Caption: TTC PCC 4508 (A8-class, delivered new in 1951) operating on the St. Clair route departs the new St. Clair West Subway Station underground terminal, heading up the entry/exit ramp back to St. Clair Avenue West to continue through mid-town Toronto westbound to Keele Loop on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The Spadina subway line was brand new at the time, having opened months ago back in January 1978. Extensive construction here was required to dig the new station and entry/exit ramps in the middle of the busy street (with streetcars and the roadway diverted around the tunneling work). Once completed, streetcars and other transit vehicles could just duck into the underground loop, service the subway station terminal, and exit back out onto the street without having to turn out into traffic or wait for any traffic lights.

This shot was taken during a Canada Day weekend fantrip (which might explain the supervisors at the far left), with Peter Witt cars 2766 and 2894 chartered that day on July the 1st, and PCC's 4379 and 4662 chartered the next day on July the 2nd. In celebration of the date, all streetcars had little Canadian flags attached to their trolley pole retriever wires (barely visible above the top of the car in this photo).

Original photographer unknown, Dan Dell'Unto collection side.