My Next Career Change or Holy Cow This Is So Cool!

Every so often you get a chance to do something new. Well for me, this happened a little while back when a TTC driver I have gotten to know asked me if I wanted to drive the streetcar!! I was floored, scared, excited all at once.

So the driver, while still in the seat, proceeds to tell and show me how to get the thing (similar to the one above left, above right is one of the older TTC streetcars) out of the “deadman” setting so I would be able to accelerate. Then all of a sudden, the driver gets out, and now I’m the driver. But we’re still in the deadman setting. So, repeating the procedure, I try to reproduce it and the streetcar goes into some sort of shock. It thinks that I am a “deadman” and starts ringing. The driver has to get back in to reset the thing. Twice:)

Ok, one more time.

Another review of the procedures, which helps me to realize that it’s kind of like driving standard – only I’ve never driven standard before – and we’re moving, kind of slowly, but still moving, in a streetcar!! AND I’M DRIVING!!

Ok, Ok, calm down, accelerate a bit, watch the curve, watch what, there’s no one in the car except the driver and me. Ok, ok, wait, there’s a different car coming on the other side of the tracks, are we gonna get in trouble?? Is the driver?? Ok, keep going, just to the stop. Heart rate way up, no sweat yet, that’s good, apart from being a wuss, don’t want to show it.

Hey, this is cool, a bit weird, but cool. Ok, the stop is coming up, release the accelerator, begin to apply the brake. Ok, coming to a clean stop, engage the deadman, and bam. There it is, driving the streetcar between 2 stops. I never would have thought I would have been able to do it, nor would I ever have thought the opportunity would have arisen.