The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. The TRC was also a manufacturer of streetcars and rail work vehicles, a few of which were built for other streetcar and radial operators.
On August 15, 1892, the TRC became the second operator of horse-drawn streetcars in the Toronto area to convert to electric trams, the first being the Metropolitan Street Railway which electrified its horsecar line along Yonge Street within the Town of North Toronto on September 1, 1890. (In 1912, the City of Toronto would annex North Toronto.)
The first electric car ran in scheduled service on Church Street starting August 15, 1892, and the last horse car ran on McCaul Street on August 31, 1894.
There came to be problems with interpretation of the franchise terms for the city. A series of annexations, especially in 1908–12, significantly extended the city limits to include such areas as Dovercourt, Earlscourt, East Toronto, Midway (formerly between Toronto and East Toronto), North Toronto, and West Toronto. After many attempts to force the TRC to serve these areas, the city created its own street railway operation, the Toronto Civic Railways to do so, and built several routes.
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| Avenue Road
| <span style="display:none">1895-19-02</span> September 2, 1895
| Transferred to TTC
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| Bathurst
| <span style="display:none">1885-07-27</span> July 27, 1885
| Transferred to TTC
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| Belt Line
| <span style="display:none">1891-11-16</span> November 16, 1891
| 1923 by TTC
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| Bloor
| <span style="display:none">1889-00-00</span> 1889
| Transferred to TTC
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| Broadview
| <span style="display:none">1892-10-00</span> October 1892
| 1923 by TTC
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| Brockton
| <span style="display:none">1882-00-00</span> 1882
| <span style="display:none">1893-10-09</span> October 9, 1893
| Renamed Dundas
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| Carlton
| <span style="display:none">1886-08-00</span> August 1886
| Transferred to TTC
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| Church
| <span style="display:none">1881-00-00</span> 1881
| Transferred to TTC
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| College
| <span style="display:none">1893-11-00</span> November 1893
| Transferred to TTC
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| Danforth
| <span style="display:none">1889-05-00</span> May 1889
| <span style="display:none">1892-10-00</span> October 1892
| Renamed Broadview
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| Davenport
| <span style="display:none">1892-12-00</span> December 1892
| <span style="display:none">1891-11-00</span> November 1891
| Replaced by Bathurst, Parliament and Winchester routes
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| Dovercourt
| <span style="display:none">1888-11-00</span> November 1888
| Transferred to TTC
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| Dufferin
| <span style="display:none">1889-00-00</span> 1889
| <span style="display:none">1891-09-30</span> September 30, 1891
| Merged with Danforth route
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| Dundas
| <span style="display:none">1893-10-09</span> October 9, 1893
| Transferred to TTC
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| Dupont
| <span style="display:none">1906-08-29</span> August 29, 1906
| Transferred to TTC
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| Harbord
| <span style="display:none">1911-08-29</span> August 29, 1911
| Transferred to TTC
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| High Park
| <span style="display:none">1886-00-00</span> 1886
| <span style="display:none">1905-00-00</span> 1905
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| King
| <span style="display:none">1874-00-00</span> 1874
| Transferred to TTC
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| Lee Avenue
| <span style="display:none">1889-0—00</span> 1889
| <span style="display:none">1893-05-15</span> May 15, 1893
| Merged into King route
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| McCaul
| <span style="display:none">1883-10-00</span> October 1883
| <span style="display:none">1896-01-01</span> January 1, 1896
| Replaced by Bloor route
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| Parkdale
| <span style="display:none">1880-00-00</span> 1880
| <span style="display:none">1886-00-00</span> 1886
| Renamed High Park
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| Parliament
| <span style="display:none">1881-00-00</span> 1881
| <span style="display:none">1918-03-04</span> March 4, 1918
| Merged into Queen route
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| Queen
| <span style="display:none">1861-12-02</span> December 2, 1861
| Transferred to TTC
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| Queen East
| <span style="display:none">1882-00-00</span> 1882
| <span style="display:none">1891-10-16</span> October 16, 1891
| Merged with Danforth route
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| Roncesvalles
| <span style="display:none">1909-00-00</span> 1909
| <span style="display:none">1911-12-20</span> December 20, 1911
| Replaced by Queen route
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| Seaton Village
| <span style="display:none">1885-07-27</span> July 27, 1885
| <span style="display:none">1891-10-23</span> October 23, 1891
| Replaced by Davenport, Parliament and Winchester routes
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| Sherbourne
| <span style="display:none">1874-11-00</span> November 1874
| <span style="display:none">1891-11-16</span> November 16, 1891
| Merged into Belt Line route
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| Spadina
| <span style="display:none">1878-00-00</span> 1878
| <span style="display:none">1891-11-16</span> November 16, 1891
| Merged into Belt Line route
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| Winchester
| <span style="display:none">1874-11-00</span> November 1874
| Transferred to TTC
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| Woodbine
| <span style="display:none">1887-05-00</span> May 1887
| <span style="display:none">1893-04-04</span> April 4, 1893
| Replaced by King route
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| Yonge
| <span style="display:none">1861-09-11</span> September 11, 1861
| Transferred to TTC
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| York
| <span style="display:none">1891-10-00</span>
| <span style="display:none">1891-12-31</span>
| In operation in October 1891 and discontinued prior to December 31, 1891
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City-owned tracks
The city built and owned some of the streetcar trackage operated by the TRC. The city-owned, TRC-operated tracks were:
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| Roncesvalles Carhouse
| Roncesvalles Avenue and Queen Street West, NW corner
| 1895
| The TRC carhouse faced Roncesvalles Avenue and contained 15 interior tracks with capacity for 75 double-truck cars. In 1907, 12 exterior tracks were added on the north side of the carhouse with capacity for 135 double-truck cars. All tracks were stub tracks oriented east–west. The spacing between tracks was too narrow for larger, modern cars, and the repair facilities were obsolete. In 1923, the TTC demolished the TRC building and constructed a new carhouse building with tracks oriented north–south.
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| Russell Carhouse
| Connaught Avenue and Queen Street East
| 1913
| The TRC built the Russell facility as a paint shop with six tracks. The building had an east wing extending to Connaught Avenue, containing offices, a store room and a boiler room. After the King Carhouse burnt down at the end of 1916, Russell was converted into a full carhouse with the paint line using only one carhouse track. Due to cracked foundations, the TTC demolished and rebuilt the carhouse in 1924. The east wing was the only part of the 1913 building that was retained.
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| Scarboro Beach Carhouse
| Queen Street East & Maclean Avenue, SW corner
| 1920
| To partly replace storage tracks at the burnt-out King Carhouse, the TRC built the four-track frame building to handle routine maintenance. Its capacity was 20 single-truck or 16 double-truck streetcars. The TTC chose not to operate the facility. The TRC stored obsolete open cars and trailers there pending disposal. The property was put up for sale in 1928.
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| Yorkville Carhouse
| Between Yorkville Avenue & Scollard Street next to Toronto Fire Station 312
| 1892
| In 1892, the TRC demolished the TSR's Yorkville stables (1861) in order to build a nine-track carhouse holding 44 double-truck streetcars. In 1899, the TRC added a shed along Scollard Avenue to hold 31 double-truck streetcars. Later a 24-car outdoor storage yard was added. The narrow spaces between carhouse tracks became unsuitable for wider, more modern streetcars. In 1922, the TTC closed the carhouse;
External links
- The charter of the Toronto Railway Company
- TRC trackage as of June 1921 prepared by the Upper Canada Railway Society