TTC from 25 years ago

[CDL.TO]

Trolleybuses combine the uncomfortable ride of a traditional bus with the inflexible operation of a streetcar!

Hamilton had a pretty decent trolleybus network until fairly recently as well. Perhaps other forum members are more knowledgeable about it than I am.

 

[ShonTron]

Hamilton had three trolley bus routes from about 1970 to 1992, when it was eliminated - all three routes (1 King, 2 Barton, 3 Cannon) still exist as bus routes, with little variation since (unlike all TTC ex-trolley routes except 4/26, 6 and 74). In fact, all of these routes remained almost exactly the same since 1951, when the streetcars were abandoned, except extensions on the east side and the dieselization of route 4 Burlington.

Barton was the last route to go - the buses on this route had diesel units retrofitted to get into the new Wentworth garage, which was not wired.

 

[adma]

A lone trolley bus pole stood on a traffic island north of Keele station until very recently--two or three weeks ago, I noticed some evidence of a recent accident cleanup, and no more pole...

 

[RedRocket191]

A lone trolley bus pole stood on a traffic island north of Keele station until very recently--two or three weeks ago, I noticed some evidence of a recent accident cleanup, and no more pole...

There's a whole row of poles on Lake Shore East, between Freeland & Lower Jarvis (where the #6 loops).

One of my most vivid memories from growing up in Etobicoke was watching an Edmonton trolley turn from Weston Road onto Albion, then make the quick right onto the ramp to head back to Weston.

 

[JasonParis]

Are there still trolley poles at Weston & Albion? I rember seeing some as recently as a few years back.

 

[ShonTron]

I believe Weston and Albion has a few redundant poles that would have been used for trolley buses, but apart from a very few places, the redundant poles are gone.

However, the thin metal poles which are still used for lighting, electric power (most now rusting away) that are still found along many current streetcar routes can be found along former trolley bus and streetcar routes, such as Ossington, Rogers Road, Keele south, Weston, Lansdowne, Harbord, Pape, Yonge north, Mount Pleasant and Avenue Road.