ttc bus ireland

That time when a TTC bus popped up in the Irish countryside

Today marks St. Patrick's Day, and what better way to celebrate the Irish holiday than to take a look back at a time when Toronto and Ireland's histories collided in the most peculiar way. 

Back in 2014, former Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Bus 2290 was saved from the scrapper's torch and preserved by a group of transit enthusiasts all the way in Ireland

Videos uploaded by transit enthusiast Brad O'Brien show the vehicle in its new home, as it blissfully roams through the Irish countryside. 

GM buses, otherwise known as "New Look" were introduced in 1959, but were the last of the TTC's "fishbowl" buses to retire at the end of 2011. 

When the TTC decided to retire the public transit vehicles, a number of them were saved for historical purposes. However, a group of dedicated people in Ireland stepped up to the plate to preserve one lucky vehicle, which was eventually shipped to a farm outside of Dublin. 

Bus number 2290 provided service on the 52 Lawrence route, which now serves 74 stops departing from Westwood Mall Loop all the way to Lawrence Station. 

In the 1980s, Bombardier manufactured buses in Ireland for local use, and used the same engine as the TTC New Look buses, which is why the group of Irish enthusiasts were keen on preserving the vehicle, according to O'Brien

This isn't the first time TTC vehicles have popped up in random places throughout the world. 

In the 1930s, the TTC began operating the PCC (Presidents' Conference Committee) streetcar, which was known for its snazzy streamlined look. Although the fleet of cars was eventually replaced by the CLRV and ALRV streetcars, one of the "Red Rocket" can still be found some 3,650 km away in San Francisco

Though, technically, it is an impostor. 

The No. 1074 PCC boasts a distinct TTC logo, despite running on the other side of the continent and never actually having operated in Toronto. It entered service in 1946 on the Twin City Rapid Transit in Minnesota and operated until 1953. 

After that, the PCC spent a half-century in Newark, New Jersey before being purchased by the San Francisco Municipal Railway in 2004.

While TTC vehicles aren't necessarily a sight to behold in Toronto, you can't deny that the nostalgic cars roaming through the Irish countryside and the hilly streets of San Francisco are pretty damn picturesque. 

Lead photo by

Brad O'Brien 


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