This morning, I grudgingly dragged myself out of bed at 2:30am to watch and film the new streetcar as it made its way down and up Bathurst. I decided to wait at the Exhibition loop on the CNE grounds for it to arrive because it’s close to where I live, it offered some shelter from the cold, and the loop is relatively well lit.
I was joined (unplanned) at the loop by Jamie Bradburn of Torontoist, local historian Mike Filey, and a handful of transit fans snapping photos. There were loads of TTC employees inside the streetcar (mostly engineers and high ranking staff like Andy Byford, Chris Upfold, Brad Ross) or walking alongside it, while a cadre of support vehicles followed the streetcar.
Below are four raw videos I shot — I tried to capture the vehicle from a few different angles. They are not that well lit (apologies) but it should give you a sense of how you’ll soon experience these new beasts.
Entering the Exhibition loop
Arriving at the Exhibition loop
After testing brake systems, the vehicle passes through the Exhibition loop
Travelling north at Bathurst near Front Street.
11 comments
beside the revamped image, what other features does the new streetcar offer to the public?
Greater capacity for number of riders, 4 exits, low floor accessibility, less contact with drivers, designated space for strollers….
Glad I didn’t go down to video capture this. Lighting, or specifically, lack there of, makes this a little less exciting. I’ll probably wait to photograph and video the new car once it commences daylight tests. The one thing that Matt captured, by shooting in this light-deprived setting, is allow us to see the interior due to the vehicle’s internal lighting system. That will not likely be the case when it begins daylight testing. Good work, and hopefully you’ve defrosted by now.
Yeah, the lighting wasn’t the best and my video expertise is minimal so I wasn’t well equipped to deal with the different lighting levels. Also, the mammoth support vehicles made me move from my spot in the middle of the Ex loop tracks.
Did they keep the clanging bell on the new streetcar? Or was the bell I heard from the older one behind it? I love the sound of that bell, so much nicer than a horn honking.
Also, these new cars accelerate FAST! This will come in handy on ROW routes like Spadina, Harbourfront and St. Clair.
They have kept the bell clang, but i believe it’s a recorded sound projected thru a speaker. But it sounds pretty real.
Thanks for sharing these videos! So cool. Wish I was there.
The disciplined minimalism of the first video is just lovely.
Very glad to hear that they’ve kept the bell sound. The Bombardier vehicles used for Ottawa’s O-Train have a rather piercing electronic bell that plays as they enter each station; the streetcar sounds much better.
How much more room inside is there, exactly? It seems significantly larger than the current articulated ones.
I’m disappointed that they left out the central headlight, which is the most distinct marker of the old PCC and current cars – also the only reliable way of seeing that a streetcar is coming from a distance. I fear the new ones (even with the zippy LED strip) will now disappear into the traffic. Progress.