506-Carlton

The 506-Carlton is a crosstown route that starts at Main Street Station on the Bloor/Danforth line and travels south on Main Street, west on Gerrard, south on Coxwell, west on Gerrard, north on Parliament, west on Carlton (which turns into College at Yonge St.) to Dundas, northwest on Dundas to Howard Park and west on Howard Park to High Park loop. Late nights and overnights the 506 (306) cars continue up Dundas to Dundas West Station instead of turning on to Howard Park. The route is a two hour round trip and goes through a mix of commercial and residential neighborhoods, including classy High Park, a very trendy strip along College by Grace, Little Portugal, Little Italy, Gay Toronto, Chinatown east, Little India and polyethnic Riverdale.

Even though the route is long, entirely street running, and carries heavy loads, it seems to move along at a better pace then Dundas, Queen or King. Great service is provided with four minute service in rush hours and ten or better until 2:00 AM. Overnight is every 30 minutes. Short turns are frequently made at Coxwell loop (Queen and Coxwell) in the east end and Lansdowne Ave. in the west.

The 506-Carlton is very interesting for railfans due to it's great landmarks, the interesting neighborhoods it passes through, and the many turns it makes. At Gerrard and Broadview, the 506 crosses the 504 and 505 cars at one of the city's best streetcar intersections in the centre of Chinatown East. Right after that, it crosses the Don River Bridge providing great views of the other Don bridges and the valley itself. At Church and Carlton the 506 stops in front of Maple Leaf Gardens, a very important building in a city that loves hockey. At College and University, the 506 crosses Queen's Park (the provincial legislature). High Park loop is probably the most picturesque streetcar loop I have ever seen, located inside the park itself.