Caption: Due to the opening of the TTC's new Bloor-Danforth subway line in February 1966, and its subsequent extensions in May 1968, a chunk of the Toronto Transit Commission's fleet of PCC streetcars became redundant and were sold off. Alexandria, Egypt was the largest buyer, acquiring groups of TTC PCC's in both 1966 and 1968. The cars sold were the earliest TTC "air-electric" PCC cars (4000-4200 series, A1-A5 classes built new) and the oldest secondhand air-electric cars (4575-series, A10-class ex-Cincinnati), while newer cars stayed on the roster and continued in TTC service.

This photo taken by Tom Gascoigne pretty much sums things up nicely: down at the Toronto Port Authority, rows and rows of early TTC PCC air-electric streetcars sit at Pier 24, awaiting loading into the Mare Tranquillo for shipment to Egypt. They had been previously loaded onto flatbed trucks by the TTC at Russell Carhouse, and trucked down to the portlands for their final seafaring trip overseas. Some had already been loaded in the days prior, but many still sat on their trucks on the bare pavement awaiting the cranes parked nearby to hoist them onboard. In addition to the ship and port crews shown (evidently shirts were optional), some transit photographers and other spectators were aboard the ship and on the ground on this day to watch and document the loading process. Most were loaded by the mobile cranes off the pier, but a few streetcars were loaded onto a barge, floated to the other side of the ship, and loaded via barge crane aboard the other side.

According to sources, there were about 76 ex-TTC PCC cars being shipped out in this batch. As they were loaded aboard, they were crammed on every inch of available space including on top of the ships' holds, inside the ship's holds (apparently on top of a load of corn) and along the deck sides (all 76 apparently made it on a single trip). Cars lined up below in the first row are former TTC 4202, 4278, 4579, 4169, 4580 and 4221. Second row: 4576, 4188, 4587, 4575, 4279, 4251. Known car on far right in front: 4111. Across the upper back on the right: 4217(?), 4229, 4577, 4231. Cars loaded aboard included 4235, 4200, 4022, 4258, 4205 and many more. "Barge cars" included 4270, 4178 and 4232. Lined up along the portside edge (out of sight to the right) were 4581, 4268, 4213, 4242, 4225, 4250, 4223, 4043, 4006, 4293 & 4007, awaiting loading once this batch were finished. Other early cars that had not been resold were mostly sold for scrap and cut up, but the first PCC car, 4000, did manage to escape both fates and is now preserved at the Halton County Radial Railway.

In Egypt, many of the ex-TTC streetcars were pressed into service, with some modified to operate in multiple car trains of 2-car sets and later 3-car sets. The final ones were apparently retired in the mid-1980's.

For the industrial rail enthusiasts and old Toronto history buffs, this view in the portlands was shot off the starboard side of the Mare facing east towards Cherry Street, with Polson Street to the south running along the right. Pier 24 here did not have rail sidings, but Pier 35 to the north did (including a large dockside crane). Industries visible include the two Canada Cement silos (served by rail, note the CN "slab-side" covered hoppers), Texaco Canada (tank farm on the other side of Cherry Street, also served by rail, note "Sky Chief Gasoline" advertisement) and part of the old Hearne generating station visible beyond. On the right was the Continental Can Co. (note ONR boxcar spotted on the siding along Polson St., the building today is home to a variety of businesses including Rebel nightclub). Beyond that to the south (on the far right in the distance) was an auto recycling yard known as Industrial Metals Ltd (that part of an episode of Police Surgeon was filmed at). All were accessed by rail off the Q400 Ashbridges Bay switching lead that ran next to Cherry Street.

Tom J. Gascoigne photo, Dan Dell'Unto collection slide.