| Toronto PCC streetcars | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:TTC_PCC_car_4549_was_part_of_a_parade_of_4_generations_of_streetcars.jpg) Class A-15 PCC 4549 rebuilt from class A-8 | |
| Manufacturer | Canadian Car and Foundry (classes A-1–A-8) |
| Family name | Presidents' Conference Committee |
| Constructed | 1938–1951 (classes A-1–A-8) |
| Capacity | 46; crush load: 134 max. |
| Operators | Toronto Transit Commission |
| Lines served | Toronto streetcar system |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 37,400 lb (17,000 kg) (empty) |
| Traction system | 4 × 48 hp or 36 kW continuous, 4 × 55 hp or 41 kW one hour (rating) |
| Acceleration | 4.3 mph/s (6.9 km/(h⋅s)) |
| Deceleration | 3.6 mph/s (5.8 km/(h⋅s)); emergency 9.0 mph/s (14.5 km/(h⋅s)) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Overhead trolley wire |
| Minimum turning radius | 36 ft (10.973 m) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge |
| Notes/references | |
Capacity, weight, traction system, acceleration, deceleration, etc. are specific to the A-8 class and may be different for other cars.[1] | |
The Presidents' Conference Committee Car was a streetcar used by the Toronto Transportation Commission and the Toronto Transit Commission. The PCC streetcar was designed by the Presidents' Conference Committee, a group of transit operators in the United States and Canada.
The TTC purchased 745 PCC streetcars in all, making it the largest PCC fleet in North America.[2] Of that, 317 were air-electric (with air-compressor) and 428 all-electric (no air-compressor); 540 ordered new and 205 used (from several U.S. operators abandoning streetcar service). 175 PCCs had couplers for multiple-unit operation, and the TTC used them to assemble 2-car PCC trains.[3] The TTC had only a maximum of 744 PCCs in service because car 4063 was scrapped after it derailed and crashed into Lansdowne Carhouse wall on 20 January 1947.[4][5] Today, only two PCCs remain in Toronto, bearing the original 1951 fleet numbers of 4500 and 4549, for charters and special events.[6]
Most of the PCCs were scrapped, with some becoming stationary structures such as restaurants, shops or farm sheds. Other retired TTC PCC cars were purchased for preservation by other organizations, such as rail museums, a few of which continue to operate Toronto PCCs on their own museum rail lines. Five former Toronto cars continue to operate on the Kenosha Electric Railway, a new heritage streetcar line, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TT-4502was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Schneider & Carlson 1983, p. 235.
- ^ Bromley & May 1978, p. 161.
- ^ "Transit Toronto Image: PCC 4063".
- ^ Filey, Mike (October 1997). Toronto Sketches 5: The Way We Were. ISBN 978-1-55002-292-6.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TT-4509was invoked but never defined (see the help page).