Читать книгу Toronto Sketches 12 - Mike Filey - Страница 18

September 2, 2012

During its earliest years, what we now know as the Canadian National Exhibition (or simply the CNE or, even easier, the Ex) was the place to see the latest inventions. It didn’t matter whether those new creations were for the farm (after all, the Ex had its genesis in the early 1800s as an agricultural fair), for industry (from 1879 until 1912 it was known as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition), or for the Canadian public, the CNE was looked upon as the showplace of the nation.

Over the years things have changed. Now instead of a trip to the CNE to try out the latest iPhone, BlackBerry, blueberry, megapixel digital camera, or incredibly fast laptop, inspect new household appliances, or perhaps spend some time checking out all the newest cars, it’s off to Best Buy, the Bay, or the local car dealer.

One thing that has remained constant down through the years has been the idea of introducing the latest mass transit vehicles to the general public at the CNE. In fact, if we go back to the 1880s, the Exhibition was the site of a world first in the field of transportation. It was at the fair held in the fall of 1885 that Belgian-American inventor Charles Van Depoele got together with Toronto’s John J. Wright (an inventor in his own right), and together they developed the world’s first electric railway that collected electricity from an overhead wire using a trolley pole and small wheel. The electricity was then fed to motors located under the floor of their steel-wheeled vehicle. Revolutionary at the time, this particular current collecting feature was unique and continues to be used on all of the TTC’s surface streetcars.

The experiment, though successful in 1885 with more than fifteen thousand amazed (and, more importantly, paying) passengers carried over the rails placed along the north side of the fairgrounds from a terminal near Strachan Avenue to a location near the present Music Building, had been less so during the Exhibitions held the previous two years. That was because the more common third rail form of power collection (such as that found in modern subways around the world) was used.

A spark of genius just prior to the 1885 fair (we’re not sure whose spark it was, the Canadian’s or the American’s) prompted the idea of placing the power collection equipment up in the air, well away from the dangerous third rail and more importantly any wayward pedestrians.

The Exhibition’s experimental railway continued for another few years. Its success led to the eventual electrification of the city’s Church Street line in 1892. Within two more years all the previous horse car routes had been electrified. Passengers were happy … and I suppose so too were the horses.

Visitors to the 1885 edition of the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (the name wouldn’t officially become the Canadian National Exhibition until 1912) were amazed to see and ride the newest public transit vehicle. And it was powered by the wonder of the age, electricity. Note the revolutionary trolley pole on the vehicle’s roof.

Other displays related to improvements in public transit vehicles were featured at future Exhibitions. For instance, just as the TTC was about to come into being (exactly ninety-one years ago yesterday, happy anniversary, ladies and gentlemen) the latest in streetcar technology, widely known as the Peter Witt vehicle, was presented to the public attending the 1921 CNE.

Seventeen years later, fairgoers were wowed once again when two of the ultra-modern Presidents’ Conference Committee (PCC) Streamliners were displayed at the 1938 CNE. The TTC went on to add a total of 743 PCCs (the majority new, along with some second-hand vehicles purchased from American transit companies) to its streetcar fleet. (Incidentally, two remain and can be chartered for special events.)

In 1978, number 4000, the first of the new Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (the model seen on today’s city streets) was featured at the CNE’s Centennial Exhibition. A prototype version had been featured at the fair in 1975. The larger, articulated version (ALRV) of this car was displayed at the 1982 edition of the Ex.

As the TTC gets ready to replace both the CLRV and ALRV vehicles in its fleet with new state-of-the-art equipment, mock-ups of possible replacement vehicles supplied by Bombardier and Siemens were featured at the 2007 CNE.

Now, as work gets underway on the construction of the first of the four new light rail lines, Metrolinx is featuring a mock-up of the LRT model scheduled for the Eglinton Crosstown line. It is located in front of the Direct Energy Centre.

The latest in a long list of public transit vehicles that have been displayed over the years at the annual CNE is a partial mock-up of the new Metrolinx light rail vehicle scheduled for use on (among others) the Eglinton Crosstown line. The mock-up is located in front of the Direct Energy Centre. This artist’s rendition of a complete five-car train set was supplied courtesy Metrolinx.