Compiled by Jeffrey Kay
Originally printed in **TRANSFER POINTS** Vol. XXVI, No. 4, April 2000

See Also

• A History of the DAVENPORT streetcar

Service on Davenport began under the Toronto Suburban Railway in 1892, with a single streetcar track running down the centre of the street from Bathurst to points west. When the Toronto Transportation Commission took over operations, the track was upgraded to city standards, doubled all the way to Bathurst. No loops existed at the eastern end. Bathurst cars continued north on Bathurst, so the bulk of service on Davenport was provided by the DOVERCOURT streetcar. The section on Davenport from Dovercourt (near Oakwood) to Bathurst was handled by double-ended vehicles using crossovers.

Ridership on the service was never high, and when the time came to replace the tracks, the TTC decided that service could be provided by a bus. The tracks between Dovercourt and Bathurst were soon paved over.

January 1, 1941

Buses replace streetcars on Davenport Road (as well as the OAKWOOD bus), running west on Davenport from a new loop on the north side of Davenport just west of Bathurst, looping north on Oakwood, east on St. Clair, south on Alberta and Mt. Royal and west on Regal, returning via south on Oakwood and east on Davenport to the Bathurst loop.

March 25, 1941

Service note: As of this date rush hour service operated on a 5-minute headway using four buses.

Ford 770 (a model 19-B) in Davenport Loop on November 22, 1941. The rollsign has not been adjusted correctly. This bus was the first of 22 that the Toronto Transportation Commission owned. (TTC photo 13961, courtesy Alan Gryfe)

October 24, 1945

Extended east on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings only to serve the Casa Loma area. Operating east of Bathurst via Davenport, north on Walmer, east on Austin Terrace, and north on Spadina to St. Clair Avenue, looping via east on St. Clair, north on Parkwood and west on Shorncliffe.

April 23, 1946

Western loop revised, now running north on Oakwood, east on St. Clair, south on Alberta and Mt. Royal to Davenport.

September 12, 1947

Service on the Casa Loma extension is now turned back using a wye in the intersection of Spadina and St. Clair.

October 8, 1947

Wednesday evening service on the Casa Loma extension is discontinued.

December 8, 1947

The looping at Oakwood is revised co-incident with the inauguration of the new OSSINGTON trolley coach route HARBORD streetcars now providing service on Davenport west of Dovercourt). Buses now loop north on Oakwood, east on Regal and south on Mt. Royal.

May 1, 1948

Service note: As of this date rush hour service operated on a 6 minute headway using two buses, off-peak service operates on a 10 minute headway using one bus, and on Friday and Saturday evenings the "Casa Loma" service uses two buses to provide a 10 minute service.

May 9, 1949

Service hours reduced to Monday through Saturday rush hours only, between Oakwood and Bathurst. Casa Loma service is discontinued.

February 26, 1955

Saturday service discontinued.

Autumn 1956

Assigned route number 24.

March 28, 1958

Last day of operation. Route discontinued at the end of service on this day.

Service on Davenport west of Dovercourt would end with the opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway and the abandonment of the HARBORD streetcars. Service would gradually resume with the emergence of the 18 CALEDONIA route, extended to provide service between Caledonia and Christie. It wouldn't be until 1984 when the route name was resurrected as 127 DAVENPORT.

24 Davenport Image Archive

	This image, courtesy of the Toronto Archives, likely shows a wartime woman driver hired by the TTC during the early 1940s. She is behind the wheel of Twin 23-R gasoline bus #748, likely at Hillcrest. The bus is showing a DAVENPORT rolling.
	Davenport loop, at the northwest corner of Bathurst and Davenport (seen here, looking east along Davenport) was the turning point of the DAVENPORT bus until its closure in 1958. It was also a favourite site for the TTC to photograph its new buses, being convenient to Hillcrest Shops and Davenport garage. This shot was taken in 1953 by James Victor Salmon and is courtesy the Toronto Public Library.
	TTC Mack buses #761 and 764 wait with a former Independent bus at Sherbourne Garage in this 1953 shot. #761 bears a DAVENPORT rollsign. Image courtesy the Toronto Public Library.