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Red Rocket 4005 waits at the Lansdowne short turn on the Dundas Line (Route 505). Here it meets to trade passengers and perhaps a few stories with TTC Bus 1559 running the 'B' branch of the Lansdowne Bus (Route 47). A route which is and was a classic example of a very misguided era of Toronto history. The systematic removal of streetcar service in favour of buses. This short stretch of single track between College and Dundas Streets (in the background) is all that remains of the Lansdowne streetcar line. The grandfather of the "modern" Lansdowne bus seen in this photo. In days up until the end of the Second World War, streetcars traveled north and south along Lansdowne Avenue from this location to the Earlescourt Loop on St. Clair Avenue on the northern border of the the old city. At night their service was further extended west along St. Clair to Keele Street close to where the present St. Clair Line has its western terminus today. Admittedly, Lansdowne was a 'suburban' service with low passenger volumes. The line only existed as a streetcar because other transit technologies of the early 20th century were too primitive or (ironically) too expensive. After the war, streetcars were replaced with electric trolley buses. This allowed the TTC to cheaply extend service south from Dundas to Queen Street. As well, the rubber tired buses had an easier time climbing Lansdowne's high grade between Davenport and St. Clair Avenues - 'sic aiunt'. But it was also a fact that streetcar abandonment was in vogue across North America by that time. Many major cities divested themselves of their street railways from the '40's to the '60's. Toronto was slower at this process but no less determined. Trolley buses were subsequently replaced with the diesel variety in 1992 when all the TTC trolley bus fleet was retired. The Lansdowne short turn is described as an "on-street loop". All TTC streetcars are single ended so, like a bus, they must turn around at the end of a run. In many locations this is simply done on street. Though, in Toronto, streetcar tracks are often aligned to the centre of a road not the side. Given Lansdowne's transit history, this is definitely the case here. It is not uncommon to see a streetcar parked in the middle of the road awaiting the end of its layover. It is a special but surreal sight that is much to the consternation of our city's present mayor - alas, there is no lawful way to get rid of him. From here at the western edge of Little Portugal, car 4005 will begin its run eastbound on Dundas Street back though Chinatown and the city's core to Greektown and Broadview Subway Station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Interestingly, each of these locations has been witness to one of our now world infamous mayor's noteworthy drunken stupors. Tourist maps should have a little surly Rob Ford icon to mark each location. I took this shot while riding on the Carlton Line (Route 506) on College Street as it crossed Lansdowne. I find it interesting to see transit technologies meet in this way. There is an even rarer photo somewhere online taken in the 70's - a TTC loop where buses, trolley buses and streetcars met. Cities like Toronto that retain a mix of surface technology are still somewhat rare in my part of the world. Most municipalities continue to cling on to the notion that buses can do it all. This is to change in the coming years - Waterloo LRT 2017! To date, I have yet to see the TTC's new low floor streetcars. They are supposed to be going into service next year and the TTC has been testing at least one of these vehicles on the city tracks in the wee hours of the morning. Sadly, they will not be sporting the traditional back lit roll signs of the CLRV model. The era of the 'linens' is nearly at an end.

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