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83-645: When the City of Toronto granted the Toronto Railway Company a franchise in 1891 to operate the streetcar system in Toronto, the City had the right to require the TRC to build new streetcar lines within the city limits. Later, the City annexed several neighbouring districts expanding the city limits, and ordered the TRC to extend streetcar service to them. The TRC refused saying the franchise agreement required

166-717: A Peter Witt motor to the Davisville Yard via the Yonge streetcar line using the temporary interchange. (They arrived at the CNE from the Hillcrest Complex via the Bathurst streetcar line. Because of the subway car width, buses had to replace night streetcar service during the movements. At the CNE, the subway cars were displayed on their proper subway bogies.) Subway lines 1, 2, and 4 all use Toronto gauge to allow

249-409: A single track , all rails can be carried on the same crossties/sleepers . Trains run on the pair of rails appropriate to their direction, track gauge or loading gauge . The term gauntlet refers to the expression running the gauntlet , which means running between two confining rows of adversaries. Gauntlet tracks can be used to provide horizontal clearance to a fixed obstruction adjacent to

332-494: A transport museum is located on one of the former interurban lines and uses the Toronto gauge. The unique gauge has remained to this day because it is easier to adapt new rail vehicles to fit the gauge than to convert the entire system to standard gauge. An alternate name for Toronto gauge is TTC gauge , named after the Toronto Transit Commission , the only operator currently using the gauge although

415-502: A wye in the intersection of Keele and Dundas streets to turn its single-ended streetcars coming from east of the intersection. Before its conversion to standard gauge, the Toronto Suburban shared a track of this wye to connect its routes east and north of the intersection. After the conversion to standard gauge, the wye was rebuilt with a curved, mixed-gauge crossing for Toronto Suburban cars. After its creation in 1921,

498-411: A fixed length of cable there is no risk of a collision occurring as long as a passing loop is provided at the halfway point. In a point gauntlet track, the rails for the two tracks do not need to cross, so no frog is required. The train taking the gauntlet runs over a set of switch points onto the parallel rails, passes through the gauntlet area, and passes over another set of switch points to return to

581-408: A flange. They were made of wood, with an iron tire. Wagons would use the inner, or lower step of the rail. The upper step of the rail guided the wagons on the track. In order to accommodate this arrangement, the track gauge had to be 4 feet, 11 inches. As the streets themselves were not paved, this arrangement permitted wagons carrying heavy loads a stable roadbed." In support of Heard's statement about

664-415: A track such as a cutting , bridge , or tunnel . Frog gauntlets are also commonly used when a rail line's capacity is increased by the provision of an additional track, but cost or other factors prevent the widening of the bridges. They are typically used for short stretches of track where it is cheaper to provide extra rails than to provide switches and reduce the line to single track. This also eliminates

747-483: A train operating on one of the tracks cannot be routed onto the other. Because two trains cannot use the gauntlet at the same time, scheduling and signalling must allow for this restriction. A type of frog gauntlet is common in funicular railways, with gauntlet track along the entire route except for a short doubled section halfway up. Frogs eliminate the need for moving points (which require regular maintenance and can break down) and because both trains are connected by

830-592: Is by far the most common track gauge in Canada . The gauge is unique to the Greater Toronto Area and is currently used on the Toronto streetcar system and the Toronto subway (three heavy-rail lines), both operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . Several now-defunct interurban rail systems (called radial railways in southern Ontario) also once used this gauge. The Halton County Radial Railway ,

913-475: Is located on platform 2 of Roma Street station . The Gemmenich Tunnel (German: Gemmenicher Tunnel , French: Tunnel de Botzelaer ) passing under the Dreiländerpunkt ( Three country point ) has a special track layout to enable the passage of wide military loads. The double-track tunnel has a third set of rails interlaced with one of the normal tracks. Active points ( switches ) at each end of

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996-595: Is shared as the inner rail of the outer track for two sections of tracks: on Washington Street between Mason Street and Powell Street, on Powell Street (north of Washington Street) onto Jackson Street to the point of divergence of the Powell Street lines at Jackson Street and Mason Street, and on Hyde Street between Jackson Street and Washington Street. Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit uses gauntlet tracks at several stations. The pair of rails closer to

1079-641: Is slightly further off-centre than normal. Gauntlet track exists on the Perry Island Canadian Pacific Railway Bridge across the Rivière des Prairies between Montreal and Laval (Parc subdivision, mile 10.0) because the structure gauge is not sufficiently wide for double track . This bridge is used by freight trains of Canadian Pacific Kansas City , the Quebec Gatineau Railway and by

1162-468: Is sometimes used to allow trains of different gauges to use the same track. In that case, the two interlaced tracks will have different gauges, sometimes sharing one of the rails for a total of three rails when the difference between the track gauges is large enough. In Melbourne , broad (1600 mm) and standard dual gauge gauntlet track is located within the passenger yard of Southern Cross station , and in platforms 1 and 2. Those tracks also run on

1245-596: The 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) gauge used in Finland and 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge used in Sweden are too close for a common rail to be shared. The link, which opened in 1919 with the completion of the Torne River Railway Bridge , is complemented by a marshalling yard at each end, an arrangement that allows trains from either country to stop in

1328-673: The Canadian Pacific Railway midtown line north of Royce Avenue (today Dupont Street). The double-track line connected with St. Clair streetcars at the north end, the Davenport line of the Toronto Suburban Railway at Davenport Road and with the TRC's Lansdowne route if passengers walked across the CPR tracks. Service began on January 16, 1917. The TCR line was on an 8% grade just north of its crossing with

1411-551: The Hydro-Electric Railways to operate the radial lines on behalf of the City. However, ridership declined and the City suffered operating losses. In 1927, the TTC took over all the above radial operations, converting standard gauge lines to Toronto gauge, and connecting the radial tracks to the streetcar system. The City had hoped for efficiencies by not duplicating carhouses and shops. The Metropolitan line of

1494-627: The Metropolitan Street Railway converted its streetcar line in North Toronto from horse to electric operation, the faster heavier electric trams damaged the horsecar rails, which required the line to be shut down and the track rebuilt to a higher standard. In support of the second explanation, the 1861 agreement between the City of Toronto and the Toronto Street Railway stated: That the gauge of

1577-887: The Regional Rail Link flyover towards South Dynon yards . The northern section of the Upfield line , between the Ford sidings and Somerton, is also dual gauge gauntlet track. On the Western standard gauge line from Melbourne towards Adelaide , dual gauge track can be found between the Geelong Harbour and Gheringhap , as well as along the Newport-Sunshine freight line in Melbourne. In Brisbane , standard and narrow (1067 mm) dual gauge gauntlet track

1660-519: The Saint-Jérôme line suburban trains of the Réseau de transport métropolitain . The Toronto Streetcar System includes a very short section of gauntlet track on Queen Street East , at Coxwell Avenue . A loop allowing southbound cars to return northbound on Coxwell Avenue briefly interlaces with the westbound track on Queen Street, due to turning radius limitations. A switch partially within

1743-564: The Toronto Street Railway opened its first horse-drawn streetcar line in 1861, it used a variation of Toronto gauge, a width of 4 ft 11 in ( 1,499 mm ). When the Toronto Railway Company took over the streetcar system in 1891, its charter stipulated a gauge of 4 ft 11 in ( 1,499 mm ) When the TTC took over streetcar operation in 1921, it set the Toronto gauge at

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1826-499: The "city gauge" was 4 ft 10 + 3 ⁄ 4 . Both these sources were describing a former streetcar junction at the intersection of Dundas and Keele Streets laid entirely to Toronto streetcar gauge until August 1912. The junction was used by both the Toronto Suburban Railway and the Toronto Railway Company . All three heavy-rail subway lines in Toronto use Toronto gauge. They are: Some early subway proposals involved using streetcars at least partially in tunnels so thay using

1909-486: The 1950s) and in many US cities, such as New York City and Syracuse, New York . However, fear of freight trains invading the streets was from the era of about 1891 to 1921, over 30 years after the creation of Toronto gauge, which makes it an unlikely reason for the Toronto gauge. During this era, railway entrepreneurs William Mackenzie and Donald Mann controlled the Canadian Northern Railway ,

1992-696: The Bloor streetcar line until 1966 when it was replaced by the Bloor–Danforth subway. A remnant of the Bloor West line remained operating west from Keele station to Jane Street until May 10, 1968 when it was replaced by a subway extension. The TTC inherited all TCR facilities except the Station Street Yard. Only two carhouses survive today and have been repurposed for other uses. All TCR streetcars were closed double-ended electric vehicles. When

2075-584: The Danforth Carhouse was completed. On October 2, 1921, the TTC merged the Danforth route into the Broadview route and placed Peter Witt cars on the route. On July 1, 1923, a new, crosstown Bloor streetcar line serving both Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue was opened. In 1966, the Bloor–Danforth subway opened (today Line 2 Bloor–Danforth ) replacing streetcar service on the Danforth except for

2158-484: The Davenport line, a single-track, standard-gauge radial line. As a safety precaution, the crossing was protected by semaphore signals and derails on the southbound TCR track as well as along the TSR line on both sides of the crossing. The procedure required the conductor to set the signals and derails every time a TCR streetcar passed through the crossing. Thus, two-man crews were required on this route until 1933 by which time

2241-673: The Metropolitan Street Railway opened in 1885 as a horsecar line that used Toronto gauge. Initially, it ran along Yonge Street from the Canadian Pacific Railway mid-town line to Eglinton Avenue. At that time, the area was outside of the City of Toronto. By 1891, the line was electrified. In 1895, the Province granted the Metropolitan the right to change its gauge, which it did to standard gauge allowing for freight car interchange with steam railways. By that time

2324-629: The Metropolitan had reached Richmond Hill . As a standard-gauge line, the Metropolitan was eventually extended to Sutton , along the way connecting to the standard-gauge Schomberg and Aurora Railway , a steam railway converted by the T&;YRR into an electric radial line. In 1927, the TTC took over operation of the Metropolitan line, renaming it as the Lake Simcoe line. At that time the Metropolitan line had extended from Glen Echo Road in Toronto to Sutton. The connecting Schomberg and Aurora Railway

2407-518: The Metropolitan line of the Toronto and York Radial Railway which ran from the Canadian Pacific Railway 's midtown line to Sutton near Lake Simcoe . At Avenue Road, passengers could transfer to the TRC's Avenue Road route. In 1917, passengers could also transfer to the TCR's new Lansdowne route at Lansdowne Avenue; this was a free transfer for passengers to and from the St. Clair line. After its creation in 1921,

2490-481: The Mimico radial line in 1892. It ran along Lake Shore Road and initially used Toronto gauge. By 1905, the line reached its full length from Humber Loop to Port Credit . After taking over the line in 1922, Hydro-Electric Railways converted it from Toronto to standard gauge. When the TTC subsequently took over the line in 1927, it converted the line back to Toronto gauge in one overnight operation. The TTC also closed

2573-590: The TCR Gerrard route is now served by the 506 Carlton streetcar route. In 1913, the TCR completed a single-track line on Coxwell Avenue between upper Gerrard Street and Danforth Avenue. This gave permanent access to the Hanson Yard (where the TCR received new streetcars by rail) and connected to the new Danforth line and Danforth Carhouse. The TCR did not operate passenger service on the Coxwell line. After

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2656-472: The TCR streetcars after the TTC acquired them, see: Toronto streetcar system rolling stock § Ex-TCR streetcars . Toronto gauge Toronto-gauge railways are tram and rapid transit lines built to Toronto gauge , a broad gauge of 4 ft  10 + 7 ⁄ 8  in ( 1,495 mm ). This is 2 + 3 ⁄ 8  in (60 mm) wider than standard gauge of 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) which

2739-427: The TCR. The other reason is that when the TRC franchise ended in 1921, the City wanted to merge the two systems. There were no permanent links between the tracks of the TCR and TRC; temporary track was laid at night when the TCR needed to transfer streetcars. When the TRC franchise ended in 1921, the TTC acquired both the TRC and the TCR and amalgamated the two systems, permanently linking their tracks. Toronto gauge

2822-552: The TRC franchise ended in 1921, the City wanted to merge the two systems. The Toronto Civic Railways had five routes grouped into 3 operating divisions, with each division operating out of its namesake carhouse. The Gerrard route initially operated out of the Gerrard Street Carhouse until the Danforth Carhouse became available. Opening on December 18, 1912, the Gerrard line was the first TCR line in operation. It

2905-492: The TRC only to provide streetcar service within the city limits as they existed in 1891. The City took the TRC to court which ruled in the TRC's favour. Thus, the City created the Toronto Civic Railways to serve the newly annexed districts. The TCR was not a separate entity or agency but operated under the City's Department of Works, Railway and Bridge Section. TCR lines had three divisions clustered in each of

2988-492: The TTC connected the TCR and TRC lines at Avenue Road, expanded the St. Clair route both east and west, and added more streetcar routes to connect with the St. Clair line. By the 1930s, the centre reservation was removed putting streetcars in mixed traffic. The TCR St. Clair route is now served by today's 512 St. Clair streetcar route, and the centre reservation was restored along the entire route in 2010. The Lansdowne route ran on Lansdowne Avenue between St. Clair Street West and

3071-548: The TTC took over all radial lines within the Toronto city limits. Thus, the TTC took over the Lambton and Weston lines and converted them back to TTC gauge. Gauntlet track Gauntlet track or interlaced track , also gantlet track ( AE ) is an arrangement in which railway tracks run parallel on a single track bed and are interlaced (i.e., overlapped) in such a way that only one pair of rails can be used at any time. Since this requires only slightly more width than

3154-399: The TTC took over the TCR in 1921, it double-tracked the line and extended it south to Queen Street. The TTC's Coxwell streetcar route operated until 1966 when it was replaced by the 22 Coxwell bus. The Danforth line opened on October 30, 1913 after 14 months of construction. It ran along Danforth Avenue to the then-city limits at Luttrell Avenue. Its only connection to another streetcar line

3237-476: The TTC took over the TCR, it renamed the TCR class designations, and renumbered the streetcars with even numbered only. Note that TCR class F is not the same as TTC class F in the following table, but class G is the same for both the TCR and TTC. The year retired column refers to retirement from TTC passenger service in Toronto; it excludes the retirement of cars converted for work service (snow scrapers, rail grinders) or sold to other operators. For more information on

3320-547: The Toronto Railway Company plus several radial railway lines including the Toronto Suburban Railway . About 1912, the Toronto Suburban wanted to convert its system from Toronto gauge to standard gauge, but the City of Toronto obtained a court injunction blocking the re-gauging over fears of freight cars in the streets. The railway, however, prevailed and the system was converted to standard gauge in 1917. Also, horsecar tracks could be of very light construction, adequate for horse-drawn trams, but unsuitable for heavier vehicles. When

3403-464: The Woodbridge line (1914). These were basically semi-rural, suburban streetcar lines. All were built to a track gauge of 4 ft  10 + 3 ⁄ 4  in  / 1,492 mm , a variant of Toronto gauge. By the completion of the Toronto Suburban's standard-gauge Guelph line in 1917, all the other Suburban lines were converted to standard gauge. The Toronto Street Railway had

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3486-425: The bogies. This analysis occurred before Metrolinx took over the project and stipulated the use of standard gauge. Radial railways were Interurban tram lines serving communities just beyond the then-city limits. These interurban lines were called "radials" in southern Ontario as they radiated from a city. By the early twentieth century, there were two radial systems operating from the City of Toronto: Most of

3569-413: The broad Toronto gauge to allow horse-drawn wagons and carriages to use the inside of the rail for a smoother ride through muddy, unpaved streets. The gauge also had the effect of precluding the movement of standard-gauge freight cars along streetcar lines. When its franchise ended in 1891, the Toronto Railway Company took over the system and replaced horse-drawn streetcars with electric trams; it continued

3652-403: The city should use standard gauge or "TTC gauge". The report said the benefit in using the Toronto gauge would be to save costs if Hamilton's order could be combined with Toronto's for light-rail vehicles, and to encourage their manufacture in the Greater Toronto Area . The benefit of standard gauge would be greater compatibility with other tram systems and the elimination of the costs to customize

3735-407: The gauge existed prior to the creation of the TTC in 1921. All TTC streetcar routes, both past and present, have used the Toronto gauge. The TTC had three predecessor companies that also used Toronto gauge, each with a network of streetcar lines within the City of Toronto: The Toronto Street Railway created the Toronto streetcar system opening its first horsecar line in 1861. It also created

3818-501: The gauge of its buses in 1861 to fit this gauge. At the time, track for horsecars was not the our modern 'T' rail was but wide and flat, with a raised section on the outside of the rail. Before TTC ownership, however, the streetcar gauge was either 4 ft  10 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 1,492 mm ) or 4 ft 11 in ( 1,499 mm ), depending on the historical source, instead of today's 4 ft  10 + 7 ⁄ 8  in ( 1,495 mm ). When

3901-473: The gauntlet section allows westbound streetcars from Queen Street to transition to the loop curve, and turn right onto Coxwell Avenue, but streetcars already within the loop cannot switch to the westbound Queen Street track. At the border with Sweden where the Torne separates the cities of Tornio , Finland and Haparanda , Sweden, a two-kilometre section of dual gauge track uses a gauntlet configuration because

3984-528: The heavy rail lines, there were and will be light metro and light rail lines that are considered to be part of the Toronto subway system but use the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge that is the usual track gauge in Canada : In 2009, the City of Hamilton Public Works produced an analysis for a future light rail line in Hamilton. The analysis looked at whether

4067-431: The installation in 1991, trains with an oversize loading gauge were rerouted over this line, and the lightly used (but tunnel-free) secondary line between Stolberg and Welkenraedt (crossing the border at Raeren) was closed to freight traffic. Electric-hauled trains requiring use of the central track will get their power from the right track's (in travelling direction Germany to Belgium) overhead rail , which to that purpose

4150-533: The interchange of equipment between these lines. Initially, after the Bloor–Danforth line opened in 1966, trains from the Yonge–University line terminated at the termini of Bloor–Danforth line as a trial for interlining. However, the trial ended six months later. The Sheppard subway has no carhouse, and so for servicing, its trains must transfer to line 1 to reach the Davisville Yard . In addition to

4233-514: The line reached its full length from Queen Street to West Hill . After Hydro-Electric Railways took over the line in 1922, the portion of the line west of Victoria Park Avenue was replaced by a TTC streetcar line, used today by the 503 Kingston Rd streetcar route. In 1927, the line was taken over by the TTC and connected to Bingham Loop , and the Scarboro line's Warden carhouse was closed with operations moved to Russell Carhouse . The line

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4316-442: The line was double-tracked for service on October 20, 1920. The finished line had a cross-over at Quebec Avenue as well as at each endpoint of the line. The Bloor West Carhouse was located near Indian Road on the north side of Bloor Street. In 1921, the TTC extended the line west to Jane Street opening on October 9, 1921. In 1923, the isolated Bloor West line was attached to the rest of the streetcar system. Bloor West would be served by

4399-399: The line. In Aurora , the TTC constructed a 3.2 km (2 mi) section of four-rail, dual-gauge track in order to deliver freight cars from a steam railway interchange to a local factory. (Three-rail dual gauge was not possible with only a 2 + 3 ⁄ 8  in (60 mm) difference between the two gauges.) The TTC adapted an old radial car as a standard-gauge switcher. This

4482-640: The new Gerrard line to be more convenient than the Little York branch, and the latter closed in 1913. The Gerrard line had crossovers at the end stops plus another on Coxwell Avenue just south of upper Gerrard street. Gerrard streetcars operated out of the Gerrard Carhouse until the completion of the Danforth Carhouse September 2015. After the TTC took over in 1921, the TRC and TCR tracks were joined at Greenwood Avenue. Today,

4565-574: The old T&YRR carhouse near Grenadier Pond and moved operations to Roncesvalles Carhouse . In late 1928, the Mimico line became the Port Credit line when the portion east of Long Branch Loop was replaced by a streetcar line (today used by 501 Queen ). The Port Credit line closed in 1935, replaced by buses. The Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company opened the Scarboro radial line in 1893. It ran along Kingston Road and used Toronto gauge for its entire life. By 1906,

4648-535: The original line. This arrangement is used at the Roselle Park station referenced below. At a small number of locations on single track lines in Britain, interlaced loops had been provided where sprung catch points were required because of the steep gradient. The points at either end of the loop were set according to the train's direction of travel. Trains running uphill were routed via the loop incorporating

4731-416: The other for freight to be transferred to trains of the local gauge. The Moscow tramway network has only one stretch of gauntlet track remaining in place. The five-track railway line just south of Kursky Terminal is crossed through a narrow tunnel built at the beginning of the 20th century and unsuitable for a two-track tram line. Other similar stretches were removed or re-organised, since according to

4814-408: The platform provides level boarding with the high-floor passenger trains, while the pair of rails farther away gives freight trains sufficient clearance to pass the platform. Although a monorail cannot strictly speaking have gauntlet track, the nearest equivalent would be when two parallel monorail tracks are too close together to allow two trains to pass. This happens at the southern terminus of

4897-655: The portion between Woodbine station and the Luttrell Loop which was replaced by a subway extension on May 10, 1968. Construction of the St. Clair line began in 1911, and had a few challenges. St. Clair Avenue was a rough, undulating road requiring much cut and fill, and the Nordheimer Ravine had to be bridged. After completion of a temporary bridge carrying a gauntlet track over the ravine, service began on August 25, 1913 between Yonge Street and Station Street (at today's Caledonia Road). The permanent bridge

4980-497: The pre-TTC gauge, the Charter of the Toronto Railway Company said "the gauge of system (4 ft. 11 in.) is to be maintained on main lines and extensions thereof". According to Raymond L. Kennedy said: "The street railways were built to the horse car gauge of 4 feet 10 and 3 ⁄ 4 inches. (The TTC changed this to 4 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 and is still in use today even on the subway. [ sic ])" James V. Salmon said

5063-401: The present day's width. However, Ken Heard, Consultant Museologist, Canadian Museums Association , was reported to say: "One of the terms of these agreements was that the track gauge was to accommodate wagons. As horse car rail was step rail , the horse cars, equipped with iron wheels with flanges on the inside, ran on the outer, or upper step of the rail. Wagon wheels naturally did not have

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5146-421: The problem of switch/point failures. In a frog gauntlet, one rail crosses over a rail on the adjacent track. A frog is used to provide the flangeway for the crossing tracks. The train taking the gauntlet runs over the frog onto the parallel rails, passes through the gauntlet area, and passes over another frog to return to the original line. Since there are no points or other moving parts on a frog gauntlet track,

5229-416: The radials within the above two systems used Toronto gauge at some time during their existence. The following sections give a highly abridged summary of each line, focusing mainly on the gauge used. Click on links for a more extensive history. By 1904, the T&YRR had acquired the following independent radial railways: In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the assets of the T&YRR, and contracted with

5312-446: The right of the said party of the second part, his executors, and administrators and assigns to keep the said tracks with his and their cars, when meeting or overtaking any other vehicle thereon. As wagons were normally built at standard gauge, the streetcar rails were selected to be slightly wider, which allowed the wagons to ride on the inside sections of the rail and the streetcars on the outside. The Williams Omnibus Bus Line changed

5395-448: The road with a passing siding east of Keele Street. By December 1915, a permanent double-track line was completed in the middle of Bloor Street. Construction west of Quebec Avenue began in 1915 to fill a large ravine west of Quebec Avenue by dumping earth from a long wooden trestle. Service from Quebec Avenue to the western terminal at Runnymede Road started on November 12, 1917 again using a temporary single-track line. The western section of

5478-463: The said railways shall be such that the ordinary vehicles now in use may travel on the said tracks, and that it shall and may be lawful to and for all and every person and persons whatsoever to travel upon and use the said tracks with their vehicles loaded or empty, when and so often as they may please, provided they do not impede or interfere with the cars of the party of the second part (Toronto Street Railway), running thereon, and subject at all times to

5561-479: The same gauge would be advantageous, but the idea was ultimately dropped in favour of dedicated rapid transit trains. Nonetheless, the heavy-rail lines use the streetcar gauge today. According to rail historians John F. Bromley and Jack May, the reason that the Yonge subway line was built to the streetcar gauge (Toronto gauge) was that between 1954 and 1965, subway bogies were maintained at the Hillcrest Complex , where

5644-467: The south end. On June 19, 1947, the Lansdowne streetcar line was replaced by a trolleybus route. The Bloor West line was completed in two stages along Bloor Street west of Dundas Street. Its construction started in 1914, and the first stage required filling in a ravine at Keele Street. On February 23, 1915, a temporary single-track line was opened to Quebec Avenue. The line was laid on the north side of

5727-554: The southbound derail had been removed. On May 29, 1931, the Lansdowne Loop was opened at St. Clair Avenue so that Lansdowne streetcars could reverse off-street. On July 5, 1931, the route (now called Lansdowne North) was extended via a new underpass under the CPR tracks to Royce Avenue (today Dupont Street). On April 3, 1933, the Lansdowne North and Lansdowne South routes were combined and terminated at College Street at

5810-437: The sprung catch point. Trains running downhill used the opposite loop, bypassing the catch point. Where routes diverge, but it is not practical to locate the physical switch apparatus at the point of divergence (especially on trams, where roads may be in the way), a section of gauntlet track may be provided between where the routes actually diverge and the location of the physical switch. An arrangement similar to gauntlet track

5893-465: The standards, gauntlet tracks on tram lines are only permitted as a temporary measure. Similar arrangements exist on the approach to Kaliningrad , where 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) track extends from the Polish border with some sections of dual gauge. The San Francisco cable car system features three areas with gauntlet tracks where the outer rail of the inner track

5976-455: The streetcar gauge is used for shop tracks. The Davisville Carhouse was not equipped to perform such heavy maintenance, and the bogies would be loaded onto a specially built track trailer for shipment between Davisville and Hillcrest. This practice stopped with the opening of the shops at Greenwood Yard in 1965. Using Toronto gauge for the Yonge subway line had secondary benefits. A number of ex-streetcar vehicles were used as work trains for

6059-537: The subway, taking advantage of the common gauge. Before the opening of the Yonge subway in 1954, there was also a temporary interchange track between the Yonge streetcar line and the Davisville Yard on the north side of the Belt Line bridge . In 1953, subway cars 5000 and 5001, after being displayed at the Canadian National Exhibition , were mounted on shop bogies and towed at night by

6142-555: The tunnel allow a train to divert along the central track, whilst other trains are blocked by signalling. The third track is rarely in use, so there is no limitation of capacity through the tunnel for standard-sized trains. Close to where the borders of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands come together, the interlaced tunnel section provides an important connection between Germany and the Belgian harbour at Antwerp. After completing

6225-479: The use of Toronto gauge. Because the TRC refused to service neighbouring areas annexed by the City of Toronto, the City created the Toronto Civic Railways in 1911 to serve those areas. TCR lines, clustered in the west end, east end and mid-town, were not interconnected. To move streetcars between carhouses, the TCR used the tracks of the TRC, which is one reason that the City chose Toronto gauge for

6308-409: The west end, east end and mid-town; the three divisions were not interconnected nor did they have any permanent connection to the TRC network. To move streetcars between TCR carhouses, temporary track connections had to be made to a nearby TRC line. Thus, the need to use TRC tracks for movements between TCR carhouses was one reason the City chose Toronto gauge for the TCR. The other reason was that when

6391-406: Was at Broadview Avenue to allow transfers to the TRC's Broadview route. The line had crossovers at each end of the line plus one each at Greenwood Avenue and Coxwell Avenue. Some Danforth streetcars regularly short-turned at Greenwood Avenue returning to Broadview Avenue. Streetcars for the line came into service via Coxwell Avenue from the Hanson Yard and the Gerrard Carhouse until September 2015 when

6474-568: Was built along Gerrard Street between Greenwood Avenue and Main Street, and was effectively an extension of the TRC's streetcar line running east on Gerrard Street from Parliament Street . The TRC and TCR tracks were not connected and passengers had to change streetcars at Greenwood Avenue and pay another fare. At Main Street, passengers could connect with the Little York branch of Toronto and York Radial Railway 's Scarboro division which would take them to Kingston Road . However, many passengers found

6557-526: Was closed in 1936. The Toronto Suburban Railway operated several radial lines west of the old city limits, all radiating from the Junction at Dundas Street and Keele Street . Its first line, the Davenport line (serving Davenport Road ), opened in 1892. Next came three other lines: Lambton (1892, serving the neighbourhood of Lambton ), Crescent (1893, serving Gilmore Avenue) and Weston (1895, serving Weston Road ) with an extension to Woodbridge called

6640-556: Was closed. The TTC re-gauged the tracks of the Lake Simcoe line to Toronto gauge within a seven day period, and connected them to the Yonge streetcar line . It closed the Glen Echo carhouse and moved operations to Eglinton Carhouse along the Yonge streetcar line. After re-gauging, box motors serving the Lake Simcoe line carried less-than-carload freight to downtown Toronto. Some city streetcars were modified for radial use to handle crowds to Bond Lake, an amusement park adjacent to

6723-420: Was completed on June 20, 1914. The TCR had a temporary streetcar storage yard at Station Street which it used until December 31, 1913, when the St. Clair Carhouse at Beacondale Avenue (today Wychwood Avenue) became available. Tracks were located in a centre reservation free of road traffic. There were crossovers at each end of the line plus another at Beacondale Avenue. At Yonge Street, passengers could connect with

6806-470: Was first used for the horsecar system opened by the Toronto Street Railway in 1861. Two explanations are offered for the width of the gauge: According to the TTC, advocating the first explanation, the City of Toronto feared that the street railway franchise operator would allow the operation of steam locomotives and freight trains through city streets , as was common practice in Hamilton, Ontario (until

6889-490: Was one of only two locations where the TTC had dual-gauge trackage; the other was at the Hillcrest Complex . In 1930, the Lake Simcoe line was closed. However, three months later the section from Glen Echo to Richmond Hill reopened as the North Yonge Railways . It was operated by the TTC until 1948, and was the TTC's last radial operation. The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company opened

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