Toronto residents travelling to South Etobicoke more than 120-years ago had to bundle up for the trek west on open-air double decker streetcars operated by the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company.

The ‘open truck double deck car’ was introduced in 1891 to ferry holidaying passengers to Humber River. Two single truck open cars were brought into service in 1896 to serve the popular Sunnyside area, according to City of Toronto records.

The cars carried about 96 passengers each and were busy shuttling visitors to holiday resorts at Sunnyside and Humber River. The electrified line operated on a single track with only open cars, two which were double-deck.

This run proved popular with visitors to the beaches along Humber Bay, but with the line not extended to Mimico and New Toronto, revenues dried up in the fall and winter months as passengers did not want to travel in open streetcars without heat.

The service was bailed out by William MacKenzie’s Toronto Railway Company in 1893. He extended service to Mimico Creek in July and then to Kipling Ave. by October. Ridership increased as the line pushed further west into Long Branch, with service to Etobicoke Creek in 1895.

The line, which ran on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd, provided regular summer service to Long Branch Park, which had evolved into a popular amusement park.

The service was soon turning a profit as the villages along the route profited from the increased benefits of development and commerce.

Well-dressed city residents could now board the open cars and for 18-cents enjoy the more than two-hour ride from Yonge St. to Long Branch. Service was later extended to Port Credit and a plan to serve Hamilton failed.

The streetcars became so popular that Sunday service was introduced by 1897 as people travelled here for holiday excursions and day trips. However, a lack of travel during the wintertime killed the business.

In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Mimico Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Mimico line.

In 1927, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) took over the operation of the Mimico line, which was double-tracked from Humber to Long Branch and made up a section of the Lake Shore streetcar line.