I've always used Bally-All , just a preference, but it's quite a topic among the folks in the area.
I've only ever heard it pronounced "Buh-loyal."
Continued from chapter 5.This is the last chapter of the report describing my August 2019 trip to Southern Ontario with Rich Aaron and John Wilkins. In addition to the last day's narrative it contains some photos of the Scarborough ALRT line (now TTC's route 3) taken on the previous day and of railroad operations is the area. First the Scarborough line:
No. 3020 is at the rear of a typical 4-car train of TTC's 28 intermediate capacity transit cars. It has just left the Lawrence East station and is en route to the commercial center of what was the borough of Scarborough, now just the Scarborough section of Toronto. This was the first time I saw the attractive blue (Dodger Blue?) livery, which had been recently applied as a wrap to the UTDC-built rolling stock. The fully automated line opened in 1985, but trains have always carried a single crew member, who monitors operations on the linear-induction powered cars.* Equipped with 600-volt DC third rail, the standard gauge four-mile long, 6-station line is officially due to be replaced, a costly and controversial decision possibly forced upon the TTC by municipal and provincial politicians. Since it runs end-to-end with line 2, the Bloor-Danforth subway, it looks like that line will be extended over much of Scarborough's existing route. When this actually will occur is anybody's guess, as not a spade of earth has been turned, nor has a final decision as to the exact alignment and number of stations been made.*The same technology (from the same manufacturer) is used the Detroit People Mover, JFK Airport's Air Train and the original lines of Vancouver's rapid transit system, Sky Train.Above and below: Two more views of TTC's Scarborough line. The upper photo was taken from the Lawrence Avenue overpass, which has no access to the station below. The track to the right carries the former Canadian National Railway line whose outermost passenger station was Markham when I first visited Toronto over a half-century ago. In those days the line had only one passenger train, which ran outbound in the afternoon rush hour. I rode it nevertheless and was lucky that the crew allowed me to deadhead back with them. Since then the line has been acquired by Metrolinx, which is double tracking it in order to increase GO Transit service to Stouffville. In the background of both photos is the 40-story Solaris condominium development. The lower photo, taken from the Ellesmere stop, features a train of the almost 35-year old cars emerging from the portal of a long tunnel that takes the 3-line under the GO Stouffville right-of-way from an east-west alignment in Scarborough to the relatively north-south route to its Kennedy terminal, where connection is made with the Bloor-Danforth subway.John completed his narrative as follows:
My story is a little more complicated. Knowing I would see Rich at Billy Bishop Airport on the Toronto waterfront, I didn't wake him before my 8:30 departure. We both had reservations for late afternoon flights on Porter Airlines, he to Chicago and me to Newark. I had more than a few items on my plate, and decided to leave my luggage in the B&B's salon so I wouldn't be encumbered. I first rode a route 504 King car to Bathurst and then walked south past Front Street and positioned myself on the overpass above the Canadian National Railway to photograph the remainder of the rush hour. Route 504 has been split into two services, with 504A running between the Dundas West and Distillery loops and 504B between the Dufferin Gate Loop and the Broadview Station Loop, providing a very intense service through downtown on King Street between Dufferin and Cherry Streets. But the Dufferin loop was closed so all 504B cars were running to Dundas West, and even though I just missed an eastbound Flexity by about 30 seconds, the next car arrived less than 4 minutes later.Here are some photos of GO Transit, Union-Pearson and Via trains along Canadian National tracks. First some views taken from Dundas Street West, while I was also shooting CLRVs on the surface on the previous day. In addition to Union-Pearson operations, photos of GO Transit and Via trains can be accomplished from that location.
Above and below: First looking north toward Bloor Street and then south toward the lake, from the Dundas Street West overpass along a portion of the four-track right-of-way that carries Union Pearson trains from downtown Toronto to the airport, and GO Transit and Via service further northwest. The upper view illustrates that two railroads once shared this wide cut. The far left track originally belonged to the Canadian Pacific, and supported its passenger service to Detroit and Owen Sound, as well as transcontinental trains. GO Transit's Milton line uses this route over CPR's Galt Subdivision, bypassing the Bloor station whose platforms are served only by the other three tracks. Except for a brief segment of the former TH&B railway in the Hamilton area, it is currently the only GO operation that runs over CPR rails. The two tracks at right were/are Canadian National's Weston Subdivision, which carries Union Pearson, Kitchener and London-Sarnia trains operated by GO and Via. Metrolinx, which now owns the entire right-of-way, constructed the other track on the former CPR side in 2015 to handle the increased service that exists today and will become even more frequent in the future. The Union Pearson Express line was built as a "Premium" airport line in 2015, but when the officials were "surprised" that hardly anybody was riding when the fare was CDN $27.50 one-way, common sense took over and the fare was lowered to $9.00 ($5.85 for seniors) and riding began to pick up to the extent that the 15-minute headway in each direction is now justified. Rolling stock consists 18 Nippon Sharyo dMU cars, delivered as four 3-car and three 2-car trains with streamlined sloped ends. All cars have cabs at one end, including the four center units, which have flat ends. The cars are virtually identical with the 14 (two-car trains) built by the same manufacturer for SMART, which runs between San Rafael and Santa Rosa north of San Francisco. The upper photo shows a three-car train while the lower one shows one of the blunt ended center cars with cab at the rear of a two-car train.There was action almost every minute under Bathurst Street on Tuesday morning. Above and below: GO Transit trains at the junction of the Canadian National's Oakville and Weston subdivisions, just west of Bathurst Street. The upper photo shows rush hour trains operating on both lines, while the lower one highlights a double-headed train. The motive power consists of MP40PHT units built by Motive Power Industries, with the newest, rebuilt with AC traction, now classified as MP54AC. The lower photo shows GO Transit's newest livery, where the front of each locomotive is all white except for the logo.
EMD F40PH-3 locomotive and a mate pulls Via Windsor-Toronto train 70, toward Union Station. The six-car consist includes a business class coach.About 45 minutes later I resumed walking along Bathurst and continued to the ferry serving Toronto's extremely conveniently-located airport. I had decided to find out whether I could check in for my flight ahead of time, and therein lies a story--one that goes back to the day we arrived in Canada.When we began waiting on line for Immigration and Customs on the Peace Bridge on the preceding Thursday, I checked my passport, and to my chagrin and embarrassment I discovered I had take Clare's document instead of my own (mistake 1). I quickly called her from my Android phone, and luckily she was at home, and was able to photograph the passport and email it to me. When the Canadian border attendant asked for my papers, I handed him Clare's passport and he immediately asked if my name was Clare. I explained what happened and handed him my phone with the image, and he said OK and let me into Canada.I thought that was easy enough, so I then made mistake 2, which was not asking Clare to FedEx my passport to me at the B&B. I thought it would be just as easy to get out. But no, after arriving at the airport I was told in no uncertain terms by Porter clerks and their supervisors that they will not allow me to board unless I have a real, valid document. They were not terribly helpful until I found a very nice woman in the baggage office on the arrivals level. She told me exactly what to do (get a new passport) and called the U. S. Consulate for me. The American representative told me to rush down to their building on University Avenue IMMEDIATELY as they could not create an emergency document after 11:30 a.m. It was now a little before 11:00. And when I asked whether they would take my photo, he also told me that I should go to the Staples store across the street for the photo and store my belongings in a locker that they would rent me, as I would not be allowed entry into the building if I was carrying anything metallic (like a camera).I thanked the lady and rushed through the pedestrian underpass to the mainland, passing a number of other folks on the moving walkway, and found a taxi immediately for the short ride. Fortunately there was little traffic and Staples wasn't very busy. I crossed University Avenue at about 11:25 and went through the security metal detector, but did not pass scrutiny. I still was not allowed in the building as I had one roll of exposed film and one roll of unexposed film in my pocket, and they were no-no's. What to do? I didn't want to go back to Staples and pay for another locker, but the uniformed officer at the door suggested I hide them in the bushes that surrounded the building. I did so.I then rode an elevator up to the third floor and reached a clerk behind a window who gave me a form to fill out and accepted my payment of $60 by credit card. He told me to wait and I would be called soon. I was, about ten minutes later, and was then questioned by an examiner. Apparently everything was OK, and he told me to come back after lunch (2 p.m.) and my new passport would be ready. Unfortunately, during the interim period I could not take photos of King and Queen streetcars (camera in the locker), but I did walk to Union Station and grabbed a snack at McDonald's (but first after I repossessed my film, from exactly where I left it).I got back at 2 o'clock, hid my film again and went back to the same window. I was given a new passport (whew!) and was admonished for not coming back earlier, as they indicated they called me as soon as it was ready. [When I got home there was a message about that on my landline, time stamped at 1:14. And I specifically had given them my mobile number.] I then bailed out my camera across the street at Staples, and was back on my way.I still had time to take a few photos downtown and go out to the beginning of The Queensway, where there was still some ballasted track (as mentioned and illustrated in segment 5). Then I returned to the B&B, picked up my bags and headed back down King to Bathurst. After a photo I transferred to the 511 for a 3-station ride to Fleet Street and walked the rest of the way to the airport via the tunnel. My flight was due out at 5:10 and it was now about 3:30, so before I checked in I left the airport building and went into the parking lot, where the sun was perfect for a few photos of the Toronto skyline. I then checked in with my brand new passport and went through security. Rich was already there, even though his flight wasn't scheduled until 7:15.Then more bad news hit. There were weather delays for both our flights. This was rather unexpected as it was sunny out, in fact it had been all day. The previous flight to Newark, scheduled for 4:10, had still not left and no departure time was posted for my plane. We then heard an announcement that Porter's flight to Washington, D. C. was cancelled. Eventually loading began for my flight (at 5:30) and we departed the gate at a couple of minutes before 6 o'clock. Arrival at Newark was at 7:54 (6:40), a little over an hour late. Clare picked me up at Terminal B and we arrived home at about 8:30.
Above and below: Not too much difference between these two views of Toronto's beautiful skyline, taken about 90 minutes apart. The upper photo was taken from the shore of Toronto Inner Harbor's western channel, which is easily accessible from the the Toronto City Airport's (Billy Bishop Airport) parking lot on Toronto Island, while the lower came from my window aboard Porter's Bombardier-built Q400 turboprop aircraft (based on the De Havilland DHC 8) while it was climbing into the sky. The 1,815-foot (1976-built) CN Tower, Toronto's quintessential icon, dominates both scenes.
It was a great trip.P. S. The new emergency passport was good for only 60 days, so I applied for a regular (ten-year) one in nearby Clifton on the next day and received it in the mail less than two weeks later.Jack
54light15-- That's a good one, thanks for that. For about a year during my years in Toronto I lived on Balliol St.
In one direction they announced Bally-All... in the other it was Baaaal-Oil.
Quite humorous with the locals.
The 1875 gothic revival structure at Spadina Crescent shown in the photo was totally restored recently. In the first world war it was a hospital. A woman named Amelia Earhart worked there as a nurse and learned to fly in a field that is now the TTC Hillcrest shops on Bathurst street.
When the new streetcars were first in service on Spadina Avenue, there were huge crowds and people on the patforms telling you how the doors worked, how you pushed a button to open the door when the car was at your stop. That system has been abandoned and all doors open at every stop. When the new cars on Spadina first operated, the voice would say, "510 Spadyna to Bloor Subway" going north and going south it would say "Queens Quay and Spadeena." Funny, that. But it has been changed to say "Spadina" in both directions. On the King and Queen lines, the stop at Niagara Street is announced as "Niama Street." Can't figure that out.
Continued from part 4. John Wilkins contributed to the preparation of this portion of the report.Segments 5 and 6 cover our activities on Monday and Tuesday, our last two days in the streetcar capital of North America. This portion contains photos of the CLRVs and Flexities we encountered while forthcoming chapter 6 will include photos of heavier rail equipment operating in the city and its environs.But first, here is a sample of the photographs we took on Sunday afternoon, as described in part 4.
Above and below: Two scenes on the Queensway, since 1957 the fastest stretch of track in Toronto, as there are few cross streets and thus little interference from automobiles. The upper photo is taken from the Kingsway overpass, while the lower street level view is at Windermere, one station further east. If you haven't made a trip to Toronto recently these views will look unusual as the former ballasted right-of-way was paved over early this year. It is still streetcar only, and is still served by the Queen line (501). Bombardier Flexity Outlook cars, using trolley poles to gather current from the overhead, was the norm for the line in August.
On this occasion only a very short stretch of Queensway still took on the familiar look of past decades. The ballasted track was in place from just east of the Parkside Drive stop to Glendale Avenue, where the original section of paved road continued past St. Joseph's Health Centre and on to Sunnyside Loop and Roncesvalles carhouse. Perhaps it will be paved in the near future. I took this photo on Tuesday afternoon, just before picking up my bag at the nearby B&B and heading to the airport for my return flight home.
Above and below: Two views at today's Humber Loop. Currently, with little exception, route 501-Queen is split into two separate services with through passengers having to change cars. At this time Flexity Outlook units were operated east of this iconic location, while CLRVs were being used west of that point, with each service using its own separate turnaround tracks (although the layout allows for through service, which is operated during the late evenings and overnight*). The upper view was recorded just after passengers left the low-floor unit and boarded the connecting car, while the lower view shows the CLRV starting its trip to the Etobicoke communities of Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch. Thus one could say that the operation I observed brought back in principle route 507-Long Branch, which was officially replaced by through 501 cars in 1995.* On September 3, 2019 a modest amount of through service was re-introduced during weekday rush hours. These cars, running between Long Branch loop and over the Queensway, are officially identified as route 508-Lake Shore. A little after CLRVs leave Humber Loop and cross under the Gardiner Expressway onto Lake Shore Boulevard, they pass the community of Humber Bay, which is now noted for its collection of high-rise buildings. This view of a Long Branch-bound car is at Louisa Street, about 4 stops west of the CLRV's starting point.Above and below: Two views near the western end of the 506-Carlton line. The High Park neighborhood in the upper image looks positively verdant as this westbound car is about to cross Indian Grove along Howard Park Avenue. Dundas Street West, west of Lansdowne Avenue, as shown in the lower photo, usually hosts both the 505-Dundas and 506-Carlton lines, but the 505 is currently operated by buses because of sewer work. However plenty of 506s came by, permitting this view of a CLRV with downtown Toronto and the CN Tower in the background. Within the city Dundas is mainly an east-west street, but as it heads west, this arterial road turns to the northwest. It actually crosses Bloor Street twice along its historic route to Toronto's western suburbs of Mississauga, Oakville and Burlington.
As John wrote:
I, on the other hand, rode the Scarborough line (again) to the Bloor Street subway and on to Yonge Street where I transferred to line 1 for the short trip north to St. Clair, where I began a regimen of riding and photographing the Flexities on route 512. I covered that line as recently as 2016, after the street was reconstructed with reserved track in concrete at the center of the thoroughfare, but before the new articulated cars began running. Its overhead has now been adjusted for pantographs, which is also the case for the track on Queen's Quay and Spadina, where the low-floor units were first introduced on the 509-Harbourfront and 510-Spadina lines.
Above and below: Two views of route 512 along St. Clair Avenue. Current collection has been by pantograph since the line was fully equipped with Flexity Outlook cars. The upper photo was taken at Deer Park Crescent, just one stop west of Yonge Street, where the line connects with Toronto's original subway. Rapid transit Line 1 is shaped like an elongated "U" and St. Clair Avenue streetcars exchange passengers with it again at the St. Clair Avenue West station. To reach that point route 512 cars descend into a short subway and loop to the north; after stopping at a station within the rapid transit line's fare control, cars return to the mainline tracks, which then rise again to the surface. The lower photo shows a westbound car exiting through a second portal just east of Bathurst Street. The underground right-of-way, which ducks under Wells Hill Avenue, is shared with buses also needing to access St. Clair West station.I rode a Flexity back into the St. Clair West station of the Yonge-University-Spadina line and rode two stations south to the Spadina/Bloor station. I transferred there to a 510-Spadina car in order to ride to College Street, where I snapped a photo.
Bombardier Flexity Outlook car 4433, also using a pantograph, heads south through the intersection of Spadina Avenue and College Street, where there is a three-quarter grand union with the 506-Carlton line. The streetcars on route 510 circle "1 Spadina Crescent," the 1875-built Gothic Revival structure that houses the Fine Arts faculty of the University of Toronto.It was now getting close to the time I was supposed to meet Rich and John at St. Louis Ribs between the Davisville and Eglinton stops of the subway along Yonge Street, so I rode a 506-Carlton line car back to Yonge and transferred to the rapid transit line. I couldn't help thinking of how simple the operation of the regular streetcar I rode on the Carlton line (in this case a CLRV) compared to the LRV (Flexity) on the Spadina line that I had ridden before I changed at College Street. Specifically, my impression was that the CLRV would pull up to a stop, open its doors immediately and then close them quickly once the last passenger boarded, and then accelerate away. With the LRV there seems to be a brief pause before the doors are opened. Then, after the last passenger boards annoying beeps are sounded and there is another brief pause before the Flexity begins to move. I imagine that when there are a large numbers of passengers alighting and boarding the dwell time for a Flexity compared to a CLRV could be much shorter, because the LRV has more doors. But if only a few passengers are using the stop, it appeared from my observations that the dwell time for the LRV is longer. I'm not sure that my feelings about this are accurate (or just prejudicial), since I haven't employed a stopwatch, but I suspect that the proof will be in the pudding, and will become clear if and when future timetables will see a change in running times for the routes that have been re-equipped (if that has not yet happened). Anyway, I arrived at exactly 6:00 p.m. and Rich and John were at the bar, waiting for me. We were soon given a table and we each ordered ribs from the large menu. Our plates were clean when we left and drove back to our B&B.Chapter 6 will close out the trip report, containing a short narrative of my last day in Toronto, plus photos of the Scarborough line and various diesel trains running in the area.
Continued from part 3. John Wilkins helped in the preparation of this portion of the report.Sunday, Day Three – Today's scheduled activity was a visit to the Halton County Radial Railway in Rockwood (Guelph), Ontario. We easily found our way onto the Gardiner Expressway, whose entrance was only a few blocks from our B&B, and then followed highways 427, 401 and finally Guelph Line Road to the museum, roughly a total distance of 50 miles. John made excellent time and the drive took less than an hour, as there was little congestion on the roads. With the sky being overcast we took our time with breakfast, not rushing at all, and didn't leave our accommodations until a little before 10:00 a.m. The museum opens their doors at that time, but their first trip over the line isn't scheduled until 11:00. But nevertheless, as a result of our dawdling, we missed the departure of the first car by a minute or two. This was not a problem, as service would be operating every half-hour, which gave me time to inspect the contents of the carhouse while Dick and John surveyed the gift shop/book store. Two of the prize possessions of the museum were not operating today: large Witt 2424 from 1921, which had some mechanical problems (we were told minor) and No. 4000, the Toronto Transit Commission’s first PCC car, an air-electric unit from 1938. Here is a postcard view of No. 4000 operating at the museum, with its linens displaying an iconic destination and route.
Upon our arrival at the museum, which is operated by the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association, a few drops of rain fell from the thick sky. The first car out, which faded into the mist, was [small] Peter Witt 2894, and the next was supposed to be car 327. But while we were waiting, the open-bench unit headed back to the carhouse; it wasn't clear why: perhaps the mild precipitation or maybe a mechanical problem. But soon No. 2894 completed its round trip and discharged its passengers at the Rockwood station. This station is a traditional railroad depot and has a waiting room with some exhibits inside. Built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1912, it was used by successor railroad Canadian National until 1961, after which it was donated to the museum, who had it moved to its present location at the center of its operation. Peter Witt 2894 appeared to be the workhorse of the museum's operations, as it was also on the line during my visit in 2016. It is shown laying over at the Rockwood station while the public's attention was directed to the next car out.Visitors waiting for the next departure were directed to a siding, where London & Port Stanley No. 8 was positioned to load passengers from a high-level mini-platform. This made life easier for the elderly and those with baby carriages, as the interurban car's steps are quite steep.
Former London & Port Stanley interurban car 8 waiting to board passengers at its inner terminal, where a small high-level platform was rigged to provide for level access. The heavyweight was built by Jewett in 1915 for service over the 24-mile long line in southern Ontario. Passenger service was abandoned on February 18, 1957.The car is beautifully restored and it was a pleasure riding it along the museum's 1¼-mile long wooded right-of-way. The trackage is laid on a small portion of the former Toronto Suburban Railway’s standard-gauge interurban (radial railway) line between Toronto and Guelph, which was abandoned in 1931. With its emphasis on equipment from nearby Toronto, the museum line’s gauge is 4 feet, 10 7/8 inches, which meant that the interurban had to be regauged to operate here. Further, the huge interurban is not able to negotiate the loops at either end of the line (John indicated that was probably due to the car's turning radius and its use of a pantograph instead of a pole), but that did not cause any problems, since the 1915-built unit is double-ended. We duly photographed it while it laid over at the outer end of the line, Meadowvale.
London & Port Stanley interurban car 8 at the outer end of the line at Meadowvale. Note the use of the step stool for detraining passengers, many of whom had a particular destination in mind--as shown in the next two photos.Above and below: Two views of Toronto PCC 4618, whose duty is to satisfy the tastebuds of many museum visitors. The Canadian Car & Foundry streamliner was built in 1951 as car 4501, and was renumbered to 4618 when refurbished in 1992. After its acquisition by the museum, it was equipped with a freezer, counter, tables and chairs for service as a stationary ice cream parlor.
After returning on the 8 we rode the 12:30 departure of the Peter Witt from the Rockwood station building back to the end of the line, including the clockwise loop at Meadowvale. Meadowvale is a beautifully restored shelter with a large platform--originally a stop on the Toronto Suburban Railway some 25 miles east of its current location. After a few photos Dick and I took advantage of the repast offered at the PCC ice cream store, while John rode back through the trees to the museum headquarters. Small Witt No. 2894 was built by the Ottawa Car Company in 1923, and is painted in the TTC’s very attractive livery of that era. It was restored by the TTC for use on their short-lived Tour Tram service in 1973 and was carried from Rockwood to Toronto some 15 years ago to appear in the movie, “The Cinderella Man.”
Above and below: Two views of the Peter Witt in the exact same pose at the end of the verdant Meadowvale loop. As can be see the lower photo is a close-up. Don't know which is better, so I included both.
The weather began to improve and wouldn't you know, open-bench car 327 came back out and was next up for departure. This single-truck car is actually a replica, but in a way it is authentic, having been built by the Toronto Transportation Commission in 1934 using parts salvaged from the original 1893-built 327. (The original 327 was built for the Toronto Railway Company, a predecessor of the TTC, which was renamed Toronto Transit Commission in 1954.)Open-bench No. 327 is posed on the museum's lower loop. The four-wheeler was taken for a test run after returning from the carhouse.Our last view of the museum, just prior to our departure, was of No. 327 loading passengers for a round-trip to Meadowvale. No. 2894 is alongside, having just completed a similar run. I had ridden it four years earlier and so, with other items on our agenda, Rich, John and I said goodbye to the museum at a little after 2 o'clock. We also said farewell to a number of yesterday's charter participants, as they had the same idea of visiting Rockwood on this Sunday. We then headed back to Toronto, where the skies turned blue, and spent time on the western end of the system, photographing streetcars along the Queensway, Lake Shore Blvd. and on the Carlton line before the shadows got too long (the photos from this afternoon's "work" are included in part 5). But we didn't end our day with that.
John explains: We decided to drive the length of Eglinton Avenue during the remaining period of daylight to see more of the new LRT line under construction (see map below). The eastern end of what will be Toronto's Line 5 at Mt. Dennis starts on a short-elevated section that very quickly dives into a tunnel. The shop is located at this point. We observed major construction taking place at virtually all the underground station locations. The excavations were so close to the roadway pavement that our trip along Eglinton was less than comfortable. The line stays in a subway until the Sunnybrook Park stop. From this point the tracks rise to a center reservation in the arterial street. The line will duck under a few cross streets, but for the most part intersections will be controlled by traffic lights. It was apparent that rail installation had not yet commenced [it since has], although we saw some rail was already embedded along the center of the street at some of the grade crossings. It was now getting late and since it seemed there would be more of the same for the rest of the line, we cut the excursion short before reaching Kennedy Station. We returned downtown via the Don Valley Expressway and took the off ramp that lead us to the Distillery Loop and its abundance of restaurants. It had now begun to drizzle again and we parked in the underground lot and frequented the first restaurant we came upon, which turned out to be good choice. It had a modern French theme, and after dinner we agreed the food had been excellent, and served by a well-trained staff. It was dark by the time we arrived back at our B&B, and we retired quickly after another enjoyable day.To be continued in part 5.
Some great photos! There used to be a "head in and back out" turn-around on Lake Shore Blvd east of Royal York and west of the Humber loop but that's gone. Construction of the Eglinton LRV is proceeding, the tracks are in and the stations are being built. Peope in the area nearby between Yonge St and Mt. Pleasant are getting punchy from the construction, not just from the LRV but also from the condos going up everywhere. Dust, noise and a constant flow of trucks and bulldozers. Glad I don't live around there.
As far as the Finch line is concerned, all I have seen are trees that are fenced off to protect them but so far, I haven't seen any shovels in the ground, same as the Hamilton LRV and the one that is supposed to be built in Mississauga.
Continued from Part 2 The text from John Wilkins' report remains in italics.Saturday, Day Two – This was the day for our charter trolley tour. After another good breakfast, we braved a steady heavy rain using umbrellas kindly supplied by our B&B, and boarded a Queen Street Flexi for our tip to Russell Carhouse, where the charter would begin. The trip was sponsored by the Wilmington NRHS Chapter and the Friends of Philadelphia Trolleys. The proceeds would go towards the restoration of a PTC Perter Witt at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum. It was still raining, but more softly when we made our way to the streetcars in the yard. We did not see a PCC, and instead boarded an ALRV. Thus the first bit of news we received was that the advertised PCC car had mechanical problems (a critical part was not available). ALRV 4207 (an articulated CLRV) was substituted and would be accompanied by a CLRV.
As soon as we left Russell Carhouse, the rain stopped. Our route was as follows:
I don't think I'm rationalizing when I say that in retrospect I was glad an ALRV was substituted for the advertised PCC. It was in tip-top shape, both inside and out, no doubt due to the overhaul it (and other ALRVs and CLRVs) received after it became clear that delivery of the TTC's Flexity Outlook LRVs was going to be delayed and cars that were supposed to be withdrawn had to remain in service, possibly indefinitely. During my most recent visits to Toronto (2015 and 2016) I had noticed that the ALRVs looked grubby, with most carrying ugly full or partial advertising wraps over fading paint. No. 4207 was almost pristine. And I suspect I will be back for a future trip with either PCC 4500 or 4549--and maybe even the TTC's last Peter Witt, No. 2766. I imagine the Commission will retain at least one ALRV and one CLRV to join the PCCs and Peter Witt.
It was an excellent day, but we were very tired by all the exertion we expended by pressing the shutter buttons on our cameras. We went right to bed, as we had to get our beauty sleep before our excursion to Rockwood and the Halton County Radial Railway scheduled for the following day.To be continued in part 4.
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