• Cygnals Zine - Issue #8, Summer 1996

    November 2001 update: Every few months, I get email from journalists working on stories about urban exploration and whatnot. As a reporter myself, I know how hard it is to find contacts on really interesting stories ... but, alas, I'm not the contact you want for this story. Sneaking around sure looks like a lot of fun, but it's just not something I've ever been a part of. Good luck, and happy browsing!  -- Scott Simpson

    Subway Secrets

    Most people don't know there's another station under Bay/Bloor, just like at St. George and Yonge/Bloor. Nowadays they use it for shooting movies and commercials (eg Johnny Mnemonic, and the Oh Henry! spot). Years ago it was used in regular service, as a loop from University to Yonge, and also part of 'integrated' service, where all three subway lines were linked. Now it's locked up, very dirty, and falling apart.

    But very cool, cuz hardly anyone gets to go there. We're gonna see about getting into the cavern under Queen/Yonge where they started building an underground streetcar line in the '40s. Stay tuned.

    Cool Photos of Lower Bay

    Click thumbnail for larger image

    Secret Subway! Secret Subway! Secret Subway! Secret Subway! Secret Subway! Secret Subway! Secret Subway!

    Background on Lower Bay

  • Opened in February 1966
  • It integrated service with the Bloor-Danforth and Yonge-University-Spadina lines
  • Let passengers get downtown without having to get off to transfer north-south to east-west
  • In September of the same year, the area was sealed off (closed down) because of too many problems with delays (if there was a delay, entire system would be affected because the lines were now a single system)
  • Bay Lower was then used to store escalator parts
  • Today it's used for film shoots, training operators and signal/track people
  • Some examples of filming:
    • Movies: Darkman, Johnny Mnemonic
    • TV: Due South
    • Commercials: Oh Henry! chocolate bar 
    The most common codes you hear on Toronto's subway speaker system:

40    Line Supervisor
42    Tower Supervisor
99    Subway Mechanic
199   99's Supervisor
506   Janitors
520   Painters
606   Radio Crew
632   Signal Maintainers
653   Electrical Crew
721   Track Patrol
722   Track Lubricator
RT10  Garbage Car

    For more on these codes, get a copy of Cygnals zine
    And for more info on the TTC, check out James Cook's Toronto Transit Canada site.

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    Issue #8 Page -- Cygnals Zine Page

    scott@cygnals.com

     
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