North of Bloor Street, part of the subway ran in an open cut, that is, a valley lower than the surrounding land but open to the sky. The route ran through residential lands parallel to Yonge Street, and some houses were expropriated and demolished to make way for the cut. Bridges were built to allow some streets to continue over the subway cut, while other streets became dead ends. In two spots, where the subway ran under the CPR train tracks and where it crossed from the east to the west side of Yonge Street, the subway was tunnelled underground without affecting the surface.

 

Steam shovel works in large excavation.
Excavation, Davisville station and yards area
May 15, 1951
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 126, Item 8258-10
Large trench excavation.
Open cut looking south from Jackes Avenue bridge, just south of St. Clair Avenue
April 20, 1951
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 188, Item 8170-2

 

Excavation near Davisville and Summerhille Stations
Excavation for open cut between Summerhill and Davisville stations
April 4, 1951
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 113, Item 8117-4
Excavation site
Unidentified excavation, probably at St. Clair Avenue or Eglinton Avenue
October 30, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 217, Item 10060-9

 

Preparing wooden forms for concrete platform
Preparing wooden forms for concrete platform, probably Rosedale or Summerhill station
October 26, 1951
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 147, Item 8734-1
Concrete bridge near Rosedale Station
Looking north to Rosedale station
April 18, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 181, Item 9332-2

 

Because of the steel shortage caused by the Korean War (1950-1953), most of the bridges that connected streets across the subway cut were made from reinforced concrete. As the project progressed, even reinforcing steel rods for the concrete became scarce, and rather than using Canadian suppliers the TTC was forced to buy steel from the United States and Britain at considerably higher cost.

 

Concrete work, Rosedale station
Concrete work, Rosedale station
November 20, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 278, Item 11442-7
Rosedale station under construction
Rosedale station
September 18, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 265, Item 11122-20

 

Preparing reinforcing rods for concrete
Preparing reinforcing rods and forms for concrete, Davisville station, looking north
January 22, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 228, Item 10311-10
Portal to Summerhill Station
Portal to Summerhill Station, looking north
September 29, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 214, Item 9896-4

In open cut areas such as this one, rails were set on creosoted ties over crushed stone, similar to railway tracks.

 

Retaining wall and gravel bed for track
Looking north to Rosedale station, showing retaining wall and gravel bed for tracks
September 16, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 211, Item 9837-1
Davisville station and yard under construction
Davisville station, looking south
August 13, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 207, Item 9703-6

 

Directly west of Davisville station was built Davisville yard, including storage for 104 subway cars and a 69,000-square-foot shop equipped for minor repair and maintenance of subway cars (major work would be done at the larger Hillcrest shop at Bathurst Street and Davenport Road). Also at Davisville station was the control panel for the automatic block signal system that used red, green, and yellow lights to direct subway drivers.

 

Davisville station nearing completion
Davisville station entrance, looking east
April 23, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 247, Item 10633-1
Davisville station and yard under construction
Open Davisville station and yard under construction, looking south
July 22, 1952
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 206, Item 9653-2

 

Davisville yard, looking north
Davisville yard, looking north, with station at upper right
October 20, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 271, Item 11271-10
Subway cars in Davisville yard
Subway cars in Davisville yard, looking north
March 11, 1954
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 295, Item 11816-4

 

Davisville shop interior
Davisville shop interior
October 20, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 271, Item 11271-14
Platform for streetcar transfer, Bloor and Yonge streets
Platform for transfer from streetcar to subway, Bloor Street east of Yonge Street, looking west
February 11, 1954
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 291, Item 11718-1

This platform in the centre of Bloor Street was removed in 1966 when the east-west Bloor-Danforth subway line (originally Keele to Woodbine stations only) was built and streetcars were discontinued on Bloor Street.

 

Davisville station looking south
Davisville station, looking south
November 24, 1953
Photographer: Canada Pictures Limited
City of Toronto Archives
Series 381, File 280, Item 11459-1

 

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