The Daily Photoist: Sup shows up

Every weekday, we pick an image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve!

Frequent riders of le Rocket Rouge are well aware of the often charming quirks that streetcars encounter, from the driver having to hop out and switch tracks to "surfing the accordion" of the articulated vehicles. This image, by Flickr pool contributor fermata.daily, demonstrates a characteristic that is strictly old-school: poppin' the power pole.

Our beloved trams are still dependent on an overhead web of catenaries, and this incident caused the contact to jump from one wire to an adjacent one in mid-turn, blocking the Queen and Victoria Street intersection for about twenty minutes. In the entire set of photos, we see two drivers unable to dislodge the pole; then a supervisor steps in (above); and finally some technicians on a platform truck arrive and save the day to bystander applause.

We like the wide angle of this shot and the elegant curve of the vehicle, but also the little patriotic flag tied to the trolley pole cable. And did you know that Toronto has been operating electric streetcars since 1891? Ding, ding!