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York Township Railways

The Toronto Transportation Commission was set up by the City of Toronto to take over various privately owned streetcar lines of the Toronto Street Railway and Toronto Suburban Railway both owned by Mackenzie and Mann as well as the municipally owned Toronto Civic Railways in order to establish one unified system with a single fare.

The Township of York acquired on November 18, 1924, that portion of the TSR Lambton route within its boundaries from Runnymede Road to Lambton Park. It was re-gauged November 24-25 from standard to the odd-ball TTC gauge of 4 feet 10 and 7/8 inches and its operation was turned over to the TTC effective on the 25th. It is unknown if a separate fare was required for this short distance although it is likely so. In any event the line didn't last long as it was replaced by buses on August 17, 1928 which originated in the Junction at Keele and Dundas and on June 24, 1929 this Lambton bus route was extended west across the new high-level bridge over the Humber River to Lambton Avenue (Prince Edward Drive).

Toronto Suburban's Weston Road route ran from the Junction at Keele and Dundas northward along Keele and Weston
Road was taken over by the TTC to the City Limit at Northlands Avenue. The portion beyond was acquired October 1,
1925 by York Township north to its boundary with the Town of Weston which acquired the portion beyond within its boundaries. This was turned over to the TTC for operation with a separate YTR fare.

Two substantial newly-built streetcar lines were operated as Oakwood and Rogers Road routes north of St. Clair Avenue West north on Oakwood Avenue to Rogers Road then westward. Also from St. Clair north on Oakwood to Eglinton Ave. West and westward to Gilbert Ave. (CNR Newmarket Subdivision, just west of Caledonia Road.) These too were turned over to the TTC to operate. These opened November 19, 1924 with the Rogers route extended from Dufferin Street westward to Bicknell Road (between Keele Street and Weston Road) with a walk over the CPR and CNR mainlines
August 19, 1925. The only thing that identified them as belonging to York Township was the YTR tickets passengers purchased to ride. This all came to an end with the creation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1954.


Opening ceremony drew a huge crowd!

 

Toronto Star November 1, 1938

 



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