G-series (Toronto Subway Car)

G-series (Toronto Subway Car)

The G-series rapid transit cars were a Toronto subway car model, built between 1953 and 1959. The cars were built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company for the Toronto Transit Commission.

The cars are influenced by Gloucester's Q38 and R stocks built for the London Underground. Since the TTC's original concept for the subway system foresaw the use of rapid transit cars derived from the PCC streetcar, like the Chicago Transit Authority's 6000-series cars, they also bear some minor influences of these. These influences are visible in the use of bulls-eye incandescent lighting similar to that of a PCC car (one pair of cars later had fluorescent lighting installed), and the small operator's cabin located in the front left corner of each car. The Chicago influence was felt through the work of DeLeuw, Cather & Co. of Chicago, whom the TTC contracted as a consultant for the rapid transit project.

The G-series cars were frequently described as "robust and reliable", despite being constructed overweight and energy-inefficient. The last cars in this series were retired from revenue service in 1990.

The only surviving cars in original condition are 5098/5099, which reside at the Halton County Radial Railway in Milton, Ontario.