Highway 6 Rocket

On Highway 6, just south of Highway 401, sits a farm called Wagyu World, which breeds cattle with the intent to ship to the lucrative Japanese Wagyu beef market. The sounds (and smells) of the ranch are complemented by a highly unusual sight for a rural Ontario farm, an old TTC PCC streetcar. This particular vehicle has been stripped of not only its motorized parts, but also any markings aside from the TTC's distinct cream and red livery.

On the fence along the driveway to the farm is a hand-painted sign which read "You take picture, I charge $100".

Suffice to say, I did not pay.

Photos taken along Highway 6 in Puslinch, Ontario on April 16, 2016.

Super Burger PCC

 

 

About 75 minutes northwest of Toronto is the hamlet of Primrose. Now, it's nothing really, just the name for the eastern junction of Highways 10 and 89, but it's close to the town of Shelburne, approximately 5 km west. The "roadside attraction" of Primrose is a retired, decaying PCC streetcar which was sold for scrap in 1990 to James Nicolau, owner of Super Burger, one of two competing burger joints at the Primrose intersection.

For 25 years, the car has entertained folks headed to and from the Grey-Bruce cottage area (as well as the occasional transit nerd) looking for a decent burger with a side of nostalgia. However, car 4346's days are numbered. The owner is planning on constructing a new restaurant and his plans call for the removal of the PCC in order to make room for the new building. Removal is scheduled for sometime in September 2015, after which he'll have to compete with across-the-street rival Champ Burger solely on product quality and service, both of which were quite good. Where the streetcar winds up is unknown but for two and a half decades, it's brought a piece of the city to the Dufferin County countryside.

Photos taken at the junction of Highways 10 and 89 in Primrose, Ontario on August 29, 2015.

Doors Open 2014 - Russell Carhouse

Photos taken at the TTC Russell Carhouse on Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario on May 24, 2014.

Streetcars At The 2014 Beaches Lions Easter Parade

Photos of Toronto's rolling streetcar history (and future) taken along Queen Street East, between Silver Birch and Beech Avenues, Toronto, Ontario on April 20, 2014.

TTC Hillcrest Shops Tour 2013

On a brisk December afternoon, the Toronto Transit Commission opened the doors of probably the most important (and taypayer-friendly) facilities in their system: the Hillcrest Shops. This is where the heavy lifting (literally), refurbishing, repairing, repainting, reverse-engineering and restoration of the TTCs surface fleet takes place.

It's amazing how much actually has to be built from scratch at this place. From obsolete streetcar doors, to ventilation systems, to manual track switchers, the behind-the-scenes members of the TTC toil to keep the rolling stock rolling, without having to prematurely replace a bus, or in the case of streetcars, retirement.

The star of the show was the new low-floor, articulated behemoth of a streetcar, which is guaranteed to cause nightmares in the mayor's office. This thing is HUGE. There are plenty of chairs, some facing each other, which should be an interesting experience for the average above-ground straphanger. Also plenty of doors for entry and exit, which in theory should keep things moving along more quickly. Lots of LED lighting along the sides of the doors which flash to alert potentially-passing drivers of their open status. The thing is, you won't be able to pass these things. Unless you're driving a dragster and have an open curb lane for at least 1000 ft., that is. They also had a NovaBus articulated bus on display, which should be entering service in the near future.

For heritage sake, they had the PCCs, a Peter Witt, and a lonely ALRV out in the yard for people to walk through, and reminisce over.

Photos taken at the TTC Hillcrest Shops on Bathurst Street in Toronto, Ontario on November 23, 2013.