Small Witt 2894 pauses at the passenger crossing after a quick jaunt through the West Loop. Behind the streetcar is the gift shop and ticket office. Visitors to the museum park in the parking lot behind the gift shop, buy their tickets, and board the vehicles here.

On board Witt 2894, the conductor greets passengers and talks a bit about the museum, the car they are riding on, and other interesting tales. But the conductor's job is not just public relations. He is responsible for ensuring the safe operation of the vehicle, keeping his or her eyes open and communicating with the driver using a set of signals.

On the day of my trip, I boarded PCC 4600. Here, the vehicle is at the western boarding point, facing west. Number 3 carhouse is behind, including a number of vehicles in various states of restoration. The PCC in the background is 4618.

Here, PCC 4600 waits at the entrance to the main line while Patrick Lavallee makes sure the switch is aligned correctly before the streetcar heads into the woods.

The highlight of the museum is the trip along the mainline through the woods. On the day this photograph was taken, the trilliums were blooming across the forest floor. The Fall Colour Extravaganzas are another must-see event.

At the eastern end of the trip, we have the East Loop, with such features as Number 1 carhouse, the Rock Garden, and the Ice Cream Shop. At the loop, there is a shelter signed "Meadowvale", which is one of the two remaining structures from the Toronto Suburban Railway. Both were rescued from a farmers field and now reside on museum property.

Here is another shot of PCC 4600 and the Meadowvale shelter at the East Loop.

A better shot of the Meadowvale Shelter, this time with Witt 2894 in the loop.

Witt 2894 passes PCC 4600 at the entrance to the East Loop.

The museum has a number of other vehicles which aren't in operating condition. Some will be restored in the future, while others will be scrapped and used for parts.

North Yonge Railways car 416 stares out of a bay in Number 1 carhouse. Restoration of this car is halted at present, to be resumed at a later date. Volunteers are a limited resource at the museum, and it's not possible to get every single piece of equipment into operating condition at the same time. Not without help, anyway.

At the Number 3 carhouse, we see some more of the available equipment. Toronto Railway Company open car 327 (peeping out of the bay) is a popular attraction, and Chicago Transit Authority 48 should be another such attraction soon. CTA 48 may an unusual car to be on the museum, given that it is an American subway vehicle, but mechanically it is a PCC, and could have been the model chosen for the Yonge subway. The car is currently being modified with trolley poles and may be taking passengers by the end of the year.

At carhouse #2, we see TRC snowplow TP-11 and Gloucester subway cars 5098 and 5099. Both are in operating condition and take passengers during special occasions.

PCC 4000, the first PCC in Toronto, sits on blocks in Number 2 Carhouse. It is undergoing thorough restoration to keep it operating for years to come. Number 2 Carhouse is where most of the mechanical restoration of equipment occurs.

At the end of the first day, Patrick Lavallee gave me some training on how to operate a streetcar. He called it 'membership recruitment', and he knew how to get me interested. I signed up the next week. While I was visiting to receive training on how to be a conductor and (later) a driver, I brought along my camera and caught some interesting moves. In this shot, CTA 48 is being used to pull TRC #55 from its bay in Number 3 carhouse. To power CTA 48, volunteers used a 'snake'; basically a cord connecting the power input with the overhead wire.

I was kindly allowed into CTA 48 to take this picture while this move was taking place. The car is in good condition and, once modified, should prove a popular attraction with visitors.

Here is a shot through the side windows of CTA 48 at PCC 4618. Note the similar window arrangements. To get this vehicle onto the unique TTC guage, all volunteers had to do was pop her onto the trucks of PCC 4602.

The purpose of all this moving about was to get TRC Convertable car 1704 out of Number 3 Carhouse and into Number 2 Carhouse where work could proceed on its restoration. Witt 2894 does the towing honours, taking car 1704 onto the mainline.

Witt 2894 couldn't tow TRC Convertable car 1704 through the West Loop, so the car had to be unhooked, and 2894 backed past the switch and onto the mainline. How would car 1704 be moved, then? You guessed it: manual labour. You shouldn't be afraid of physical activity if you volunteer with the HCRY, but the sweat you pour into this museum makes the end results all the more satisfying. TRC 1704 is now in Number 2 Carhouse, and it is hoped that this vehicle will be in operating condition in time for the museum's 50th anniversary.