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Russell Carhouse
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Russell Carhouse
The Russell Carhouse, located at Queen Street East and Connaught Avenue just east of Greenwood Avenue in Toronto, is the Toronto Transit Commission's second oldest carhouse.
Russell Carhouse used to store and maintain high-floor streetcars which have all been retired from service. It is currently used to store and dispatch a small number of low-floor streetcars. The carhouse has not yet been adapted to maintain low-floor streetcars, but the TTC plans to renovate the carhouse to do so. [needs update]
An article in a 1978 issue of the TTC's internal magazine, The Coupler, asserts that the carhouse is named for T.A. (Tommy Alexander) Russell (founder of Russell Motor Car Company) and friend of Robert John Fleming a former Mayor of Toronto and general manager of the Toronto Railway Company. However, a member of Ontario's Provincial Parliament, Joseph Russell, was also a friend to Fleming, and his brick manufacturing yard was near the carhouse, and supplied brick for the carhouse. Transit historian Ray Corley asserts the yard was more likely named after Joseph Russell, due to the proximity of his yard, and due to playing a role in the facility's construction.
Russell Carhouse was built in 1913 by the Toronto Railway Company as a paint shop. When the TRC's King Carhouse burnt down in 1916, Russell was rapidly turned into a carhouse. In 1921, the TTC took over and amalgamated all the existing streetcar systems within the city limits. By 1922, it had acquired land on the west side of the carhouse building to build a 15-track storage yard. The TTC found that the carhouse foundations were faulty and the facility was sinking. They called for tenders for its demolition and the construction of a new carhouse which opened on December 13, 1924. A separate traffic office building was constructed at the corner of Queen Street and Connaught Avenue. The only surviving part of the 1913 carhouse is a wing on its east side facing Connaught Avenue; it contained offices, a store room and a boiler room.
In 1922 the TTC added fire equipment to its St. Clair Carhouse, Danforth Carhouse, Russell Carhouse and Lansdowne Carhouse.
In August 1928, the ladder tracks at the south end of the Russell yard were moved 15 feet (4.6 m) to the north in order to widen Eastern Avenue to 4 lanes.
Between 1927 and 1936, radial cars for the Scarboro radial line were stored at Russell Carhouse. The TTC took over Scarboro radial operation in 1927 and connected the radial line to Bingham Loop for carhouse movements.
By 2011, when the TTC contracted with Bombardier Transportation to replace its fleet of streetcars with modern, low-floor streetcars, some consideration was given to refurbishing the maintenance facilities at the Russell facility to accommodate the vehicles, rather than build a new half billion dollar facility. The site chosen for the Leslie Barns carhouse was only a few hundred yards away from the Russell facility. Local city councilor Mary-Margaret McMahon argued for improving the Russell facility in 2011. In the end the new Leslie carhouse was built. But the Russell facility was to remain open to store new vehicles not requiring maintenance work.
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Russell Carhouse
The Russell Carhouse, located at Queen Street East and Connaught Avenue just east of Greenwood Avenue in Toronto, is the Toronto Transit Commission's second oldest carhouse.
Russell Carhouse used to store and maintain high-floor streetcars which have all been retired from service. It is currently used to store and dispatch a small number of low-floor streetcars. The carhouse has not yet been adapted to maintain low-floor streetcars, but the TTC plans to renovate the carhouse to do so. [needs update]
An article in a 1978 issue of the TTC's internal magazine, The Coupler, asserts that the carhouse is named for T.A. (Tommy Alexander) Russell (founder of Russell Motor Car Company) and friend of Robert John Fleming a former Mayor of Toronto and general manager of the Toronto Railway Company. However, a member of Ontario's Provincial Parliament, Joseph Russell, was also a friend to Fleming, and his brick manufacturing yard was near the carhouse, and supplied brick for the carhouse. Transit historian Ray Corley asserts the yard was more likely named after Joseph Russell, due to the proximity of his yard, and due to playing a role in the facility's construction.
Russell Carhouse was built in 1913 by the Toronto Railway Company as a paint shop. When the TRC's King Carhouse burnt down in 1916, Russell was rapidly turned into a carhouse. In 1921, the TTC took over and amalgamated all the existing streetcar systems within the city limits. By 1922, it had acquired land on the west side of the carhouse building to build a 15-track storage yard. The TTC found that the carhouse foundations were faulty and the facility was sinking. They called for tenders for its demolition and the construction of a new carhouse which opened on December 13, 1924. A separate traffic office building was constructed at the corner of Queen Street and Connaught Avenue. The only surviving part of the 1913 carhouse is a wing on its east side facing Connaught Avenue; it contained offices, a store room and a boiler room.
In 1922 the TTC added fire equipment to its St. Clair Carhouse, Danforth Carhouse, Russell Carhouse and Lansdowne Carhouse.
In August 1928, the ladder tracks at the south end of the Russell yard were moved 15 feet (4.6 m) to the north in order to widen Eastern Avenue to 4 lanes.
Between 1927 and 1936, radial cars for the Scarboro radial line were stored at Russell Carhouse. The TTC took over Scarboro radial operation in 1927 and connected the radial line to Bingham Loop for carhouse movements.
By 2011, when the TTC contracted with Bombardier Transportation to replace its fleet of streetcars with modern, low-floor streetcars, some consideration was given to refurbishing the maintenance facilities at the Russell facility to accommodate the vehicles, rather than build a new half billion dollar facility. The site chosen for the Leslie Barns carhouse was only a few hundred yards away from the Russell facility. Local city councilor Mary-Margaret McMahon argued for improving the Russell facility in 2011. In the end the new Leslie carhouse was built. But the Russell facility was to remain open to store new vehicles not requiring maintenance work.
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