Interesting point Derek. The narrow space between Mount Royal and the St.
Lawrence River constrained Montreal's natural expansion once it reached the
mountain. Development to the west was squeezed into a narrow area until the
mountain was passed, and travel downtown had to pass through this area on a
limited number of streets. Development to the north was slowed by the mountain
barrier, which forced traffic onto a few streets around or over the mountain.
Congestion on the available streets slowed the streetcars and limited the
distance they could bring commuters within a reasonable travel time. Montreal's
conventional commuter train services were therefore concentrated to the north
and west. Toronto's topography doesn't pose such a barrier so the city
developed more evenly with fewer natural limitations on streetcar service.
There was no need for an intensive commuter service until much later, when GO
was established to serve a hugely expanded suburban region.
Toronto's transit growth in he days of streetcar expansion seems to resemble
that of other lakeside cities with generally flat surroundings like Buffalo,
Cleveland, Detroit and Milwaukee. These didn't have major commuter train
services but were known for their large streetcar systems and interurbans.
(Curiously they all had Peter Witt cars, except probably Milwaukee.) Chicago
has a similar location but has long depended on heavy rail transit and commuter
trains, because its much greater size meant that streetcars alone could not
serve the outer districts and suburbs.
It is interesting to speculate whether the proposed Canadian Northern
electrication would have allowed a substantial commuter train service to
develop in Toronto.
Don Thomas
----- Original Message -----
From: Derek Boles
To: cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 8:29 PM
Subject: [cpsig] Electrification (was Re: CPR D-10 from sunset)
--- In cpsig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "John Sutherland" <sutherail@...> wrote:
>
>
> And in the long-ago era when the railways were enthusiastic about
> hauling commuters themselves, Toronto was a comparatively small place.
> Montreal was the business centre of Canada with a much larger
> population.
That may have been true at the beginning of the railway era in the 1850s but
by the turn
of the 20th century, Montreal was only about 20% larger than Toronto. The
reasons why
commuter trains weren't as popular in Toronto as in Montreal are more complex
than
population size and include such factors as better roads in Toronto, and Mt.
Royal and
other geographical factors including the St. Lawrence River in Montreal.
