Coming down Spadina Avenue over the newly rebuilt railway bridge, I was surprised to find this long line-up of PCC cars. That's when I knew that something was up. We are standing on the oldest portion of the Spadina Streetcar, actually. This new track on Spadina was needed to get the Harbourfront streetcars in and out of service, but the TTC still took the opportunity of building these tracks to LRT Standards...

Framed by the Gardiner Expressway above, this empty PCC awaits a parade along the route. The motorman standing outside of his car doesn't seem to expect any movement to be happening soon. The streetcars can wait without fear of tying up traffic, sitting as they are on private right-of-way.

Directly to the right of my previous shot, Spadina Loop is where the ceremonies are taking place. This car, filling up with dignitaries, will be leading the parade of PCCs along the whole route into Union Station.

And we're off. The parade of PCCs gets moving... The cars at the ceremony were 4500 (bearing the banner), 4549, 4602, 4603, 4606, 4608 and 4607 travelling in sequence.

This rebuilt PCC runs beside this Orion mini-bus serving the 19B Church route (later replaced by the 121 Front-Esplanade route). The bus served the portion of Queen's Quay between Bathurst and Spadina.

As I wasn't a dignitary, nor a member of the press, I wasn't allowed onto the dignitaries' streetcar, nor was I allowed to ride the route (pity). However, the driver of this vehicle did allow me to take this shot of the rebuilt interior while he waited for the parade to get underway. The Ride Guides by the door promote the opening of the Harbourfront route.

The first stop in the parade is at Rees Street, a stop to be used by many Skydome patrons once the stadium opened just up the street. Here, dignitaries disembark, and speeches are given. Amongst the attendees are the TTC's brass band (not shown) and the TTC's Safety Beaver (what was his name again?)

Once the speeches were over, the streetcars resume their slow procession. Here they are passing the Simcoe Street stop (Simcoe Street is only now being extended across the redeveloping rail lands to meet this stop...).

Here we are at York Street. Note the yellow sign on the pole telling left-turning car drivers to watch for streetcars. It would be a few months before transit priority signals were to be installed on this route.

Here we are at the Ferry Docks temporary outdoor station. The Harbourfront LRT opened late, and in a rush. The Queens Quay underground station wasn't open until six months after the rest of the line began operation. In the interim, a temporary platform was built at the tunnel entrance.

Here is the tunnel entrance. From here, the cars dive underground, turn left beneath Bay Street, pass the unfinished Queens Quay (Ferry Docks) station, and then continue along the long tunnel to Union Station. I wasn't the only one, incidentally, to be taking an interest in this parade. A number of passers-by followed the procession to this point, including this guy on the bike.

A word about the services that the new streetcar replaced. During the two years of construction which closed down Bay Street, the southern portion of the Bay trolley bus was replaced by this shuttle route between Union Station and Jarvis Street. This was its last day, although it would be a little while before trolley coach wires were restrung and trolley bus service resumed on Bay Street south of Front. Trolley buses in general, however, would disappear from Toronto's streets in about two years time...

The 77B Spadina Branch was not exactly a "casualty" of the streetcar route (it continued to operate during Sunday mornings until 9 a.m.), but this service was not the same again. Call me weird, but I had a soft spot for this bus, which travelled along one of the most diverse routes in Toronto, from the south Annex, past the U of T, through the mayhem of Chinatown and the Fashion District, over the railway lands and past the abandoned warehouses of Harbourfront, this route ended in the heart of the downtown (behind the bus is the Hockey Hall of Fame building before it housed the Hockey Hall of Fame). I enjoyed sitting at a Second Cup on Scott Street, watching the 77B Bus end its route near St. Lawrence Market, apparently worlds away from where it had started from.

Unfortunately, I had to wait until Saturday, like the rest of the general public, to ride the streetcar myself. This shot at Union Station shows the entrance into the streetcar loading area.

This scene has changed significantly in the intervening eight years. The PCCs are gone, having been replaced by CLRVs due to noise complaints and the opening of the Spadina Streetcar. The route is now 510, not 604, and the velvet dividers keeping people back from the streetcars have been replaced by ugly yellow fences cutting the station in half. Still, the Harbourfront Streetcar was an exciting achievement. Together with the Spadina streetcar, which opened seven years later, the two provide rapid service along one of Toronto's most interesting streets, and through Toronto's reclaimed waterfront.