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TTC Museum / Visitor Centre
- Thread starter W. K. Lis
- Start date
Platform 27
Active Member
TTC Museum/Visitor Centre
I went digging but couldn't find an old thread about this--apologies if I failed at wrangling the search feature. Anyway, the TTC has been quietly toying with the idea establishing some kind of transitty museum/visitor centre for some time, and in time for the next TTC meeting there's a new report (PDF) back from the heritage consultants on where to go next with the idea.
Apparently, the original proposal was more tightly circumscribed around the idea of a "TTC streetcar museum," but the consultants have (rightly, IMO) now come back with the suggestion that the facility be a bit more broadly steered away from just the TTC's history and into also covering Toronto's pre-TTC transit history, other modes like subways and buses, and getting more of a generalized "present and future" component in there, too.
The consultants have identified that the best site for this facility would be either converting the old Danforth bus garage across from Coxwell station, or purpose-building a visitor space as part of the new Ashbridges Bay LRV carhouse.
Obviously, I imagine no shortage of forumites here would be keen on the idea, but I'd be interested to hear exactly how keen--should substantial money be tossed at this thing? Could a properly-done visitor centre be a valuable way to improve Torontonians relationship with transit? Or is it just going to be a niche-interest space visited by one or two old white guys per week to reminisce about PCCs?
Also, in true Toronto-silo fashion, it seems that nobody seems to be talking between the TTC and the people behind various proposals that have been floated around for a Toronto Civic Museum slash Science-Centre-style "Urbanism Centre". (The Rogers Silos were mooted for that at one point, as has eventually putting something like that into Old City Hall.) Surely a unified facility that offered a larger, multi-hour ROM-style visitor experience would put the TTC's past and future in a better overall civic context?
I went digging but couldn't find an old thread about this--apologies if I failed at wrangling the search feature. Anyway, the TTC has been quietly toying with the idea establishing some kind of transitty museum/visitor centre for some time, and in time for the next TTC meeting there's a new report (PDF) back from the heritage consultants on where to go next with the idea.
Apparently, the original proposal was more tightly circumscribed around the idea of a "TTC streetcar museum," but the consultants have (rightly, IMO) now come back with the suggestion that the facility be a bit more broadly steered away from just the TTC's history and into also covering Toronto's pre-TTC transit history, other modes like subways and buses, and getting more of a generalized "present and future" component in there, too.
The consultants have identified that the best site for this facility would be either converting the old Danforth bus garage across from Coxwell station, or purpose-building a visitor space as part of the new Ashbridges Bay LRV carhouse.
Obviously, I imagine no shortage of forumites here would be keen on the idea, but I'd be interested to hear exactly how keen--should substantial money be tossed at this thing? Could a properly-done visitor centre be a valuable way to improve Torontonians relationship with transit? Or is it just going to be a niche-interest space visited by one or two old white guys per week to reminisce about PCCs?
Also, in true Toronto-silo fashion, it seems that nobody seems to be talking between the TTC and the people behind various proposals that have been floated around for a Toronto Civic Museum slash Science-Centre-style "Urbanism Centre". (The Rogers Silos were mooted for that at one point, as has eventually putting something like that into Old City Hall.) Surely a unified facility that offered a larger, multi-hour ROM-style visitor experience would put the TTC's past and future in a better overall civic context?
Platform 27
Active Member
A simulpost, on this, no less!
God we're a bunch of nerds.
God we're a bunch of nerds.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Why is the Halton County Radial Railway not mentioned anywhere on the report? I think that we absolutely have to do this hand-in-hand with the HCRR, since that's where most of our old streetcars and subways are. They have the only remaining G1s and M1s in existence as well as a big collection of streetcars.
I think that both options they chose are decent locations. The museum would be a much bigger attraction if you could actually ride vintage streetcars as well as looking at them in the carhouse. In that respect, the Ashbridge’s Bay location has an advantage since streetcars could be taken out on the Harbourfront East LRT. Or they could build a simple single track line down the Leslie street spit and have excursions very similar to what currently exists at HCRR.
I think that both options they chose are decent locations. The museum would be a much bigger attraction if you could actually ride vintage streetcars as well as looking at them in the carhouse. In that respect, the Ashbridge’s Bay location has an advantage since streetcars could be taken out on the Harbourfront East LRT. Or they could build a simple single track line down the Leslie street spit and have excursions very similar to what currently exists at HCRR.
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whatever
Senior Member
Somewhere north of the city (maybe at the new Steeles West station?) seems more logical to me. To do it properly it should be easily transit accessible (read: on a subway line), but it also needs to be somewhere where they'll have the room to put out some interesting goodies.
reaperexpress
Senior Member
^^The problem with that is that the people most likely to visit the museum are tourists and they probably won't want to go all the way up to Steeles just for a Transit Museum.
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Justin10000
Banned
The museum should be located in Central Toronto. The roundhouse would be ideal, but I understand there is another museum located there?
andomano
Active Member
There sure is... http://www.trha.ca/. Wychwood barns would have been a nice spot.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
The Edgewater Hotel at the corner of Roncesvalles and Queen is right beside the Roncesvalles carhouse. Wonder if converting the hotel into a TTC Museum/Visitor Centre is possible, especially with the lower ceilings on the upper floors?
GenerationW
Senior Member
I recommend Leslie Station. Plenty of extra room in there.
nfitz
Superstar
Danforth (Coxwell) is an interesting location - if it gives them the space they need. Do you think they plan to re-install the missing 800 metres of streetcar track to connect to the network at Coxwell and Gerrard?
adma
Superstar
To me, the most logical and "accessible" location would be, well, Davisville--why not right at TTC Ground Zero?
reaperexpress
Senior Member
Yes, Davisville would be a great location, but that depends on what they decide to do with it. If they completely consolidated work fleet operations to Wilson then that would be fine. I think even if they do, they should keep enough storage space for the 4 gap trains: they come in handy in the southbound AM rush south of Bloor.
I think many of the options have very distinctive advantages and I would be happy with any of them:
-Davisville is TTC headquarters, has a great location, and would have lots of space if they vacated the garage and yard
-Coxwell/Danforth is on a subway line, has TTC history, and is not too far from the core,
-Lower Bay has history, a lot of public interest already, and would be very cheap to implement as a subway museum
-Ashbridges Bay has more control over the design, and has good potential for vintage streetcar rides
I think many of the options have very distinctive advantages and I would be happy with any of them:
-Davisville is TTC headquarters, has a great location, and would have lots of space if they vacated the garage and yard
-Coxwell/Danforth is on a subway line, has TTC history, and is not too far from the core,
-Lower Bay has history, a lot of public interest already, and would be very cheap to implement as a subway museum
-Ashbridges Bay has more control over the design, and has good potential for vintage streetcar rides
Northern Magus
Active Member
It's a lot like the London Transport Museum, which is located in tourist central at Covent Garden.
Davisville would be a fantastic location -- the space over the tracks and yard is certainly crying out for development. If not there, then perhaps somewhere central or around the waterfront.
Davisville would be a fantastic location -- the space over the tracks and yard is certainly crying out for development. If not there, then perhaps somewhere central or around the waterfront.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
If the Downtown Relief Line will ever become a reality, they could incorporate the museum in one of the downtown stations at the same time. Or build the museum so that a station can be roughed in.