Old Time Trains

Keele Street
Named after early settler Charles C. Keele.

Not much traffic in this view looking north up Keele Street. Two "horseless carriages", two horse-drawn wagons
and a few pedestrians. Not even a train. Note the single track for streetcars. Wednesday, April 7, 1915
City of Toronto Archives/Salmon Collection.

Just a little more traffic a few years later. Heintzman Piano factory at the right.
White stone retaining wall remains partially in place on site of old Canadian Tire store.
City of Toronto Archives/TTC Collection

Scenes north of the subway

The Bank of Toronto at right. Roof sign for British Consol cigarettes. Stack in distance is on Heintzman piano factory.

A lot more traffic in this busy street scene 25 years later on Keele Street just north of Dundas Street with the subway in the distance. TTC 2140 a Weston Road car is changing direction. Note how dangerous this is with passengers loading in the middle of the street before crossing over to the north track. This was changed when a piece of property to the right was bought, buildings demolished to create an off street terminal. Just ahead of the tarped truck is a West York Coach Lines Eileen Avenue route bus waiting to begin its north and west trip into York. In the distance to the left of a car turning north on Keele, appears to be a Roseland Bus Lines bus which has backed onto Vine Avenue to wye before heading north on its route to Mount Dennis. Speers Taxi, (no relation to Speers Funeral) located on the east side. At one time funeral parlors also operated ambulances before they were taken over by Metropolitan Toronto January 1, 1967. Saturday, November 9, 1940 TTC

This off street terminal was unique in that it did not contain a loop or even a wye. Double-ended cars simply made a left turn into the terminal, changed ends as well as the switch and headed north on the other track. A much safer situation than before. TTC 2132 (ex Toronto Civic Ry. 102 Niles Car & Mfg.Co. 8/13) is destined only as far as Northland Avenue, the city limit. Other cars go all the way to the north end of Weston and at one time Toronto Suburban Ry. radial cars went as far as Woodbridge. Taken six months after the previous photograph. May 12, 1941 TTC.
NOTE: Illuminated sign at far left says: "Weston Streetcar Terminal" and has a "Car Waiting" sign as well.

Here is the same car 2132 at the north end of the Weston route at Humber Street. It will return south from here.
Mostly hidden behind the car is the former Plank Road building which still exists today. Joseph Testagrose collection.

Only Class H-1 Niles double ended cars 2128-2158 were used on this line. Note the railway-style walkover seats, easily reversed. They had double fare boxes, one for the TTC Keele route portion and the other for the York Township Weston route. They operated until September 13, 1948 when they were replaced by trolley coaches (buses). While the City Limit was at Northland Avenue the fare zone was actually a few short blocks farther north at Avon Crescent opposite Rogers Road for convenience in transferring between systems. Some St.Clair cars operated on Weston Road as far as the Avon Loop at least during the PM rush hours and did so for about 20 years after trolley coaches were introduced. This would serve the large number of workers leaving the Acme Screw & Gear plant.

CNR continued to operate 7 1/2 miles from Weston to Woodbridge until abandonment May 10, 1926 after which Roseland Bus Lines operated the service until they were taken over by the TTC on January 1, 1954 along with West York Coach Lines and other independent companies.

Looking in the opposite direction from the south side of Dundas Street West in front of the old West Toronto City Hall.

The TTC Runnymede bus came from Bloor Street where it wyed in the intersection, via Runnymede Road and Annette Street and had recently been rerouted to loop on streets via Mavety Street, Dundas, Keele and Annette. Schedule sign on far pole. The Lambton bus looped via Anneette, Mavety and went west on Dundas St.W. to Lambton Avenue (Prince Edward Drive) having been extended there recently from the Lambton House hotel at the Humber River. This was a separate fare service operated for the Township of York and in later years used Gray Coach Lines buses. It replaced the Lambton car abandoned August 18,1928. Note the drinking water fountain, common on city streets for many years. Now, you could die of thirst looking for one!

Early buses looked like this pneumatic-tire White Motor Company model 50A, first of three just acquired, TTC 16.
November 20, 1924. City of Toronto Archives TTC Collection 3554

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Motor_Company

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Old Time Trains © 2009

Keele Street
Named after early settler Charles C. Keele.

Not much traffic in this view looking north up Keele Street. Two "horseless carriages", two horse-drawn wagons
and a few pedestrians. Not even a train. Note the single track for streetcars. Wednesday, April 7, 1915
City of Toronto Archives/Salmon Collection.

Just a little more traffic a few years later. Heintzman Piano factory at the right.
White stone retaining wall remains partially in place on site of old Canadian Tire store.
City of Toronto Archives/TTC Collection

Scenes north of the subway

The Bank of Toronto at right. Roof sign for British Consol cigarettes. Stack in distance is on Heintzman piano factory.

A lot more traffic in this busy street scene 25 years later on Keele Street just north of Dundas Street with the subway in the distance. TTC 2140 a Weston Road car is changing direction. Note how dangerous this is with passengers loading in the middle of the street before crossing over to the north track. This was changed when a piece of property to the right was bought, buildings demolished to create an off street terminal. Just ahead of the tarped truck is a West York Coach Lines Eileen Avenue route bus waiting to begin its north and west trip into York. In the distance to the left of a car turning north on Keele, appears to be a Roseland Bus Lines bus which has backed onto Vine Avenue to wye before heading north on its route to Mount Dennis. Speers Taxi, (no relation to Speers Funeral) located on the east side. At one time funeral parlors also operated ambulances before they were taken over by Metropolitan Toronto January 1, 1967. Saturday, November 9, 1940 TTC

This off street terminal was unique in that it did not contain a loop or even a wye. Double-ended cars simply made a left turn into the terminal, changed ends as well as the switch and headed north on the other track. A much safer situation than before. TTC 2132 (ex Toronto Civic Ry. 102 Niles Car & Mfg.Co. 8/13) is destined only as far as Northland Avenue, the city limit. Other cars go all the way to the north end of Weston and at one time Toronto Suburban Ry. radial cars went as far as Woodbridge. Taken six months after the previous photograph. May 12, 1941 TTC.
NOTE: Illuminated sign at far left says: "Weston Streetcar Terminal" and has a "Car Waiting" sign as well.

Here is the same car 2132 at the north end of the Weston route at Humber Street. It will return south from here.
Mostly hidden behind the car is the former Plank Road building which still exists today. Joseph Testagrose collection.

Only Class H-1 Niles double ended cars 2128-2158 were used on this line. Note the railway-style walkover seats, easily reversed. They had double fare boxes, one for the TTC Keele route portion and the other for the York Township Weston route. They operated until September 13, 1948 when they were replaced by trolley coaches (buses). While the City Limit was at Northland Avenue the fare zone was actually a few short blocks farther north at Avon Crescent opposite Rogers Road for convenience in transferring between systems. Some St.Clair cars operated on Weston Road as far as the Avon Loop at least during the PM rush hours and did so for about 20 years after trolley coaches were introduced. This would serve the large number of workers leaving the Acme Screw & Gear plant.

CNR continued to operate 7 1/2 miles from Weston to Woodbridge until abandonment May 10, 1926 after which Roseland Bus Lines operated the service until they were taken over by the TTC on January 1, 1954 along with West York Coach Lines and other independent companies.

Looking in the opposite direction from the south side of Dundas Street West in front of the old West Toronto City Hall.

The TTC Runnymede bus came from Bloor Street where it wyed in the intersection, via Runnymede Road and Annette Street and had recently been rerouted to loop on streets via Mavety Street, Dundas, Keele and Annette. Schedule sign on far pole. The Lambton bus looped via Anneette, Mavety and went west on Dundas St.W. to Lambton Avenue (Prince Edward Drive) having been extended there recently from the Lambton House hotel at the Humber River. This was a separate fare service operated for the Township of York and in later years used Gray Coach Lines buses. It replaced the Lambton car abandoned August 18,1928. Note the drinking water fountain, common on city streets for many years. Now, you could die of thirst looking for one!

Early buses looked like this pneumatic-tire White Motor Company model 50A, first of three just acquired, TTC 16.
November 20, 1924. City of Toronto Archives TTC Collection 3554

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Motor_Company