[getsmart-l] Newmarket once possessed streetcar route into Toronto

[Janet May]

From:  http://www.yorkregion.com/article/53847

 

Street car was desired in York Region of old 

 

Streets near Old Town Hall such as the Main and Botford streets area (above)
used to offer streetcar rides in the early 19th century. 

  

Newmarket 

Oct 15, 2007 08:18 PM 

Newmarket street car service? It's been done before 
By: Sean Pearce 

It's perhaps a little ironic, seeing how many commuters are forced to crawl
along highways or cram into buses on a daily basis, that Newmarket once
possessed a streetcar route into Toronto.

No, that's not a misprint. According to the town's own website, in 1899 a
set of electric railway tracks came up Yonge Street and curved over towards
Newmarket's Main Street via what would today be Cane Parkway. 

The terminal for Newmmarket was at the Railroad Hotel, later known as the
King George Hotel, at Timothy and Main Streets, although later on it did
move a little west and a new terminal was built on Botsford Street across
from the Old Town Hall. Amazingly, the tracks then continued northward up to
Sutton West. 

It can be problematic at times these days to even catch a bus up that far.

The so-called radial was quite the phenomenon for tourists from the big city
of Toronto to the south. 

Many Torontonians came up for the popular Newmarket Farmers' Market held
each Saturday in the town and, according to the town of Newmarket's website,
a North York Agricultural Fair was held here each September that also
brought a great number of weary urbanites out for a bit of country charm.

The streetcar line also had other uses and was sometimes utilized to ship
freight, such as fresh produce, down from the area and into Toronto.

The line was at first operated by the Metropolitan Railway Company from 1897
to 1904, before being acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway
Company. 

The TYRRC operated the service for a further 18 years until it was acquired
by the City of Toronto and operated by Hydro Electric Power Commission of
Ontario as the Hydro Electric Railways: Toronto and York Division in 1922.

As the automobile continued to gain traction as the faster way for folks who
could afford it to get around the fortunes of the streetcar line began to
sour. 

A better network of roads and highways and cheaper automobiles also
contributed to a sharp decline in the service's usage.

Ultimately service beyond Richmond Hill was discontinued in the early 1930s
and in 1947 the tracks running from North Toronto to Richmond Hill were torn
up as the automobile was clearly ruling the road.

Remember that the next time, when you're caught in traffic, and you're
wondering if there isn't a better way to get to the city.

 

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