CLRV / ALRV Quest:
In
2019, the TTC retired their CLRV and ALRV streetcars in favor of new low floor
streetcars. The CLRVs had served
There
were 196 CLRVs and 52 ALRVs (plus a prototype ALRV #4900 that was scrapped in
the 1980s). There are two groups of CLRV streetcars and one class of ALRVs.
CLRVs 4000-4005 were the six prototype CLRVs built by SIG of Switzerland. CLRVs
4010-4199 were built by Hawker Sydney in
Until
I visit the car at its respective location, I will use photos taken of the car
in revenue service with TTC.
The
oldest surviving CLRV is #4001. #4001 has been retained by TTC as a historic
car like PCCs 4500 and 4549 and Witt #2766. Prior to the end of the CLRV era
was repainted. #4001 was used for a special trip on the last day of CLRV
operation carrying 30 people who had won a contest to be on the last CLRV. I
officially visited it for the first time post 2019 in 2022.
The
second surviving SIG car is #4003. #4003 is presently preserved at the
CLRV
#4010 is the first
CLRV
#4024 is one of two CLRVs heading for the
CLRV
#4034 is preserved at the
CLRV
#4039 is at the
In
2020, the Halton County Radial Railway acquired CLRV #4040 as a source of spare
parts. The car is presently parked in the museums yard #2. I visited #4040 in
2021.
The
CLRV
#4068 is owned by the
Seashore
acquired CLRVs because in the early 1980s three CLRVs were loaned to
I
first saw #4068 at
CLRVs
4081 and 4089 are still on TTC property. One of the cars is going to be a
historic car while the other is being used as a work car. What it will do as a work
car, I don’t know.
At
this time I am unsure which car is going to be used as a historic car and which
as a work car. When I know more, I will revise the page. I saw #4089 in 2022
and have seen #4081 at Russell carhouse, but from where it is, I can’t get a
good photo of it. In the meantime, I am using a photo of #4081 from the last
day of CLRV service in Toronto.
CLRV
#4124 is still on TTC property. The car is to be used as a work car of sorts. I
have seen #4124 at the carhouse, but like #4081, I haven’t been able to get a
good shot of it so in the meantime here’s a picture of #4124 on the last day of
CLRV operation in Toronto.
CLRV
#4133 is also owned by the Seashore Trolley Museum. It is most likely to be used
as a source of spare parts for CLRV #4068. As with #4068 it is being held at
the Halton County Radial Railway Museum until it goes south. That is expected
in 2023. I visited the car at Halton County back in 2021.
CLRV
#4170 is also owned by the American Mining Museum alongside #4024. Like #4024
it is being held at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum until the cars can
go to Ohio. I visited the car at Halton County back in 2021.
CLRV
#4178 was the last CLRV the general public could ride. A few months before the
end of service, the car was done up as an art car. Both the inside and outside
of the car was decorated. Its paint scheme reminds me of a special paint scheme
CLRV #4000 wore in 1984 for Ontario’s birthday.
After
retirement, CLRV #4178 was donated to the Halton County Radial Railway Museum
where it operated. I visited the car in 2021 and got to ride it then.
The
highest numbered surviving CLRV is #4187. The car is preserved on a farm in
Priceville, Ontario which is half-way between Orangeville and Owen Sound.
The
car was saved when it and the last remaining CLRVs on the TTC’s roster were put
up for action. A transit fan entered the lowest possible bid on the car and
won. The enormity of what he had done then sank upon him. Luckily his parents
let him put the car on his farm after a short piece of track was built for the
car. Halton County got CLRVs 4040 and 4053 from the same auction.
I
have been trying to get in contact with the person who owns #4187 but haven’t
gotten a definitive answer on when I could go and visit the car. In the
meantime here’s a picture of the car in service.
ALRV
#4204 was the first ALRV in service. It was also the last ALRV in service in
2019 as well. ALRV #4204 is preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway
Museum. I first visited the car back in 2019.
Finally,
ALRV #4207 is preserved by the TTC as a historic streetcar. It’s ironic the car
is now a historical car when it’s younger than my sister and I! ALRV #4207 was the
second last ALRV in service.
The
original plan was for #4204 to be kept by TTC and #4207 was to go to Halton
County. However some seats had been removed from #4207 for a music video. When
TTC realized this, they asked if Halton County could take #4204 instead which
they agreed to. The seats have since been reinstalled in the car. I visited
#4207 for the first time in 2022 though I rode in back in 2019 a month or so
after it had been retired! However, the CLRVs were still in service and
wouldn’t be retired for a few more months.
One
thing about #4207 was back in 2013; I had ridden the car to Dundas West subway
station and was filming the car departing. However as it departed, the car ran
over a pigeon! I was filming at the time and I shook the camera at the moment
the car hit the pigeon. I saw the pigeon on the tracks when the car was a fair
distance away and kept thinking to myself, “I hope the pigeon moves.” It
didn’t. Since then, my friend Larry who was with me at the time and I refer to
#4207 as the pigeon killer. It was sadly ironic that this car was one of the
two ALRVs to make it into preservation.
As
you can see, a good number of cars made it into preservation. However there are
a few cars I would have liked to have seen preserved for various reasons. Click
here if you want to read the list: Significant scrapped
CLRVs and ALRVs