Toronto's colourful streetcar has found a new home
The neon-painted Streetcar Named Toronto rode through the city's streets until the end of 2019, and now it has a new home.
The old vehicle was painted by a group of five Canadian artists to celebrate the CLRVs' 40 years of service until they were completely phased out in favour of Bombardier's Flexity Outlook vehicles at the beginning of this year.
The streetcar has since been donated and it now resides at the Halton County Radial Railway.
The Streetcar Named TORONTO now resides @streetcarmuseum
— Streetcar Museum (@streetcarmuseum) February 15, 2020
Looking good! https://t.co/OcQEgalfOq pic.twitter.com/qQWMEd8xpF
The streetcar museum, located on the Guelph Line in Milton, is closed for the winter but will reopen on May 2.
It offers unlimited historic streetcar rides on 2 km of scenic track, and it also stops at a famous ice cream shop.
Those who visit the museum get full access to the grounds, display barns filled with artifacts and old transit vehicles, historic Rockwood Station and now, the iconic Streetcar Named Toronto.
The museum also recently received three other recently retired CLRVs and one ALRV — which was both the first and last older "bendy streetcar" in service.
The Streetcar Named Toronto arrived at the museum on February 14, and it'll remain there for Toronto residents to admire and appreciate.
Look what arrived today! @streetcarmuseum pic.twitter.com/grfwufunX3
— Streetcar Museum (@streetcarmuseum) February 15, 2020
"Born in Switzerland, raised in Thunder Bay, made famous right here in Toronto. The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle is an icon — as much a symbol of the city as the CN Tower," reads a description of the citizen-funded project.
"Since 1979, they’ve played an outsized role in our urban existence. Whether it was riding to a job interview, a first date, or just watching them go by, our lives as Torontonians are fused with our CLRVs," it continues.
"A Streetcar Named Toronto is an art project and urban exploration that asks the question 'What do these streetcars mean to us?' It’s our chance to answer that question and, in doing, say a proper goodbye."
Tom Twigge
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