
702517 - Rapido Trains HO CLRV TTC - "Happy Birthday Ontario": #4005 (DC/DCC/Sound)
Rapido
This is a Pre-order, an invoice of $369.95 will be sent when products arrive at The Train Exchange.
In the 1970s, most North American cities were discontinuing their streetcar operations in favour of increased road capacity or light/heavy rail systems. Most cities except Toronto! Toronto’s citizens, spurred by the recent successes against the Spadina Expressway and concerned about the Toronto Transit Commission’s desire to eliminate all streetcars by 1980, successfully lobbied the TTC to continue their streetcar operations. This also meant the TTC would need to find a worthy successor to their ageing fleet of vehicles, and fast.
Most streetcars in their fleet were 30 years old or older and there were no off-the-shelf replacements available. Upgrades to the TTC’s current fleet kept them afloat while the agency went on the hunt for a new car. Enter the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle, commonly referred to as the CLRV. With the help of funding from the Ontario government, which did its part to end the push for the Spadina Expressway, the TTC purchased 200 new vehicles. These would enter service for the first time on the 507 Long Branch route in late 1979. As more vehicles entered service, more routes would fill up with the CLRVs.
Throughout the years, the CLRV became the face of the system. These vehicles operated until 2019 as the backbone of the TTC fleet. Many still survive today in museum collections. The TTC itself even has a vehicle preserved in their possession!
HO Scale TTC Canadian Light Rail Vehicle Features: