Metropolitan line (Toronto)
The Metropolitan line in the Toronto area, operated by the Metropolitan Street Railway, started out as a local horsecar line and transformed itself into an electric radial line extending to Lake Simcoe, following an old stage coach route.[3] In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Metropolitan Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Metropolitan. In 1927, the TTC took over the operation of the Metropolitan Line to Sutton, and renamed it the Lake Simcoe line. In 1930, the TTC closed the Metropolitan Line but shortly reopened the portion between Glen Echo and Richmond Hill operating it as the North Yonge Railways until 1948.
Overview
Toronto
1885[1]–1930
1885-1895?:
4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge
1895?-1927:
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
1927-1930:
4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge
77 km (48 mi)[2]
Description of the line[edit]
The Metropolitan line was a single-track radial line with passing loops. Between 1909 and 1914, the Metropolitan line was at its maximum length running from the CPR crossing at Yonge Street to Sutton. Here is a description of the line during that period.
The Toronto terminal of the Metropolitan line was on Yonge Street at the north side of the CPR crossing which at that time was a level crossing. This is near what is now the Summerhill subway station. Passengers arriving from the south by the Yonge streetcar line, needed to get off on the south side of the CPR crossing and walk across the CPR tracks to board the radial cars.[1] A 1905 photo showed that the terminal was off-street at the south-west corner of Yonge Street and Birch Avenue. However, a 1914 map showed that the terminal was relocated to the east side of Yonge Street.
From its Toronto terminal, the line ran northwards on the west side of Yonge Street until the northern brim of Hogg's Hollow. Just south of St. Clair Avenue West, the line passed the line's carhouse on the west side. At Davisville, the railway had an electrical generation station. At the southern brim of Hogg's Hollow, the line descended an 8% grade.[4][5] (In 1922, the southern terminal would be at Glen Echo at that southern brim.)
From the northern brim of Hogg's Hollow, the line crossed from the west side of Yonge Street to run along its east side for another 19 mi (31 km) except for the sections through Richmond Hill and Aurora in the centre of the street.[6] In Richmond Hill, the radial station was on the north-east corner of Yonge Street and Lorne Avenue, and passengers boarded radial cars in the street in front of the station. At the south-west edge of Bond Lake on the east side of Yonge Street, there were a carhouse and a power station. On the north side of Bond Lake was Bond Lake Park, a major source of excursion traffic for the line. Between Bond Lake and Aurora, there was a junction with the Schomberg and Aurora Railway which was a steam railway until 1916 when it was electrified.[5]
At Mulock's Corners, the line left Yonge Street to continue cross-country to Newmarket where the line ran a short distance in an alley west of Main Street. The Newmarket radial station was on Botsford Street across from the old town hall, with the track running along the town hall's west side. (In 1904, the line ran in the centre of Main Street Newmarket, but was relocated to the alley in 1905.)[7]
At about Queen Street in Newmarket, the line continued north cross-country through Sharon, Keswick and Jackson's Point to Sutton, the line's northern terminus. Between Keswick and Jackson's Point, it ran parallel to Metro Road and the shores of Lake Simcoe, often within view of the lake.[7]
The average operating speed was 32 km/h (20 mph).[5] (As a comparison, the average speed of the subway Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is also 32 km/h (20 mph).[8])
Timeline[edit]
Pre-T&YRR era (1885–1904)[edit]
Events prior to the merger creating the Toronto and York Radial Railway in 1904 include:
In 1877, the franchise was granted to the Metropolitan Street Railway of Toronto. The president was Robert Jaffray.[1]
In 1880, brothers Charles and W.A. Warren bought a controlling interest in the Metropolitan Street Railway.[1]
On January 26, 1885, the railway started a horsecar line on Yonge Street between the crosstown CPR rail line (near today's Summerhill Station) north to Eglinton Avenue.[9] The line was single track laid to Toronto gauge, and used double-ended cars to avoid turning loops. At the CPR line passengers could transfer to the horsecars of the Toronto Street Railway.[1]
In September 1890, electric service began on the Metropolitan Street Railway. However, horse-drawn buses were temporarily substituted circa October 1890 to May 1891.[9] The faster, heavier electrical trams had damaged the tracks forcing a rebuild of the line.[1]
In 1892, the Metropolitan line reached York Mills South (today's Glen Echo Road and location of the future Glen Echo loop).[1]
In 1893, the company's name was changed from the Metropolitan Street Railway of Toronto to the Metropolitan Street Railway Company (MStRyCo).[9]
In 1895, the province granted the railway the right to build lines in York and Simcoe counties, to use any gauge and motive power of its choice, and to make agreements with other railways (steam or electric) for connections, running rights and the interchange of cars.[4] The railway would choose standard gauge.
On February 1, 1897, the Metropolitan line was opened to Richmond Hill ending at a station located on Yonge Street at Lorne Avenue. Each one-way trip between the Toronto terminal (at the CPR crosstown line) to Richmond Hill took 45 minutes (versus 3 hours for the stagecoach), and there were 4 round trips per day.[4] (In 2016, Triplinx, a regional trip planner, shows that the same trip from Summerhill subway station to Lorne Avenue in Richmond Hill using the subway and Viva would take a little over an hour.)
In 1897, the company's name changed again from the Metropolitan Street Railway Company to the Metropolitan Railway Company.[9] With the extension to Richmond Hill, the line was now more a radial line than a street railway.[4]
By 1899, the Metropolitan line was extended to Aurora and Newmarket.[9] Approaching Newmarket, the line left Yonge Street at Mullock's Corners, crossed fields along the route of the present Cane Parkway and William Street, crossed Eagle Street and proceeded north on Main Street to its terminal at Timothy Street.[4] The King George Hotel at the south-east corner of Timothy and Main streets in Newmarket served as a passenger depot for the radial line. Newmarket exempted the railway from property taxes for 10 years and allowed the railway company to supply electricity to the town.[10] To support this extension, the company built a steam powerhouse at Bond Lake with a capacity of almost 1,000 horsepower.[4] A trip between Toronto and Newmarket took 90 minutes.[7]
In 1899, the railway acquired 200 acres of lakeshore land to create Bond Lake Park and generate passenger traffic for the Metropolitan line. During the 1901 season, there were 60,000 park visitors.[7]
In 1902, the Metropolitan Railway Company acquired the then unfinished Schomberg and Aurora Railway.[7]
Mackenzie & Mann era (1904–1921)[edit]
Events when the Toronto and York Radial Railway was under the control of William Mackenzie and Donald Mann include:
On August 1, 1904, the Metropolitan Street Railway and the Schomberg and Aurora Railway were merged into the Toronto and York Radial Railway both becoming part of its Metropolitan Division.[11]
In 1905, the T&YRR relocated tracks in Newmarket from Main Street to a route running via sidestreets and lanes to a new station on Botsford Street opposite the town hall. The new station was equipped with freight sheds and later stationmaster's quarters on the second floor.[4] The relocation of the tracks was to relieve traffic congestion on Main Street, as the street was not wide enough to conveniently accommodate both horse-drawn wagons and rail vehicles.[10]
On June 1, 1907, the T&YRR opened a 40 km (25 mi) extension of the Metropolitan line from Newmarket to Jackson's Point.[11]
On January 1, 1909, the T&YRR opened a 2.4 km (1.5 mi) extension of the Metropolitan line from Jackson's Point to Sutton.[11] The Metropolitan line was now at its maximum extent. The Grand Trunk Railway (formerly Midland Railway, previously Toronto and Nipissing Railway) already served Sutton and Jackson's Point. After the arrival of the T&YRR in Sutton, the GTR reduced its passenger service there as passengers found the T&YRR service to be faster.[12]
The first radial car to Jackson's Point, 1907
Keswick station, ca. 1910
Sutton station, ca. 1920
Radial car at Bond Lake, ca. 1910
