G series (Toronto subway)

G-series
A G-Train heads south at Rosedale Station circa 1971
In service	1954–1990
Manufacturer	Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
Built at	Gloucester, England
Constructed	1953–1959
Scrapped	October 6, 1990
Number built	140 (Total) G1: 100 G2: 6 G3: 6 G4: 28
Number in service	None
Number preserved	2 (owned by private museum)
Number scrapped	136
Fleet numbers	G1: 5000-5099 G2: 5100-5105 G3: 5110-5115 G4: 5200-5227
Capacity	62 seated
Operators	Toronto Transit Commission
Lines served	Yonge–University line, Bloor Danforth line (only on farewell trip)
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel (G1, G3, G4), Aluminum (G2)
Car length	17 m (55 ft 9 in)
Width	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height	3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Doors	6 sets (3 sets per side) per car
Weight	38,140 kg (84,000 lb)
Traction system	Crompton-Parkinson 68 hp (51 kW) motors (DC Traction Motors)
Auxiliaries	None (?)
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
Braking system(s)	Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co. digital electro-pneumatic braking and Electro-dynamic reheostatic service brake
Track gauge	4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm) Toronto gauge

The interior of a G-1 car, with fluorescent lighting replacing the original incandescents

The G-series rapid transit cars were a Toronto subway car model, built between 1953 and 1959. The cars were built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the Toronto Transit Commission.

The cars are influenced by Gloucester's Q38 and R stocks built for the London Underground. Since the TTC's original concept for the subway system foresaw the use of rapid transit cars derived from the PCC streetcar, like the Chicago Transit Authority's 6000-series cars, they also bear some minor influences of these. These influences are visible in the use of bulls-eye incandescent lighting similar to that of a PCC car (one pair of cars later had fluorescent lighting installed), and the small operator's cabin located in the front left corner of each car. The Chicago influence was felt through the work of DeLeuw, Cather & Co. of Chicago, whom the TTC contracted as a consultant for the rapid transit project.

The G-series cars were frequently described as "robust and reliable", despite being constructed overweight and energy-inefficient. On October 6 1990 the last G-series trains made a farewell run on the Bloor Danforth line.

The only surviving cars in original condition are 5098/5099, which reside at the Halton County Radial Railway in Milton, Ontario.

G1 Mockup

Two mockup cars were delivered with slight variation from the final design:

• doors slid on the outside of the cars
• more interior lighting
• no additional handle bars for standees
• ceiling vents - missing on final design

Design variances

A total of 140 cars were built. Most were steel-bodied and had painted exteriors; however, six (G-2 series) experimental aluminum-bodied cars demonstrated the benefits of using aluminum for rapid transit car construction. The G-3 class cars were built as 'non-driving-motors' in that they had motorized trucks but were not equipped with an operator's cab or driving controls and thus could only be used in the middle of the train.

Formation

The G cars were originally designed in 2-car "married pair" formations, and were run in trains consisting of 2, 3 or 4 sets (4, 6 or 8 cars). When the G-3 class non-driving cars were introduced in 1956, 14 pairs of the G-3 class cars were inserted between G-1 class cars to form semi-permanently coupled 4-car trainsets, which could be coupled to the 2-car sets or operated on their own.

G-Work cars

Upon retirement from revenue service, several G-Series cars were rebuilt or refitted for duties as subway work cars.

• 5068/5069 converted to grinder cars RT-36/RT-37 in 1991 and are now retired
• 5100/5101 converted to garbage cars RT38/RT39 in 1987 and were retired in 1998
• 5102/5103 converted to grinding cars RT-34/RT-35 and were retired after an accident with a T1 subway car in 2004
• 5104/5105 became tunnel washing units RT14/RT15 in 1988 and were retired in 1999

Model G cars

Two 1/16 scale models of cars 5042 and 5043 were commissioned by Sir Leslie Boyce of GRC&W and constructed by Bassett & Lowke, and have been located at Hillcrest and Greenwood at various times.

The model cars are stored and on display at the Hillcrest Training Centre.

See also

• 1-50 series (Chicago 'L')