Text by Godfrey Mallion
The Toronto Civic Railway opened the Danforth Carhouse, at Danforth Avenue and Coxwell Avenue, as an operating streetcar carhouse in September, 1915. They operated the Danforth and Gerrard routes from this facility.
This carhouse was taken over by the Toronto Transportation Commission on September 1, 1921. The first streetcar line operated with Peter Witt vehicles, BROADVIEW, was hosted by this facility with the Witts commencing service on October 2, 1921.
Danforth Carhouse closed as an operating streetcar facility, with the February 26, 1966 opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway. Streetcar operations were transfered to Russell Carhouse.
Sherbourne Garage operated buses for Danforth Division while the carhouse was converted to a bus garage.
The garage opened on April 23, 1967. The 60,000 sq. ft. garage accomodated 134 buses. The depot included 1 wash rack, 1 diesel fueling station, 6 40-ft. hoists, and 8 inspection pit stations.
Near the end of service Danforth operated GMC-T6H5307N, FIL-D-901, and NOVA RTS buses.
In 1993 Danforth Garage operated the BROADVIEW, COXWELL, DAWES, DON MILLS, GREENWOOD, MORTIMER, MAIN, PARLIAMENT, O'CONNOR, PAPE, THORNCLIFFE PARK, JONES, COSBURN, WOODBINE, WOODBINE SOUTH, WELLESLEY, FLEMINGDON PARK, and PREMIUM EXPRESS via QUEEN routes.
With the opening of the New Eglinton Garage, Danforth Garage closed on March 30, 2002.
Sources
- Boutilier, Robert, Bus Maintenance and Shops - 1999 Insider's Guide
- Kay, Jeffrey (ed.), Transfer Points, Feb/Mar 1993, Toronto.
- TTC History Cards, City of Toronto Archives, Toronto.
- The Coupler, TTC Employee Magazine, various issues
