Early years (1861–1873)

After the Williams Omnibus Bus Line had become heavily loaded in 1861, the city of Toronto issued a transit franchise (Resolution 14, By-law 353) for a horse-drawn street railway. The winner was Alexander Easton's Toronto Street Railway, which was required to build streetcar lines along Yonge, Queen and King Streets. Service was required to be 16 hours per day, 14 in winter with a headway of no more than 30 minutes at a speed not to exceed 6 mph (10 km/h). The fare was 5 cents with no transfer privileges and no discounted fare for children.^[1][2]: 11

The company opened the first street railway line in Canada on September 11, 1861, operating from Yorkville Town Hall via Yonge and King Streets to the St. Lawrence Market. (There was a ceremonial opening of the line on the day before.) The second line was opened in December 1861 operating from St. Lawrence Market via King, Yonge and Queen Streets to the Queen Street Asylum at Ossington Avenue (then known as Dundas Street). By the end of 1861, the railway was operating 2 routes on 6 miles (10 km) of track using 70 horses (stabled in Yorkville) and carrying 2,000 passengers per day.^[1] The first two routes were initially single-track lines with passing loops.^[3]: 5 In 1862, the railway acquired the Williams Omnibus Bus Line.^[4]

In 1868, the railway was in financial difficulty and could not pay bond interest. Thus, it passed into the hands of the bondholders under an appointed trustee. In 1873, William and George Kiely acquired the railway and obtained a new act of incorporation under the old name. The new owners operated the railway until the end of the franchise in 1891.^[2]: 11

Expansion (1874–1890)

In 1874, the tracks on King Street were extended east to the Don River and west to Bathurst Street, becoming the city's third streetcar route. Later in that year, double track was laid on Church Street from King Street to Front Street then west to York Street in order to serve steam railway stations. The Sherbourne line followed, running on Sherbourne Street from King Street north to Carlton Street, east to Parliament Street and north to Winchester Street. In 1878, tracks were laid on Spadina Avenue between King and College Streets. By 1879, both the Yonge and Queen lines were fully converted to double track.^{[3]: 7, 44}

In 1881, the King line was extended west to Strachan Avenue then south to Wellington Street. The portion south of King Street operated only during the Toronto Industrial Exhibition (today the Canadian National Exhibition) that took place annually at Exhibition Place. Also in 1881, the Church line was extended north from King Street to Bloor Street; a single track was laid on Wichester Street from Parliament to Sumach Street to serve the new nearby zoo; tracks were laid on Queen Street between Sherbourne and Parliament Streets.^[3]: 9

In 1882, tracks were laid on Parliament Street from Queen Street to Gerrard Street, proceeding east on Gerrard to River Street. Tracks were also laid on Ossington Avenue (then considered part of Dundas Street) and west on Dundas to Dufferin Street, which was then at the city limits bordering Village of Brockton. The Queen route was created along Queen Street East with the completion of track between Yonge and Sherbourne Streets, and between Parliament and River Streets. Tracks were also laid along York Street between King and Queen Streets, and on McCaul Street between Queen and College Streets.^[3]: 9

In 1883, after an agreement between the City and the University of Toronto to make College Street a public throughfare, tracks were laid on College from McCaul Street west to Spadina Avenue, and then north on Spadina to Bloor Street (the then-city limits). By this time, most streetcar routes terminated at or near St. Lawrence Market, the area being a major traffic source in the early 1880s. The TSR's complex of stables, carhouse and car shops was located nearby on Front Street.^[3]: 9

In 1884, tracks on Yonge Street were extended south then west on Front Street to York Street. With this extension, every second Yonge car went to city's second Union Station, located west of York Street at Station Street, instead of St. Lawrence Market.^[3]: 9

In 1885, track was laid on College Street between Yonge and McCaul Streets, on Bathurst Street between College and Bloor Streets, and on Dundas Street west to the new city limits (after the Village of Brockton had been annexed) at Lansdowne Avenue. The Yonge line was extended north from Scollard Street to Price Street at the Canadian Pacific Railway line; this extension displaced the tracks of the Metropolitan Street Railway. The Metropolitan had laid horsecar tracks there from 1881 to 1882, and still operated horsecar service north of the CPR line.^{[3]: 9, 11}

In 1886, track was extended on York Street south from King Street to Front Street; track was laid on Carlton Street between Yonge and Parliament Streets. After the city's annexation of the Village of Parkdale, the Queen line was extended west from Gladstone Avenue to Roncesvalles Avenue.^[3]: 9

In 1887, the Queen line was extended 3.5 km (2.2 mi) east over the Don River through Leslieville to Woodbine Race Course. This displaced the Kingston Road Tramway,^[3]: 11 which since 1875 had a horsecar line running from the Don River east along Queen Street and Kingston Road, terminating at Main Street, and later at Blantyre Avenue from 1878. It ceased operation in 1887. Trams would return to Kingston Road in 1893 when the Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company opened a radial railway line along Kingston Road.^[5]

Also in 1887, the College Street tracks were expanded west from Bathurst Street to Dovercourt Road. In 1888, after the city's annexation of the Village of Dovercourt, the tracks were extended north on Dovercourt Road to Bloor Street.^[3]: 11

In 1889, the Queen line was further extended east from Woodbine Race Course to Lee Avenue. Track was laid on Broadview Avenue between Queen Street and Danforth Avenue, on College Street between Dovercourt Road and Dufferin Street, and on King Street from Strachan Avenue to Dufferin Street. (Due to construction of a steam railway underpass, the latter would not open until after the TSR franchise expired in 1891.) Tracks were laid on Bloor Street between Yonge and Bathurst Streets, and on Bathurst Street between King and College Streets. In 1890, tracks on Bathurst Street were extended from Bloor Street to Dupont Street.^[3]: 11

Final year (1891)

In early 1891, the final expansion occurred: tracks on Sherbourne Street were extended from Bloor Street over the Sherbourne bridge to South Drive in Rosedale, after which the city announced that it would not extend the TSR franchise.^[3]: 11

By 1891, the last year of the franchise, the railway was carrying 55,000 passengers using 264 horsecars, 99 buses, 100 sleighs and 1,372 horses. The railway had 80.69 miles (129.86 km) of track and 68 miles (109 km) of routes.^[1]

By mutual agreement between the City and railway, the 30-year franchise expired on March 16, 1891. Because there was no transition agreement, the streetcar system shut down for the three following days. Streetcar service resumed on March 20, with the city as the operator. By an arbitrated agreement, the City paid the Toronto Street Railway Company $1,453,788 for the railway's assets. The City operated the system briefly, but soon elected to pass on the rights to a new company, the Toronto Railway Company, on September 1, 1891, for another thirty years under William Mackenzie and associates including George Kiely from the defunct Toronto Street Railway. The TRC agreed to pay the City $1,453,788 plus a percentage of gross receipts for the franchise.^[1]

The City required the TRC to electrify the horsecar lines within three years. The first electric cars were run on August 15, 1892, and horsecars were last operated on August 31, 1894.^[3]: 15 As part of the conversion from horse to electric traction, the TRC had replaced all the horsecar tracks with heavier rails to handle the faster, heavier electric streetcars.^[2]: 11

Closed cars

Closed horsecars were short, 10 ft (3.0 m) to 16 ft (4.9 m) feet in length, and had four wheels bolted to their bodies. Straw was placed on the floor to provide warmth in winter. There was a small coal oil lamp at one end of the car for both interior and exterior lighting at night. Larger cars had a conductor to collect fares using a hand-held box; on smaller one-man cars, a fare box was mounted on the wall by the driver. The driver had to stand on an open platform with no windshield.^[3]: 7

Disposition

After the Toronto Railway Company completed electrification, most of the horsecars were scrapped. Some were converted into trailers hauled by a motor car, but the old horsecars were found to be unsuited for the higher speed of electric streetcar operation. The TRC repurposed two horsecars, 13 and 16, as offices at Exhibition Loop. They were both inherited by the Toronto Transportation Commission in 1921 which scrapped horsecar 12 but retained horsecar 16 as a historic relic. In 1945, car 16 participated in a parade pulled by two horses on the tracks of the Queen streetcar line.^[1] In 1968, the TTC donated the horsecar to the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.^[9]

Car 16 was built in 1874 by the John Stephenson Company of New York City. It was used throughout the network of the Toronto Street Railway. It sat 16 passengers and could be pulled by one or two horses. According to historian Trevor Parkins-Sciberras, if the tram was overloaded, the horses would refuse to haul it.^[9]