Toronto's Dundas Streetcar - 1960s

[@argopunk]

I met Ray Neilson standing at the tracks at the recently-completed Spadina Streetcar line, nice man. He wasn't sure I was a streetcar geek at first, but then I rang off all kinds of facts and he gave me a vintage streetcar transfer. RIP Ray.

[@lawoftheuniverse8089]

I'm still standing here waiting for my Streetcar since 1965 !!!

[@lovesmusic36]

I can believe it! If it finally gets there, don't pay more than what the fare was in 1965! I can remember children's tickets 4 for 25 cents!

[@n74wilson33]

Toronto doesn't deserve transit. 😂😂

[@barbaraleszczynski2214]

I still live in Toronto since 1955.....and remember it all to this day. I miss those simple old days! I love Toronto.

[@eddiep812]

Lived in Toronto as a young kid from 1963 through 1970. I fondly remember those electric powered trolley/streetcars. (Watching American-based television shows in Toronto as an impressionable lad... I couldn't understand why the Toronto Police insisted on yellow squad cars back in those days)

[@EveMarie-v1r]

0:49:- correction, air-electrics were the only cars used on Dundas from WW2 to 1966 when they were retired en masse with the opening of the Crosstown subway. Ditto for Queen and King; Ditto for Harbord from the opening of the Yonge subway until 1966, likewise for Carlton. All the air-electrics operated out of only Roncesvalles and Russell and Lansdowne car-houses and all the streetcars at Roncesvalles were exclusively air-electrics from ca 1954 to 1966.

[@streetcarjay]

Correction, The Eaton Centre opened in 1977.

[@monicapushkin3274]

Awesome historic video.

[@brian13105]

Remember it all, including the loop around Eaton's Annex Store behind Old City Hall and the Vincent Loop (the little half block long street that isn't there anymore) across Dundas from where Dundas West Stn. is today, were the King Cars used to loop.

[@emmerichkremeth1840]

I still remember that China Town was on Dundas just west of Bay up to University. It was not China Town at Spadina at that time.

[@eddiep812]

I was a young child at the time... but I remember the China Town streets were paved with bricks.

[@user-sj7xv1er1u]

WoW that IS a while back, I remember on Dundas between Huron & Beverly the huge old houses with teeny store fronts stuck to the fronts, one of them was a fortune cookie factory. would be the early-mid 1960s.

[@mapleveritas2698]

Yeah. When I came in 1981, we had three Chinatowns. The old Chinatown was in the Dundas and Bay area. The midtown Chinatown was at Gerrard and Broadview. And the new Chinatown was at Spadina and Dundas. I heard, not sure whether it was true or not, that people had to move away from the old Chinatown because they wanted to build the new city hall there. That is the Nathan Phillips Square as we know it now. In 1981, the old Chinatown was more or less gone. Some Chinese restaurants and shops were still there, but it was obvious its days as Chinatown were numbered. The new Chinatown was where we all went for dimsum in the 1980's. Of course, when the new wave of immigrants from Hong Kong came in the 1990's, they did not go to the Chinatowns at all. Instead, they started developing in Scarborough, and later Richmond Hill and Markham. I don't think we really have true Chinatowns in Toronto any more. Many areas have Chinese restaurants and frankly, Chinese is just one of the diverse groups in Toronto. Since the second generation usually does not even understand the written Chinese language, I doubt they will purposely choose a Chinese store, other than for Chinese food. As is the tradition of the Spadina and Queen/Dundas areas, once the immigrants gained certain wealth and status, they move out. That is what happened to the new Chinatown. New groups of immigrants moved in. And the new Chinatown lost much of its characteristics soon after. I watched a wonderful documentary about the Jewish era of Spadina and Queen recently. I wonder whether there is such a documentary about Chinese immigrants in Toronto.

[@FelixAn]

For now, we only have the replacement buses on the 505, because Bombardier hasn't even delivered all the new streetcars yet.

[@mikeythesoulace]

I thought the 505 was doing bustitution because of construction

[@FelixAn]

@@mikeythesoulace That too.

[@drezamuller5400]

Yah good bye

[@argopunk]

They finally arrived.

[@railsedge5746]

Dundas streetcar went right by my house 😮

[@Steve-ov5ri]

No tents

[@glen6945]

OOOHHHHYES