The first of the 60 additional streetcars for Toronto’s fleet arrived at the Hillcrest Shops on August 9, 2023. Based on the budgeted cash flow over coming years, delivery of these cars is expected to complete in 2025.
- 2023: $58.434 million
- 2024: $193.248
- 2025: $82.644
- 2026: $5.759
- Total: $340.265 million
The currently active streetcar yards at Leslie, Russell and Roncesvalles can absorb 35 of these cars, but the remaining 25 will need additional storage and servicing facilities elsewhere. The TTC plans to adapt part of their Hillcrest site as a small carhouse that will serve the 512 St. Clair and possibly 511 Bathurst lines. Aside from providing space, this will also reduce dead-head costs for cars that now come to St. Clair from Leslie Barns.
The presentation erroneously states that “New streetcars will begin arriving at TTC facilities by 2025” [p. 2] when quite obviously this will be late in the overall delivery scheme. However, as the first 35 can be accommodated elsewhere, it would make sense that Hillcrest changes do not have to be ready until the latter half of the order arrives.
Some of the project schedule, however, extends into 2027 and this begs the question of why the work will take so long.
The TTC plans consultation sessions in the neighbourhood in August, although they have not yet announced dates or locations. Links:
The version of the plan shown in the presentation would reverse the direction of travel of streetcars around the site. Today, cars enter from Bathurst Street and turn north into the Harvey Shops building. The track layout above changes the circulation from counter-clockwise to clockwise so that cars would enter the shops and new storage tracks from the north after running around the building.
One feature of Harvey Shops that will disappear is the Transfer Table used to move streetcars and buses from the entrance to the various repair bays. Here are two views from the early 1970s showing the table itself and streetcars in their bays.
The Flexity streetcars are twice the length of the Transfer Table, and their primary maintenance location is at Leslie Barns that was built for their size. Although it is not mentioned in the presentation, I understand that the Transfer Table area will be paved so that buses can move around within the building. With the switch to electric buses, Harvey shops (which once looked after the trolley coach fleet) is well suited.
(For those who are wondering, the ALRVs used a small area at the east end of the shops where bays north of the Transfer Table were long enough to hold them, and cars reached these bays by driving across the Transfer Table from entrance tracks outside.)
Other changes planned for the site include a shift of the bus brake test area from the west site of Duncan Shops (the main bus shops) which is beside a residential area to the space between Duncan and Harvey shops which will also include a new streetcar brake test track (see site plan above).
Clearly visible on 4604 is a trolley pole although for almost all parts of the network pantographs are now standard. In many areas poles cannot be used because the overhead is no longer compatible. I have asked the TTC about this as well as what changes have been made to the car specs, but have yet to hear back. I will update this article if and when they reply.
Although it is heart-warming to see the fleet expanding, the real question is “where will we use these cars”. With pandemic era cutbacks plus seemingly endless construction projects that trigger bus replacements, peak streetcar service sits at about 150 cars out of a 204-car fleet, a generous spare ratio. There is no sign of a Waterfront LRT project getting underway soon.
Full service will return to 501 Queen, 503 Kingston Road, 504 King, 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton later in 2023 or early 2024 as various construction projects complete, but 512 St. Clair will convert to bus operations for track reconstruction at St. Clair West Station. Substantial increases in streetcar service also depend on budget support from City Council.
Hillcrest Before the TTC
Before Hillcrest was the main TTC shops, it was a race track. Here are two views from 1911 of the site.
Steve Munro 
They could always return Hillcrest back to its original use. As a horse racetrack. Or casino. 🤭
Steve: I have added two 1911 photos from the City Archives showing the racetrack.
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That obvious change has always perplexed me as to why it wasn’t done earlier?
Steve: It has been in the works for some time, but the arrival of more cars forces the issue.
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Might want to get a recent photo of the Hillcrest yard. Photos probably 3-4 years old a lot has changed in that yard.
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Too bad Google Street View doesn’t go into Hillcrest, nor any of the other yards. We can see inside some buildings. How about getting a Google Street View inside the subway and underground tunnels?
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I remember playing baseball at Hillcrest yard in 1960. I was playing for an Ontario Hydro team against a TTC team.
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Now I wonder who authored the original documents stating the total capacity of Roncesvalles, Russell, and Leslie to be 264 cars. It’s not like this was a one-off statement made in some obscure document. The number was stated in numerous documents in many places.
Steve: The calculation forgot to allow for main shop space at Leslie to replace Hillcrest for the larger cars.
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So, what’s Davenport Garage used for these days?
Steve: Not much. Structurally it’s in rough shape.
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I am assuming that they are still being delivered with poles, because Russell Division is still Pantograph restricted, and will be until it is completely reopened.
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I’m curious as to how much of the Harvey Shops building is still in use, since streetcar maintenance is performed at the new Leslie barns?
Steve: Throwing this open for comments by TTC folks who know the current situation.
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Even if 100% of the system is not suitable for pantographs, I suspect it will cost far more to keep getting cars with poles than it would by simply restricting non-pole cars to other routes. More likely is that someone at TTC forgot to change the specs!
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I have heard that the pantos will retract automatically on various error criteria. And then sometimes they will refuse to go back up.
Perhaps the poles are there for emergency hookup, if only to move the car slowly and for a short distance.
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I’ve actually witnessed a pantograph drop after a car went through one of the section insulators. After spending a few minutes stalled, the operator went out to put the pole up and presumably drove back to the yard.
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I don’t have any inside information, but I did see 4402 and another car without a front number through the north side of Harvey Shops the other day. The were on the two easternmost tracks that run through the building and I could see that they were parked over pits with the front skirts removed. Not sure what work was being done as I was observing from Davenport and had a limited view.
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And made sure to take a route that doesn’t go through pan-only intersections?
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It wasn’t far from home. The Queen and Leslie intersection would have been the only junction on the way to the yard.
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Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but closing Wychwood is looking pretty silly now, isn’t it?
Steve: When Wychwood closed, I suspect that TTC management was not planning on any growth in the streetcar system.
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I thought the whole system was being designed for pant and pole, or did I imagine this?
Steve: Eventually all pantograph. There are already intersections and stretches of tangent wire that poles cannot use.
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“Heritage fleet” cars would have to have pantographs to remain compatible I presume. I assume the Peter Witt car used a wheeled pole originally and at some point the overhead was not compatible with that and was changed.
Steve: It is not clear whether/if the heritage fleet will get pantographs in the currently constrained budget environment.
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Many moons ago, I sublimated my transit nerd tendencies into working my summers at New Eglinton Garage during university.
On one of the tours through Hillcrest during mandatory training, I swear I saw that the transfer table had a dual-gauge rail on one side. Were my eyes playing tricks?
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