Comments on: Not your regular Toronto streetcar: TTC Snow Sweeper S-30 plies its trade along the streets of Toronto, clearing snowy slush from Broadview Avenue near Wolfrey Avenue as a line of cars builds up behind.Having a large streetcar network across the city, it was important to keep the tracks clear during winter weather. For decades, the TTC had its own fleet of snow-clearing equipment, including rail-mounted snow sweepers and snow plows (apparently they even had regular snow-clearing routes they were sent out on). TTC S-30, originally built for the Third Avenue Railway System of New York in the early 1920′s, was equipped with a set of motorized rotating bristles at both ends and side plow blades to push the snow back. Bristles worked better than a plow blade to clear snow out of the flangeways of streetcar tracks. They were even used to couple up to and push stranded or disabled streetcars stuck in the snow.The snow sweeper fleet was phased out by the early 70′s, in favour of the city’s own snow removal. A few stored sweepers could be found still lingering around the back tracks of Roncesvalles Carhouse yard as late as 1973.Robert D. McMann photo (duplicate slide), Dan Dell’Unto collection slide.

By: awmooney

awmooney — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 22:13:31 +0000

This is classic. Don’t know how I missed seeing this image when it was first posted.

Paul O'Shell — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 12:14:45 +0000

TTC Work Equipment. Very nice!

Klaucker — Sun, 31 Mar 2024 11:19:25 +0000

Very Interesting

MrDan — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 17:55:51 +0000

For 1960′s footage of TTC snow sweepers in operation, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5WW7a1fQY0