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Peter Witt, the Traction Commissioner of Cleveland, Ohio, USA passed away #OnThisDay in 1948. You might believe that this holds no significance to local history & that I may be losing my mind, but it actually does.
Toronto& #39;s fledgling TTC streetcar system of the 1920s highly benefitted from the existence of one of Peter Witt& #39;s creations. Mr. Witt developed a new type of streetcar which was a tremendous boon to North American urban street transit, and it was popularly named the "Peter Witt".
Mr. Witt & his patent holders did very well as a result of this creation, they even received a $50 royalty for every & #39;Peter Witt& #39; streetcar built.
The TTC& #39;s Peter Witt streetcars were first put into revenue service in 1921, starting out on Toronto& #39;s Broadview route.
The TTC& #39;s Peter Witt streetcars were first put into revenue service in 1921, starting out on Toronto& #39;s Broadview route.
Antiques by today& #39;s standards, the Peter Witt cars were cutting-edge technology for their time. Built with all-steel bodies, large windows & hydraulic doors, they were highly praised after years of service from the wooden relics of Toronto& #39;s former street railway companies.
The Peter Witt is also currently my favourite streetcar from the TTC& #39;s history. Here& #39;s a few photos of me back in 2016, hanging out with one that is wonderfully cared for at the @streetcarmuseum
