When I was a kid at around the time of this video I never understood when adults would say the good ole days. Now I'm approaching 40 I understand. lol. This was a awesome flashback for me, thanks for uploading. And a huge thumbs up for the choice in music, it really does fit in with the vintage film
I have to say thank you for sharing this. I lived there at the time when they had all this. Moved away from Toronto in 2002. Man how time changes things. I miss this time frame. Just got out of high school in 83 and moved to Toronto. I was born there but my mom moved to Chicago when I was a kid. I did some wonderful life changing events in Toronto at the time. Used to listen to cfny alternative music chanel on my Sony walkmen and ride the buses and trains there.
I grew up in the mid 80s and into the 90s and Toronto was INCREDIBLE compared to what it is today. It was clean, full of life, lots of colour, crime not as insane as it is today, the people were friendly. Amazing times. Sucks now, it's all clinical looking, concrete slabs, glass... etc. It's very dull and this "melting pot" of backgrounds isn't helping with the tensions. Too bad. RIP Toronto
@@CinHalCedHerChance It was hardly clean in the 80s and 90s. If anything, lower emissions on vehicles has made the air much cleaner. Fewer old combustion engines on the roads have made it somewhat quieter too. People are still friendly. It doesn't suck now. Nostalgia can make a person delusional.
Thanks for sharing this with us Kevin. It takes me back to my early visits to Toronto in the 70's and 80's. I still can't believe that they got rid of the trolleybus fleet. Just crazy!
6:14 The Brewers Retail - Before it became the Beer Store. I remember the old street cars. They had leather seats and you could rock them back and forth if enough kids swayed in unison. I remember the driver shouting back "Stop doing that!"
I used to go to that Mr. Submarine 0:20 all the time ..Dundas and Yonge. I miss their sandwiches.. They had the greatest meatball sub. Subway is NOTHING like it. I've lived in Los Angeles since 1990, and about 15 years ago, I was driving north on the 3 freeway past a train yard, and there was about 20 of the double decker GO trains sitting there. They were repainted to make them into Metrorail cars. That gave me a hoot. 7:40 is my old neighborhood, Broadview and Queen. Thanks for the trip.
Proteusbound, I know the Mr. Sub your'e talking about, although I used to frequent the one on Parliament St. near Gerrard. The meatball, rib, and assorted subs were my favs. Nothing like Mr. Submarine. I grew up in Regent Park in the 70's and 80's.....I know your area well too.
If you look closely, you can see "CNE" pennants on the trolley bus and streetcar tension lines. That means this had to have been filmed in late August while the Ex was on.
What happy memories I have of Toronto at this time. This video has brought them all back. I visited family quite a lot in those days, and just loved riding the PCC cars. I could never understand why the TTC suddenly closed their trolleybus system. To me, it was just plain crazy.
Love the history, love the classical piano even more! FINALLY, someone who appreciates classical music as much as I do....it’s not just music, but the only true international language, understood in every country on earth. And the video is bringing back a flood of wonderful memories from my youth, riding those red Gloucester subway cars, one of the lights would constantly go off and on, usually when you’re stuck in the middle of the tunnel, or riding the electric buses that run along green quay and front Street, how far we have come, and how far we still have to go to keep up with the demand of this insane construction boom and population explosion.
I watch a lot of these videos because I have driven my motorbike, and transit, and walked just about everywhere in this city. But I only moved here in the early 90's. i love the experience of "Where the heck is this?" then spotting a landmark I know and then suddenly everything clicks. The older the video, the harder it is sometimes hehe.
They used those old Streetcars ( like the first one in the video) into the early '60s as rush hour supplementary rolling stock. I remember them on a route that ran from the Dufferin Gate Loop, via King, to Bingham Loop at KR & VP. I think it was to serve the huge Massey Ferguson complex around King & Shaw (where my Dad worked). I also remember them on south Bathurst and Fleet on what I think was called the Fort route. I remember they had a long wooden plank for a step when the front doors opened and the operator could drive standing or had a fold-out (or down) stool if he wanted.
I also Miss these Gloucester subway cars (they ran the TTC before the sealed single pane window and air conditioner era which began in 1963 with the launch of the M1s)
Hahahahah the humber loop when i was fresh of the boat. Great memories and how the street cars and subway cars changed. Remember when lights would turn on and off.
That beautiful empty skyline along the lake by the humber loop, when you could actually see the lake, instead of a sea of condos.... Toronto is going down the drain :(
During the day and on weekends the gardiner could move. But rush hour then was just as bad as rush hour now. Car still queued up on Soadina Ave to get on the gardiner at least to north of queen and sometimes to college. And that was when there were more car lanes on Spadina as the LRT had not yet been built
We walk from queen and yonge to roncesvalles I said to buddy Now why did we walk so much 1 legged hooker at shaw Ask 4 u want date We.laff. to roncesvalles
PS; the oldie music is interesting for effect, but it also kind of misleads younger viewers who weren't born then, makes that era seem like the 1920's, Toronto was actually a booming place in the 80's especially when it comes to music, we were a spearhead in the new wave era with many popular local bands like Parachute Club, The Spoons, Martha and the Muffins, as well as rock acts like Triumph, Rush, Kim Mitchell etc.. i know youtube won't allow those in there without copyright striking but that would be a much more authentic backing soundtrack to those times.
I was born in the early 80s, so i have some memories of the late 80's. Riding the subway, the street car, or one of those "newer busses" with the square windows in front. What a truly fascinating time it seemed to be.
Back then, whenever there was track work in progress. Streetcars would always pass through the construction. The TTC no longer does that. Streetcars are now re-routed to go around the construction, or replaced with diesel buses.
simaess The buses with the wire thingies are called trackless trolleys. They are electric buses that get their power from overhead wires. Streetcars use one wire and the rail for power and the electric buses use two wires. Toronto did away with them since this film was made. Too bad.
Hi Kevin, I'm looking for iconic retro footage of Toronto for a web series I'm creating set in Toronto in the 80s. It's going to be a lot of fun for retro Toronto lovers. Thanks for sharing this! Our budget is really tight. Would you be open to us using any of this footage? We can chat about it more if it's of interest. Best, Leah
2000 last time in TO Went back every year since 88 Got tired This the longest away My god im not torontonians anymore.here vancity longer Leafs must win Im waiting
A time when Toronto actually functioned. The TTC ran like clockwork, far less congestion and no ugly cookie- cutter condos going up on every vacant piece of land. But why a Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody for music - a little strange?
My Toronto film was silent of course. At the time I uploaded it RU-vid had selected music that could be added to the film. The Liszt piece fit the time of the film better than anything else that I could find. Besides I like the music and since it is my film I get to put whatever allowed music I want onto the video.
Here's what I heard in Toronto in the 80s: You should have seen Toronto in the 60s, it was way better. Here's what I heard in Toronto in the 00's: You should have seen Toronto in the 80s, it was way better. Here's what I say in Toronto in the 20s: You should have seen Toronto in the 00's, it was way better.
No it is not too bad! The Trolly did more harm than good. It was hard for the bus to turn corners, and the wires would get tangled (or whatever) causing the driver to constantly stop, get out and fix what ever had to be fixed at the back of the Trolly. What a waste of time when the idea is to get somewhere without having to sit on a public transit vehicle for longer than you have to.
When your kids could go out and play allay and be safe. Born in Toronto in 1960 left the city in 1980 would never go back now. Toronto is a s**t h++e now.
