
I acquired Transit in Toronto (no author credited) many years ago when my library system withdrew it. It was a short 72-page history of public transportation in the city of Toronto, with emphasis on the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). This short book originally came out in 1967 and this copy is a 1970 reprint. I enjoyed the sections on the subway system and how each new extension was built. Tunnel construction varied based on land use, which explained why Keele station is above ground and why the less-invasive circular tunnel stations are below Hospital Row and the Ontario Legislature. Subway car providers were different for the Yonge line, the University line (which didn’t make much sense to me since the two lines were continuous) and Bloor-Danforth. I have fond memories of the silver or red original Yonge line trains, which had windows that opened and lights that often flickered off.
The book forecast the end of streetcar transport by 1980, rendering them superfluous as more subway lines are built. Here we are in 2023 and streetcars are still going strong, with a right-of-way now along St. Clair Ave.
Photos accompanied the text and reminded me, especially in aerial shots, of how Toronto used to look over fifty years ago. I was puzzled by two design details. Mention is given to 47 escalators “plus one Speedramp” along the original Bloor-Danforth line, which ran between Keele and Woodbine. A little bit of Internet research confirmed that a moving ramp was located at Keele when it was first built. Also, the station design for St. Andrew and Osgoode was described as having “glass-faced masonry…similar to the Yonge stations”. I know that the metallic panelling that covered the walls at these two stations was not the original design. Talk with TTC personnel years ago confirmed that the original design did not wear well and was covered up. In the last few years the TTC has stripped this panelling from the station walls and replaced it with wide glassy-white panels. The original masonry was in fact Vitrolite tiling, which can still be seen at Eglinton station. An Internet search can bring up photos of how Osgoode and St. Andrew stations originally looked.