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TTC Belt Line tour

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Tour tram car 2894 at McCaul Loop in 1974
Tour tram car 2424 in 1983

In the 1970s and 1980s, three Toronto Peter Witt cars, specifically 2766, 2424 and 2894, provided tour tram services in downtown Toronto. Car 2766 was owned by the TTC while the other two were owned by the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association (OERHA) and were on loan to the TTC for special runs on the Toronto streetcar system.

Between 1973 and 1975, the Toronto Transit Commission ran the Belt Line Tour Tram using two Peter Witt streetcars, one in operation with a second in reserve. The name of the route was inspired by the Toronto Railway Company Belt Line, which operated between 1892 and 1923 on a route different from the more modern tour tram. The Belt Line Tour Tram operated out of the McCaul Loop, running clockwise from McCaul Street east on Queen Street, south on Church Street, west on King Street, north on Spadina Avenue and returning east on Queen Street. Riders paid a regular fare, and were issued transfers which would allow them to board other TTC vehicles. The service only ran during the summer. The TTC provided a guide to give passengers historical commentary. The picturesque heritage vehicles were meant to please tourists. The last run of this route occurred on Thankgiving Day, 1975, the service ending due to a lack of ridership.

Between 1983 and 1988, a private company operating as Toronto Tours chartered Peter Witt cars for tours around downtown Toronto along a route different from the former Belt Line Tour Tram. Higher fares were charged. The TTC ended tour tram services due to maintenance difficulties and safety issues with the aging Peter Witt cars. The cars owned by the OERHA were returned to its museum line, the Halton County Radial Railway.

References

  1. "Toronto Transportation Commission". TrainWeb. December 16, 2008.
  2. ^ Pete Coulman, James Bow (April 27, 2013). "A History of the TTC's Belt Line Streetcars". Transit Toronto. Retrieved July 15, 2013. The proposal called for the historic cars to operate in a loop through downtown Toronto on their own route. Regular TTC fares would apply, and transfers to connecting routes would be offered and accepted. Recalling the BELT LINE operation that had anchored downtown streetcar service for thirty-two years, the new route was designated the BELT LINE TOUR TRAM.
  3. James Bow (June 23, 2013). "The last Peter Witt (#2766) (Last Modified on June 23, 2013 10:10 AM)". Transit Toronto. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  4. "Welcome to the MyTTC Streetcar History Home Page". Retrieved July 15, 2013. 1973 and 1974 would see TTC introducing the Belt Line Tour Tram summer only route using Peter Witt cars that ran King Street, Queen Street by Spadina Avenue in the west and Church Street in the east every 45 minutes between 10:00 AM and 9:00 PM seven days a week. It ran from May to September only. Regular fare and transfers were allowed to use this line. TTC would promote this line as a sightseeing trip giving various histories and other information by a tour guide.
  5. Steve Munro (March 31, 2013). "Looking Back: Restoring the Peter Witt Cars 2766 and 2894". Archived from the original on March 4, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2013. 1973 was quite a year for the streetcar system in Toronto. The TTC had just decided to keep its fleet, and embarked on the rebuilding of its PCCs. At the same time, an interest in TTC heritage led to the creation of the "Belt Line Tour Tram", a regular fare tour car looping around downtown.
  6. Beth Dunlop (July 2, 1973). "Renovated 1923 Trolley A Ringing Success With Toronto Riders". Toronto: The Pittsburgh Press. p. 102. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  7. "Peter Witt Car Restoration And Operation". Toronto Transit Commission. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019.
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