The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph.
History
Corporate timeline
The Weston, High Park and Toronto Street Railway Company was incorporated in 1890, and changed its name to the City and Suburban Electric Railway Company the next year. The Davenport Street Railway Company was incorporated in 1891. In 1894, the Toronto Suburban Street Railway Company was incorporated and acquired these two companies, and in 1904 it was authorized to extend its operations to Hamilton, the Niagara Peninsula, Brampton, Guelph and Woodbridge. The Township of Etobicoke also granted the TSR a franchise to cover the full length of Dundas Street within its limits, west of the Humber River. Expansion plans were hampered because of the shortness of capital and labour, as well as by potential takeover interest by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, but it did convert its power source from internally generated 500V DC from its own plant, to high-voltage AC power from Niagara Falls.
Allan Royce was the largest shareholder of the TSR, eventually gaining a controlling interest. In 1911, that was sold to William Mackenzie and Donald Mann, who incorporated it into the quickly-expanding Canadian Northern Railway system. At that time, Sir Adam Beck of Ontario Hydro and Henry Thornton of Canadian National Railways had also expressed an interest in the TSR.
In April 1915, the company was authorized to operate all day on Sundays, and to be able to transport milk on the Lord's Day as well.
Under the Municipal Electric Railway Act, 1922, local municipalities were authorized to operate radial lines, or enter into agreements with Ontario Hydro to do so, as part of a larger plan to create a radial network spanning the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, but that did not take place with respect to the TSR lines as that measure was rejected by Toronto voters in a plebiscite held on 1 January 1923, and the issue was not pressed by the Province as the government was subsequently defeated in the 1923 general election. The TTC did upgrade the city routes, and operated the Lambton, Weston and Davenport lines for some years, connecting them with the St. Clair and Dundas routes. In the same year, TSR was amalgamated with the Toronto Eastern Railway, leaving the Canadian National Electric Railways (CNER) with the Guelph and Woodbridge lines. causing the Guelph line to go into receivership and be shut down on 15 August 1931. Eventually, in 1934, CNER paid off the bondholders at 25 cents on the dollar, following which the receivership was ended on 13 September 1935, and the line was promptly dismantled and equipment disposed. A small part of the Guelph line's right-of-way is used by the Halton County Radial Railway museum. The areas where tracks were once located include the walking trails along the south bank of the Eramosa River, the Smith Property loop in Puslinch and the Halton County Radial Railway site on Guelph Line, in the old Township of Nassagaweya.
A power house on Weston Road is now a lumber store and a power house on James Street East in Guelph has been converted to residential use. In Halton Hills, the railbed can be readily seen running parallel to the Canadian National track between Acton and Limehouse.
Routes
thumb|right|1921 map of electrified rail lines serving Toronto at that time
The Toronto Suburban operated one radial and five city routes during its existence. as the car passed the Lambton Hotel where passengers often waited.
In 1923, the Toronto Transportation Commission took over the line from Keele Street to Runnymede Road, and later to the Lambton Loop, converting the line back to Toronto gauge in 1924. The line was closed on 17 August 1928 being replaced by bus service. One period photo shows a 12-coach train pulled by electric locomotive number 300 bound for Eldorado Park. It has been fully restored and is in operation at Fort Edmonton Park.
{| Class="wikitable"
|-
! Number !! Built !! Builder !! Trucks !! Type !! Route !! Notes
|-
| 1 || || || DEST || city line car || || 1–17 in service by 1911
|-
| 2 || || || DEST || sweeper || ||
|-
| 3 || || || || || || known to have existed
|-
| 4 || || || || || || known to have existed
|-
| 5 || || || || || || no details
|-
| 6 || || || || || || no details
|-
| 7 || || || || || || no details
|-
| 8 || || || || open || ||
|-
| 9 || || || || || || no details
|-
| 10 || || || || open || ||
|-
| 11 || || || DEST || open || ||
|-
| 12 || || || DEST || closed || ||
|-
| 13 || || || || open || ||
|-
| 14 || || || || || || known to have existed
|-
| 15 || || TRCo || DEST || || LAMBTON ||
|-
| 16 || || || || || spare || for CRESCENT or LAMBTON
|-
| 17 || || || DEST || || LAMBTON ||
|-
| 18 || || || || || WESTON || no details
|-
| 19 || || || DEDT || || WESTON ||
|-
| 20 || || || || || WESTON ||
|-
| 21 || || || || || WESTON ||
|-
| 22 || || TRCo || DEST || || CRESCENT ||
|-
| 23 || || || || || CRESCENT ||
|-
| 24 || 1914 || Preston || DEST || || DAVENPORT || to Canadian National Railways 15702 in 1923; see above (now with ERRS)
|-
| 25 || || || DEST || || DAVENPORT ||
|-
| 26 || || || || || WOODBRIDGE ||
|-
| 27 || || || || || WOODBRIDGE ||
|-
| 28 || || TRCo || DEDT || || COOKSVILLE ||
|-
| 29 || || TRCo || DEDT || || COOKSVILLE ||
|-
| 30 || || || DEDT || semi-convertible || WESTON || ex-Tuscaloosa, AL
|-
| 31 || || || DEDT || semi-convertible || WESTON || ex-Tuscaloosa, AL
|-
| 32 || || || DEDT || semi-convertible || || ex-Tuscaloosa, AL
|-
| 33 || || || DEDT || semi-convertible || WESTON || ex-Tuscaloosa, AL
|-
! colspan=7 | Guelph Radial Cars
|-
| 101 || 1915 || Preston || SEDT || centre entrance || GUELPH || rebuilt to DE in 1924-25
|-
| 102-103 || 1915 || Preston || SEDT || centre entrance || || burnt in storage before delivery
|-
| 104-106 || 1915 || Preston || SEDT || nowrap | centre entrance combine || GUELPH || rebuilt to DE in 1924-25
|-
| 107 || 1924 || NS&T || DEDT || coach || GUELPH || to NS&T 83 in 1927
|-
| 108 || 1926 || NS&T || DEDT || combine || GUELPH || to M&SC 300 in 1927; rebuilt to snow plow
|-
| 150-153 || || || DT || open-platform trailer || GUELPH || ex-New York City, 1918; rebuilt with closed platforms
|-
| 201 || || TRCo? || DEDT || express motor || GUELPH ||
|-
| 250 || || || DEDT || express motor || GUELPH || to Montreal & Southern Counties Railway 305, 1927
|-
| 251 || || || || flat trailer || GUELPH ||
|-
| 252 || || || DT || line car/plow || GUELPH || to NS&T in 1927; scrapped 1947
|-
| 300 || 1926 || NS&T || DEDT || 60-ton box cab locomotive || GUELPH || to Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern 7 in 1927
|-
! colspan=7 | Canadian Nitro Products
|-
| "1000" || c.1916 || || DEDT || flat motor || || rebuilt from Toronto and York Radial Railway flat trailer; originally James Bay Railway flat trailer; to Stanstead Granite Quarries Ltd. (Beebe, PQ) in 1920; scrapped 1940
|}
{|
! Builder
|rowspan=2|
! Trucks
|-valign=top
|
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! NS&T
|Niagara, St. Catharines & Toronto
|-
! Preston
|Preston Car Company
|-
! TRCo
|Toronto Railway Company
|}
|
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! DE
|double-ended
|-
! DT
|double trucked
|-
! SE
|single-ended
|-
! ST
|single truck
|}
|}
Other Toronto lines controlled by Sir William Mackenzie
- Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway
- Toronto and York Radial Railway
- Toronto Railway Company
See also
- Rail trail
- Wilbur Lake
- List of Ontario railways
- List of defunct Canadian railways