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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's fledgling TTC streetcar system of the 1920s highly benefitted from the existence of one of Peter Witt'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 'Peter Witt' streetcar built.
The TTC's Peter Witt streetcars were first put into revenue service in 1921, starting out on Toronto's Broadview route.
The TTC's Peter Witt streetcars were first put into revenue service in 1921, starting out on Toronto's Broadview route.
Antiques by today'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's former street railway companies.
The Peter Witt is also currently my favourite streetcar from the TTC's history. Here's a few photos of me back in 2016, hanging out with one that is wonderfully cared for at the @streetcarmuseum
