PCC 4427 found in Waterdown Area

[Felix]

Found this while reading The Way We Were column by Mike Filey in today's Sun.

http://www.torontosun.com/Lifestyle/Column...26/2501887.html

Several weeks ago my wife and I were travelling south on Hwy. 6 on our way to dinner with my brother and his family in Waterdown. On the east side of the highway, just south of the 401, I spotted what had been, sometime in its past, a proud Toronto streetcar.

Upon closer inspection, I could make out the badly faded number 4427 on the front of the vehicle. That identified it as one the 100 cars in the A-7 Class of PCC streetcars purchased by the TTC in 1949.

Some readers may remember this type running in "multiple-unit" trains (two PCCs coupled together) along Bloor St. then, after the Bloor-Danforth subway opened in 1966, on the Queen line.

The history of the PCC as a public transit vehicle is fascinating.

Designed in the early 1930s as a replacement for the inefficient and out-dated streetcars then in service the PCC was the creation of a committee made up of representatives assigned to the project by the presidents of a number of North American electric streetcar line operators (including Toronto).

This explains the term that was applied to their new vehicle, the Presidents' Conference Committee streetcar. Because of their futuristic (for the day) design many referred to them as simply the Streamliner.

First introduced to the travelling public in Brooklyn and Baltimore in 1936 the TTC began taking delivery of its initial order of 140 PCCs two years later.

Over the following years additional orders were placed for new PCCs. And on several occasions the Commission even purchased used PCCs from cities such as Cleveland and Cincinnati, Ohio, Birmingham, Alabama and Kansas City, Missouri that had opted to replace their electric vehicles with buses through, some suggest, controversial deals arranged by General Motors.

Toronto's PCC cars remained in regular service until late 1995.

Now, to find out how old 4427 got into a farmer's field off Hwy. 6, I contacted John Bromley who keeps an incredibly detailed database that contains the comings and goings of old streetcars. John explained that PCC 4427 was involved in an accident in March of 1980 while operating on the 506 Carlton route.

The vehicle was subsequently sold to the owners of the Langford Inn and moved on Sept. 23, 1980, to a location on the south side of Hwy. 2 east of Brantford.

In 1992 the inn was closed and 4427 was moved again, this time to the intersection of Grand Ave. and Charing Cross streets in Brantford where it served for a time as a rather unique refreshment stand.

PCC 4427 was moved once again to a location on the north side of Hwy. 2 west of Highway 54 in Cainsville.

Then in late 1996 the much travelled streetcar was on the move again this time to its present location, the Nipponia Farm on the east side of Hwy. 6 just south of the 401.

[Promagstyle]

Hopefully someone can spend some time and money to re-bulild 4427

[York Transit]

Do you guys know of any PCCs?

I think there used to be a PCC at Bathurst/16th...strip mall now.

Wilson Wu

Markham, ON

[smallspy]

Do you guys know of any PCCs?

I think there used to be a PCC at Bathurst/16th...strip mall now.

Wilson Wu

Markham, ON

Shy-lo Farms, IIRC. It was scrapped on site about 2 or 3 years ago. In fact, there was a TTS charter to that corner shortly before its dismemberment.

If you guys are serious about restoring a PCC, I would recommend visiting the Halton County Radial Railway near Rockwood. They have many, many PCC's there, many of which are in need of much work. And they can always use additional hands. And best of all, they'll teach you how to operate the things as well as work on them.

Dan

[Orion VIII]

Like smallspy said, go to the HCRR, that's the best PPC resource around.

There is a PCC at, iirc, highways 10 and 89 used as a dining room for a restaurant.

[jlarocque2005]

i rember there use to be a pcc on eglinton east (west of vic park) way back when but suddenly removed it use to be part of a diner

Like smallspy said, go to the HCRR, that's the best PPC resource around.

There is a PCC at, iirc, highways 10 and 89 used as a dining room for a restaurant.

[smallspy]

i rember there use to be a pcc on eglinton east (west of vic park) way back when but suddenly removed it use to be part of a diner

La Pentola Restaurant at Eglinton and Credit Union Drive. They still own the car (ex-TTC 4774, formerly KCPS 785), and reportedly have it currently locked up and away for safe-keeping. No idea what they plan to do with it.

But if you're in the area, be sure to check out ex-TTC 5475 at the south end of the Fire Department Training Centre off of Old Eglinton. It's readily visible from the parking lot of the hockey rink off of Bermondsey.

Dan

[6688]

I could've sworn there was a PCC sitting outside of a pub/bar at Scarborough Golf Club Rd./Kingston Rd. well over 10-15 years ago. Does anyone recall if there was a PCC there at one point? I was too young to remember that far back...

[Flyer E700A]

Was not ex-TTC 5475 a subway car? What would a subway car be doing there except if the number is wrong. Oh well who knows?

[smallspy]

Was not ex-TTC 5475 a subway car? What would a subway car be doing there except if the number is wrong. Oh well who knows?

It is a subway car, and no the number is not wrong. The fire department uses the car for certain training exercises.

Dan