Canadian Light Rail Vehicle
| CLRV | |
|---|---|
 A Carlton car crosses the Main Street Bridge |
|
| Manufacturer | L1 - SIG L2 - UTDC |
| Constructed | 1977-1981[1] |
| Number built | 196 |
| Number in service | 195 [1] |
| Number scrapped | 1 |
| Fleet numbers | L1 - 4000-4005 L2 - 4010-4199 |
| Capacity | 42-46 seated*[1], 132 standing *during rebuilds 4 seats removed |
| Operator | Toronto Transit Commission |
| Line(s) served | Toronto Streetcar System |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 15 m (49 ft)[1] |
| Doors | 2 |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h (68 mph)[citation needed] |
| Weight | 22,685 kg (50,010 lb) |
| Acceleration | 1.47 m/s² |
| Deceleration | 1.6 m/s² (3.46 m/s² emergency) |
| Power output | 2 x 136 kW continuous |
| Power supply | Overhead trolley wire |
| Electric system(s) | 600 VDC |
| Braking system(s) | Westinghouse Air Brake Company |
| Gauge |
4 ft 10 7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) - TTC Gauge |
| ALRV | |
|---|---|
 A Queen car pauses at Spadina Avenue |
|
| Manufacturer | MAN and UTDC Urban Transportation Development Corporation |
| Constructed | 1982 1987-1989[1] |
| Number built | 1 52 |
| Number in service | 0 52 [1] |
| Number scrapped | 1 0 |
| Fleet numbers | 4900 4200-4251 [1] |
| Capacity | 61 seated[1], 155 standing |
| Operator | Toronto Transit Commission |
| Line(s) served | Toronto Streetcar System |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 23 m (75 ft) [1] |
| Doors | 3 |
| Maximum speed | 110 km/h (68 mph) |
| Weight | 36,745 kg (81,010 lb) |
| Acceleration | 1.2 m/s² |
| Deceleration | 1.6 m/s² (3.13 m/s² emergency) |
| Power output | 4 x 65 kW continuous |
| Power supply | Overhead trolley wire |
| Electric system(s) | 600 VDC |
| Braking system(s) | Westinghouse Air Brake Company |
| Gauge | 4 ft 10 7⁄8 (1,495 mm) - TTC Gauge |
The Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV) is a type of streetcar that is used by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto, Canada.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Towards the end of the 1970s and the beginning of the 1980s, TTC's fleet of PCC streetcars had approached (or exceeded in some cases) the end of their useful life. Many Toronto citizens, and a group known as "Streetcars for Toronto" had fought successfully against the TTC's plans to convert its remaining streetcar lines to buses, and thus necessitated a new streetcar to replace the aging PCCs. The "Canadian Light Rail Vehicle" was an attempt at a new, standardized streetcar design to be used in Toronto as well as other new streetcar developments throughout the country. There was also a similar attempt of the concept made in the United States around the same time, with cars built by Boeing Vertol for Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and the San Francisco Municipal Railway.
[edit] Production
The first ten cars were to be manufactured by SIG of Zurich, Switzerland and used as templates for Urban Transportation Development Corporation (UTDC) (now Bombardier) to manufacture the rest at the Hawker-Siddeley Canada Ltd. Thunder Bay works. However, as a cost-saving measure this number was later reduced to six, accounting for no CLRVs numbered 4006-4009. These cars are used by the TTC and are numbered 4000 to 4005, and 4010-4199. They are the primary type of streetcar currently used by the TTC, along with the Articulated Light Rail Vehicle.
In 1980, cars 4027, 4029 and 4031 were leased and tested by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA).[2] During this time, the cars were occasionally operated as two- and three-car trains.
[edit] Articulated Light Rail Vehicle
The Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) is a lengthened version of the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle design, and, as the name suggests, features an articulated joint. A pantograph-equipped prototype, numbered 4900, was built in 1982 and used by the TTC for testing. It was returned to UTDC in 1987 and later scrapped.
The cars were built by two contractors, MAN of Germany for bogies and articulation and UTDC at the Thunder Bay Plant.
ALRV streetcars are used regularly on the 501 Queen, 504 King (Rush Hour Periods) 511 Bathurst (During the Canadian National Exhibition) and 508 Lake Shore routes.
The cars are numbered 4200-4251.
[edit] Impact and legacy
The attempt made in the United States to design a standard light rail car design was unsuccessful, and the cars proved troublesome to both transit systems that had purchased them. While the CLRV had fared relatively better for Toronto's streetcar system, other cities expressed little interest in the design, and they remained exclusively Toronto's streetcars. Consequently, this has made the cars much more difficult and costly to maintain, as they required specially made parts. This, combined with the fact that the cars are not wheelchair accessible, has prompted the TTC to consider replacing them, preferably with a more "off the shelf" design (one having widespread usage and popularity).[3] In 2009, TTC announced the car's successor.
[edit] See also
- Hawker Siddeley Canada proposed their version of a streetcar in the 1970s known as the Municipal Service Car, but the bus-like car lost out to the CLRV.
- US Standard Light Rail Vehicle, a similar attempt to build a standardized PCC successor in the US which, unlike the CLRV, failed.
- Santa Clara VTA Light-rail, which used a somewhat similar car design also produced by UTDC.
- Flexity Outlook (Toronto LRV) (planned successor of Toronto's fleet of CLRV/ALRVs)
- Toronto streetcar system
- Light Rail Vehicle
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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