Caption: Streetcars in the subway? Sort of: a group of downtown businessmen wait paitiently for the next subway train as TTC work cars RT-15 and RT-14 pass through the station northbound on the University line, taking on no passengers. This may be an evening shot, as that's when subway work cars usually came out to peddle their trade across the system.

After two decades of prowling the TTC's streetcar network above-ground, two 4400-series (A7-class) PCC streetcars were converted into subway work cars in 1970 for railgrinder service (4446 and 4410 to RT-14 and RT-15, respectively) to replace older equipment. They traded in their trolley poles for 3rd rail pickups, and scraper bricks were installed on their trucks to provide the grinding (a similar modification was done to PCC's W-30 & W-31 for the streetcar network).

In terms of body work, the cars were mated back-to-back with rear doors to pass from one car to the other, carbody modifications included plating over some windows, two-level doorways at the front (one at the regular lower level, the other at the higher subway platform level), class lights and extra bright headlights mounted where the destination signs were. The right-side middle doors were plated over, and an extra single door was cut into the left side of each car for alternate platform access. Brackets were added at the top right of the cars for installation of Identra Coils to trigger the platform signs.

Other photos hint that the two cars lasted into the early 1980's before they were retired and disposed of, but similar looking yellow PCC work cars W-30 & W-31 survive today on at the HCRY.

J. W. (Bill) Vigrass photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.