-->!
44-493: Leslie Barns is a streetcar maintenance and storage facility at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard in Toronto , Ontario, Canada. It has been built to house and service the majority of Toronto Transit Commission 's fleet of Flexity Outlook light rail vehicles. While the existing Roncesvalles Carhouse and Russell Carhouse will house some of the vehicles, these older facilities cannot accommodate
88-487: A 280 long and 30 m wide acceleration lane to the oval platform, thus enabling acceleration to higher speeds. The braking test track is closed with a 150 m long asphalt safety surface. Available lanes: chequered lane, asphalt (100 m aquaplaning lane), mixed basalt & asphalt, basalt (polished), asphalt, concrete, “blue asphalt”. The length of the braking test track at the Aldenhoven Testing Center
132-416: A higher and lower coefficient), basalt, ceramic and concrete are frequently used materials for surface paving. Certain test tracks even have chequer surfaces with alternative tiles of higher and lower coefficients, increasing the challenge for intelligent braking systems. The number of settings provided by the available surfaces may be doubled by wetting them, for which mostly a 1–2 mm thick water coating
176-540: A two-tiered maintenance system. The undersides of the low-floor streetcars are accessed via pits. TTC workers access the HVAC and propulsion systems, which are built into the roof of the low-floor Flexity Outlook vehicles, via overhead catwalks. The carhouse is wired with the overhead catenary system that supplies power to the vehicles. The exception is the paint booth, into which the streetcars are "muled" or pushed. Leslie Barns has an electronic streetcar-dispatch system to show
220-415: Is 150 m, which contains an asphalt and a ceramic pavement lane. Both lanes are 4 m wide and may be wetted as preferred. The braking test lane is surrounded on both sides by a safety zone. A 200 m access acceleration lane is also part of the braking test track. The braking test track at Applus Idiada is divided into two separate zones. Zone 1 may be used only by one a vehicle at a time. The surface used for
264-470: Is a fundamental element of the vehicle industry proving grounds, designed for conducting vehicle braking system operability and efficiency tests under various braking circumstances. Such types of tests are highly significant in regard to road safety . Testing is an indispensable step prior to manufacturing newly developed braking systems and enabling their utilization under real traffic circumstances. The effects of all factors other than human factors influencing
308-754: Is a linear park incorporating the Martin Goodman Trail, wide multi-use paths, grass, plants and benches. Grading will also reduce the perimeter wall's perceived height. Peek-a-boo panels will permit passersby to watch activity inside the yard. Vines will be trained up mesh panels on the wall. In June 2009, the Ashbridges Bay Streetcar Maintenance & Storage Facility (now the Leslie Barns) was projected to cost $ 345 million CAD , but this did not include provision for soil removal and site remediation, nor for
352-431: Is also indispensable. Protocols for such tests, which all developers strive to comply with ( Euro NCAP active safety system tests), already exist; these tests are conducted, however, under highly limited, well predefined circumstances. It is practical to carry out such tests on several different surfaces. Platooning tests, i.e. testing vehicles advancing in convoy pose a further challenge. A typical situation to be tested
396-505: Is laid within a concrete channel or "tub" which has vertical concrete wings along a concrete base. This tub will contain a rubber-like substance that will provide vibration isolation between the track and the roadbed. Before City Council approved the Leslie Street connection, there were community concerns about introducing streetcar traffic on that street which is residential between Queen Street and Mosley Street. Thus, an alternative
440-512: Is necessary for the lanes to be designed with a length of typically 150–250 m. Additionally acceleration lanes with the appropriate length are also required for reaching high speed, which enable even heavy-duty vehicles to reach 100 km/h. This way it becomes possible to test the braking systems of trucks and buses . An adequate amount of data and test results are necessary to draw the conclusions, which can be achieved by repeated tests. In order to perform repeated tests fluently and safely it
484-420: Is necessary to design a route separated from the test (braking) zone that allows the test vehicle to return to the beginning of the acceleration lane quickly and safely. The braking systems of vehicles, especially those of motorised vehicles play a highly important role in road safety . The activation of the braking systems decelerates and stops the vehicle (or keeps it in an immobile standing position, e.g. with
SECTION 10
#1732791680838528-449: Is used. So-called aquaplaning lanes are also frequently provided for testers. The triggering of the phenomenon of aquaplaning , however, requires the provision of higher water levels. It is also important to provide for the collection of the water spilt onto the wettable braking surfaces, which is in most cases managed by using ditches. In order to enable the testing of extreme braking situations, e.g. emergency braking from high speed, it
572-583: Is when the first vehicle produces a signal for intervention (which could even be an intervention based on sensing), and then transmits it to the following vehicles, which need to receive and process the signal with the least possible latency, and initiate the necessary intervention. It is not unusual to use a braking test track for testing the efficiency of the braking system of a vehicle crossing several different lanes angularly. Most proving grounds in Europe have braking test tracks. The most well-known examples are
616-419: The handbrake ). Depending on the country, different national or occasionally international regulations apply to braking systems. The braking effect of an installed system depends on several factors, e.g. on the human factors (routine, health condition and mental state of the driver), technical factors (structure of the system, technical condition of the individual components), weather (e.g. wet, icy surfaces), and
660-466: The "Ashbridges Bay Streetcar Maintenance & Storage Facility" to the more colloquial "Leslie Barns" at the request of the local community and councillors. By June 2013, the capital cost of the facility was budgeted at $ 497 million CAD. By June 2013, the TTC had a contingency plan to store up to 22 older CLRV streetcars at Exhibition Loop in 2014 to make space for Flexity streetcars arriving before
704-586: The 4400 block at Sheppard Avenue to the 2000 block under the Canadian National Railway tracks in a short distance. It exits Toronto and enters York Region at Steeles Avenue , west of Don Mills Road . Leslie is reduced to a local road at Steeles Avenue and ends shortly thereafter in Wycliffe Park. The fourth segment continues as an arterial road north of John Street when Don Mills Road turns into Leslie Street. This segment follows
748-668: The Boxberg Proving Ground constructed by Bosch (Germany), Automotive Testing Papenburg GmbH constructed by Daimler (Germany), Applus Idiada (Spain), Aldenhoven Testing Center (Germany). The Zalaegerszeg Test Track currently under construction in Hungary will also feature a braking test track. The braking test track of the Boxberg Proving Ground provides testing opportunities under various grip conditions on its seven lanes differing in quality and grip and its track sections equipped with track wetting functions. The surface of
792-498: The Leslie Barns had been in at least partial operation since November 22, 2015. Leslie Street Leslie Street is a north-south route in Toronto and York Region , Ontario , Canada . It is distinctive because of its four unconnected segments. In the early 20th century, however, it existed as a continuous street from the lake to Eglinton Avenue. The road has a long history and dates back to 1850s Toronto Nursery that
836-476: The availability of Leslie Barns. In September 2013, construction began on the spur along Leslie Street from the facility to Queen Street East. The construction was projected to require 12 weeks of road closures. On January 28, 2015, Natalie Alcoba wrote in the National Post that the facility was expected to be almost empty when it opened later in 2015 because Bombardier had fallen far behind delivery of
880-509: The braking test track is partially shared with one of the acceleration lanes of the dynamic platform. Available lanes: chequered lane, asphalt, ceramic, basalt (polished), concrete, aquaplaning lane, basalt concrete. The 300 m long braking test track of the Papenburg Test Ground provides testing opportunities on eight lanes differing in quality and grip, which can be wetted as preferred; furthermore which are connected through
924-453: The braking tests is 250 m long and has five lanes with different kinds of pavement. The lanes may be wetted as preferred. The braking test track is closed with a safety area. Lanes: concrete, basalt, asphalt, ceramic, aquaplaning lane Zone 2 may be used by two vehicles simultaneously, as there is a dividing area between the two lanes used for braking tests. Both lanes are 250 m long and 5 m wide and are paved with asphalt; one of them, however,
SECTION 20
#1732791680838968-704: The carhouse around 9 p.m. The facility will consist of four buildings: the Carhouse 17,510 square metres (188,500 sq ft), the Traction Power Substation 685 square metres (7,370 sq ft), the Yard Control Huts 16 square metres (170 sq ft), and the Irrigation Hut 25 square metres (270 sq ft), for a combined floor area of 18,236 square metres (196,290 sq ft). The plot of land for
1012-478: The condition and quality of the pavement. Braking test tracks enable the testing of such technical, meteorological and pavement factors. Most traditional test tracks are equipped with surfaces suitable for testing ABS , ATC, ESP systems as well as brakeforce intervention systems connected to all braking systems. At the same time such surfaces are also suitable for the testing of other active systems. The number of necessary vehicle industry tests has multiplied with
1056-404: The connection track to Queen Street. Site remediation was complicated by the site's prior history as landfill of Lake Ontario. On November 11, 2009, Toronto City Council chose the site for the Ashbridges Bay Streetcar Maintenance & Storage Facility at the southeast corner of Leslie Street and Lake Shore Boulevard . In November 2012, the TTC decided to change the name of the carhouse from
1100-608: The entire fleet of Flexity streetcars, which are considerably longer than the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle /Articulated Light Rail Vehicle fleet. The maintenance facilities at the Harvey Shops within the Hillcrest Complex , as at the two carhouses, are designed for cars with underfloor equipment and maintenance access from pits under the vehicles. The Flexity streetcars have their equipment on
1144-413: The facility occupies 26,000 square metres (6.4 acres). The facility has indoor service bays for 30 Flexity streetcars and can store 100 more in the yard. It can provide fleet repair services for up to 20 vehicles at a time. Outside, there is a 250 metres (820 ft) long braking test track . In all, there are 8.3 km (5.2 mi) of track on the property. Service bays in the Leslie Barns accommodate
1188-405: The implementation of ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems). The combining of several functions has made the planned tests more complex too. Recently an increasing number of cars are equipped with emergency braking systems. Such systems need to be capable of sensing an obstacle which triggers the command that initiates the braking; at the same time, however, the appropriate intervention (braking)
1232-519: The new facility. They were: Site 1 was the TTC's preferred site. Site 2 was rejected because of its proximity to the Film Studio district and the need for an access track through a residential neighbourhood. Sites 3–6 were rejected because they were further from the existing streetcar system than sites 1 and 2. After the TTC announced its choice, local councillors asked the TTC to investigate additional sites away from their wards. (A local complaint
1276-423: The new vehicles. As of October 2015 only ten new Flexity vehicles were in operation, when the delivery schedule said 43 vehicles should have been delivered. In May 2015, 60 metres (200 ft) of track was laid 9 centimetres (3.5 in) too high by the contractor and had to be rebuilt, resulting in delays to the track project time line to mid-July 2015. With the opening of the Leslie Barns on November 22, 2015,
1320-418: The position of streetcars in the yard. With the electronic system, operators coming on shift can monitor the location of their assigned streetcar from the lounge. A maintenance worker or "yard jockey" delivers the vehicle to the operator on the west side of the barn. About 200 TTC maintenance and operations workers will work at the Leslie Barns once all the new streetcars are delivered. The facility will also be
1364-591: The process of braking can be thoroughly tested in a testing environment designed to this end, i.e. on a braking test track. Several lanes enabling braking under different material characteristic conditions are necessary for testing as many of the circumstances that directly influence the braking effect as possible. Consequently, most of the traditional or so-called classic test tracks have several (5 to 8) differently paved braking lanes. Most test tracks attempt to provide surfaces with both higher and lower grip coefficients for testing and developing companies. Asphalt (with
Leslie Barns - Misplaced Pages Continue
1408-469: The railway tracks north of Gerrard Street East , where the first segment ends. Donlands Avenue, which runs from the north side of the railway tracks to north of O'Connor Drive, was originally another segment of Leslie Street. The second segment is represented by a one-block stretch of road between Wicksteed Avenue and Vanderhoof Avenue in the Leaside Industrial land area. It is separated from
1452-464: The roof, and require a different shop layout for maintenance. Another problem at the Harvey Shops is that most of the service bays can only be accessed by a transfer table that is only 15 metres (49 ft) long while the Flexity cars are 30 metres (98 ft) long. Thus, the Harvey Shops are unsuitable for the new fleet. The TTC has ordered 204 Flexity streetcars. The plan is to house 60 of them at
1496-669: The same direction and alignment as the Toronto section. There is a small jog in the road at Stouffville Road in Richmond Hill , and two sets of lights were installed in the summer of 2006 to ease the morning traffic congestion. Leslie extends many kilometres northward to the town of Keswick where it is renamed The Queensway South. The stretch of Leslie Street in York Region is also designated as York Regional Road 12. Braking test track The braking test track
1540-437: The site for all streetcar operator and maintenance training. The carhouse building has a north-sloping green roof, and a stormwater management pond at the east end of the yard to irrigate the rooftop plantings, a mix of alliums and sedums. Three hundred native trees will also be planted on the property. The carhouse building has specially glazed windows striped to deter birds from flying into the building. A noise reduction wall
1584-712: The street runs from the former Leslie's place to the North through East York, it becomes Donlands Avenue, and, after crossing the Don Valley Parkway , regains it name. In Toronto, it begins at Lake Ontario at the foot of the Leslie Street Spit , so named because this is the most southerly point of Leslie Street. Just north at Lake Shore Blvd. East was the former eastern terminus of the Gardiner Expressway . Leslie Street continues north to
1628-407: The temporary storage of cars at Exhibition Loop ended. Although the Flexity streetcars started operating out of the facility on November 22, 2015, the barns were still under construction and would not be fully occupied by the TTC until early 2016. On May 28, 2016, the TTC officially opened the Leslie Barns in a ceremony starting off a Doors Open event with the public visiting the facility. However,
1672-639: The third segment by the Ernest Thompson Seton parklands. The third segment begins as a principal arterial road at Eglinton Avenue at the E.T. Seton/Wilket Creek Park area and continues north through residential neighbourhoods in Don Mills and the Don Valley . A proposed extension from Eglinton Avenue south to Bayview Avenue (north of Pottery Road) never came to fruition. The street numbers change erratically near Highway 401 , going from
1716-457: The travel time between Roncesvalles Carhouse and the 512 St. Clair line. The Leslie Barns has a double-track, non-revenue streetcar line connecting the facility to the rest of the streetcar network. The line runs about 800 metres (2,600 ft) along Leslie Street from Queen Street East south to North Service Road where the facility entrance is located. The track on Leslie Street is specially designed to minimize noise and vibration. The track
1760-517: The west-end Roncesvalles Carhouse , 40 of them at the east-end Russell Carhouse , and the remaining 104 at the Leslie Barns. The TTC has been considering adding 60 more Flexitys to the current 204-car order to handle growth in demand and possible new streetcar lines along the Waterfront. The Leslie Barns is designed with enough storage so that it plus the two existing carhouses could handle a fleet of 264 vehicles. The TTC considered six sites for
1804-461: Was erected around the perimeter of the Leslie Barns to meet Ontario Ministry of the Environment noise limit requirements. The wall will include decorative features such as a red panel design and greenery. The facility also has a Flexity simulator consisting of the interior of the operator cab for training operators. Outside the facility walls, along Leslie Street and Lakeshore Boulevard, there
Leslie Barns - Misplaced Pages Continue
1848-453: Was run by George Leslie (Upper Canada) . Leslie was one of the first settlers in the area, at the time called Leslieville and located two miles away from the city limits of Toronto. There were two Leslies mentioned in the city directory of 1869, G. Leslie and Sons of the nursery fame and George Leslie Jr. who ran the post office and, by 1899, the telegraph station. The concession road that passed nearby eventually got named after Leslies. As
1892-538: Was suggested to run the connecting track further east through the Russell Carhouse and via the industrial Knox Street to Lake Shore Boulevard. The TTC rejected this proposal because of lower storage capacity at the Russell Carhouse, extra street and bicycle path crossings, extra time for streetcars to enter and leave service and project delays to switch plans. As of April 2016, most streetcars enter service via Leslie Street at about 7:25 a.m. and return to
1936-569: Was that the Ashbridges choice would deny the community future additional parkland, and there were concerns about streetcar traffic on Leslie Street.) Thus, four additional sites were briefly studied: In 2020, with respect to a carhouse at the Hillcrest Complex , the TTC somewhat reversed its previous opinion and proposed a carhouse there for 25 vehicles in order to provide more storage space for future fleet expansion and to eliminate
#837162