Caption: The Toronto Transit Commission needed to change their routes south of Union Station in 1961 when the Gardiner Expressway was being built. The TTC built the Ferry Loop in 1961 and used it for turning streetcars until Sept. 1965, on the site of the former Harbour Yard that used to have tracks installed to store streetcars from Eglinton Carhouse in the 50's. Pictured here, Peter Witt car 2834 (a "Small Witt" originally built by the Ottawa Car Company, signed up for the Parliament route) and newer PCC 4518 (on the Dupont route) sit at Ferry Loop, in front of the large Government of Ontario Workmans Compensation Board building in background on Harbour Street. It became the OPP headquarters in 1973, and was demolished in 2011.
By this day, the end was near for the Witt cars in regular service. The Dupont streetcar route on Bay was discontinued and replaced with buses roughly a month later, when the University subway line opened on February 28th 1963. The remaining Witts saw little service as spares for the next year or two until being officially retired on January 1st, 1965.
|
The building in your photo is still in the Satellite/street view! Looks like in the beginning of demolition. It doesn’t take them long to do so, So probably a day or two after the Google car made its way past it this building was no more. Interesting Streetcar history as well. Thanks Bill!