of each still not swiveling, and then a center section connecting the two cars that could pivot and both ends. the bath idea came because often the two articulation joints leaked during rain and snow. i rode such cars with streamlined bodies to look like the european pcc's being introduced at that time in brussels. as you can imagine, such cars are no improvement over single-truck cars in ride quality, and riding in the center section was even worse, particularly in the transitions from straight to curved track. and they continued to sound like the old single truck cars.
on the other hand, adding a low floor center section and one addition truck gives you a three-body four-truck articulated car that should ride and perform as well as a new car.
Thank you for that, I always thought "two rooms and a bath" was only a lower centre section. I still wouldn't count on it happening, though. Lately it seems that there's more talk about a Lakeshore east line, starting from the tunnel at Bay Street where the Queen's Quay line comes to the surface. There is a new line running North and South on Cherry st from King st to service the area where the Pan American games will be held and this line would connect to it. The Pan Am games complex is supposed to become residential when the games arel over. Lakeshore east would follow along the harbour front to Leslie st where the new car barn is under construction.
Glad that the streetcar system is expanding again. I was disturbed by abandonment of St. Clair East, and before that, Rogers Road.
Glad that the streetcar system is expanding again. What happened to the eastern part of St. Clair?
When I moved to Toronto from New York in 1995, the paved over rails were visible on St. Clair east of Yonge st and at the turn around loop at Mt. Pleasant Rd. Since then the road was totally redone and the rails taken away. Same on Rogers Rd, there were rails visible here and there but they're gone too. Both the Mt. Pleasant and Rogers lines only existed between 1926 and 1976 and ridership was never very great.
There is a turn around loop at Oakwood Ave at St. Clair west which is the only remnant of the Rogers route. The St Clair carbarn is now partially residential and part is used by artists, small beer festivals and so forth. It's pretty nice, actually. The rails and wires in the adjacent yard were there until about 2002 or so. As far as girder rail is concerned, the rail is set in the street on steel ties, the channel the rail is in is concrete. That's the way it is on Roncesvalles Avenue which is where I live. Most all of the streetcar track is like that. When I go out later I'll have to have a closer look and I'll report back.
davekleppertwo rooms and a bath was different, and involved eight wheels, not twelve.
Just so everyone recognizes what this is -- here are details of the Boston single-truckers:
Perhaps Mr. Klepper has pictures of the double-trucked Boston articulateds, or the somewhat-later-built 4600 in Brooklyn (1923, I believe, which is interestingly later than the point at which the Boston single-truck 'snake cars' had all been given up as Worst Things Ever ... I'm not particularly surprised to see the idea didn't catch on...)
that is exactly what the two-rooms-and-a-bath was. I think on of the Brussels streamlined clunkers is in their museum and available for charter, for those who want a vibro treatment with their travelling.
Man, that is ugly! OK, I had a look, girder rail is only used at junctions on both straight and curved track. When there is a facing point, the girder starts right at the end of the point. With trailing points, the girder finishes about 6 feet away. The rest of the system is rail set in a concrete groove. I guess this ties in with the thread about the Opicina line, but there you go.
In the paper today, there is talk about "extending the life" of some of the existing streetcars but it did not specify which types. Some people are bitching about how the Carlton line (the 506) won't receive new cars for another five years but someone has to be last. Also, the plan is to modify the overhead wire so pantographs will be used, but it won't be like the catenary that is used in Buffalo which sure looks excessive.
I can imagine that the ride was awful! The four-wheeled streetcars were known for poor ride by themselves, but spliced together?
There are now 2 more new streetcars undergoing tests and should be in service soon. Also, the strike at the Bombardier plant is settled so more should be coming. Some great news! Our streetcar hating mayor is not running in the next election due to health problems but his streetcar hating thug brother is now running for mayor. Like Kent Brockman says, "Democracy does not work!"
I don't think that there is a formal requirement for access in Canada similar to the ADA. The federal government does require full access for transit systems but does not provide any funding like in the U.S. The TTC is making every station wheelchair accessible slowly, doing the busiest stations first but eventually it will be 100% accessible. In my lifetime? probably not. Doesn't the ADA provide money from the feds to do it all at once?
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