The UNIQUE TRACK GAUGE of the TTC and the High Park railway.

The 1889 horse-drawn streetcar photo mentioned above (from the TSR era) directly relates to the High Park line at King and Queen streets.
Note, the route sign on the unit. The 1889 horse-drawn streetcar photo, (from the TSR era) directly relates to the High Park line at King and Queen streets.

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Toronto Gauge, used by the Toronto streetcar system, measuring 4 ft 10 7/8 in, a long search over a long time indicates this gauge is used nowhere else. Gauges in Leipzig,Germany, also a  historical gauge or the common Russian gaugeare close but not identical.

 

full text, of a 1995 comment on the Toronto gauge,

 

SO IT DOES MAKE SENSE, AFTER ALL!

THE UNIQUE TRACK GAUGE of four feet, ten and seven eighths inches used by the TORONTO TRANSIT COMMISSION, and its predecessors, the Toronto Transportation Co-mission, the Toronto Railway Company, and the Weston, High Park and Toronto Railway, has been a puzzle to transportation-fanciers for many years. How could any one, in their right mind, select such an unusual measurement? Naturally, Toronto would want to be different, but why not a “straight” measurement, like 4’10” or 4’11”?

I have heard two completely different and contradictory explanations, but always thought that they should be taken with a grain of salt. According to one prominent rail historian, the gauge was largely originally by the city council or board of civil engineers, and they thought that a “wide gauge” of 4’10⅞” would be better than the rails were 4’10⅞” or so sound wacky!!! Because making the rails was a popular but dangerous custom in other cities where the street railways were. Heard the rails were two or three inches higher than the road surface frequently caused carriages and light delivery wagons to overturn in most well-regulated cities the practice was forbidden. Anyway, history has learned differently and indicated most emphatically that the Toronto gauge was used so that ordinary vehicles could NOT ride the rails. So, when I disagreed, but in a poor Toastmaster to do?

Not long ago, I was amusing myself by compiling a list of all the gauges used in various parts of the world, and afterwards did the measurements from feet and inches to the metric system, and vice versa, when suddenly the light dawned. The Toronto street railway gauge is exactly 1.40 meters, and it is evident that some early official had a good idea.

Robert R. Brown. 1955 Aug 24 – Canadian Rail

Below is brief a description of the High Park Railway followed by other local transit railways.

High Park Railway
The High Park Railway pertains to the streetcar lines serving High Park, Toronto’s largest public park, which were integral to early urban transit development and later absorbed by the TTC. High Park streetcar access began with the Toronto Railway Company  in the 1890s. The High Park Loop, a key terminal, opened in 1893 at the park’s eastern edge near Bloor Street West and High Park Avenue, initially served by horse-drawn cars before electrification.
By 1892-1893, operations extended along Dundas Street to Humberside Avenue, connecting with TRC lines near High Park.
Operations emphasized recreational access to High Park, with loops and diversions accommodating park visitors. When the TRC’s franchise expired on August 31, 1921, its assets, including High Park routes, transferred to the TTC on September 1, 1921. The High Park Loop was rebuilt in 1922 by the TTC. Opening TTC High Park subway station on May 10, 1968, which replaced much of the surface rail.
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Toronto Railway
The Toronto Railway Company  was a pivotal private operator in the early development of Toronto’s streetcar system. Incorporated in 1891 as part of the Mackenzie and Mann Canadian Northern empire, the TRC secured a 30-year franchise from the City of Toronto to operate and expand the city’s streetcar lines, succeeding the Toronto Street Railway (TSR), which had provided horse-drawn services since 1861. The TRC took over operations on September 1, 1891, inheriting 18 routes spanning 68 miles with 252 wooden horse-drawn cars.

The TRC’s era ended on August 31, 1921, when its franchise expired, and the City of Toronto reclaimed the assets, transferring them to the newly formed Toronto Transportation Commission (later Toronto Transit Commission, TTC) on September 1, 1921.

Weston Railway
The “Weston Railway” refers to the streetcar and interurban line serving Weston ), initially developed as part of suburban expansion efforts and later integrated into the TTC.   The Weston line began service in 1894, running north from Keele and Dundas streets along Keele to St. Clair Avenue, then along Weston Road to Weston village.
In February 1894, the company was acquired by the Toronto Suburban Street Railway Company (renamed Toronto Suburban Railway, TSR, in 1900), controlled by the Royce family until 1911, when it was purchased by Mackenzie, Mann and Company, owners of the TRC.
Operations focused on connecting Weston and Woodbridge to Toronto’s core, with routes integrating at Keele and Dundas. 

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