On August 15, 1892, the TRC became the second operator of horse-drawn streetcars in the Toronto area to convert to electric trams, the first being the Metropolitan Street Railway which electrified its horsecar line along Yonge Street within the Town of North Toronto on September 1, 1890.

The franchise, which involved converting the horsecar system to electric operation, went into effect on September 21, 1891.

[3] Each year, the TRC was required to pay the city $800 per mile of track, plus a percentage of the gross earnings.

The first passenger was a half-sober gentleman who insisted he had the right to board the streetcar at the Metropolitan United Church and pay his fare.

In 1893, the TRC took control of the Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company along Lake Shore Road, and in 1895, the Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company along Kingston Road.

[4]: 142–143 On May 23, 1897, Sunday streetcar service started after city voters gave approval in a referendum earlier that month.

The referendum, which had been preceded by two prior unsuccessful attempts, was won by a narrow margin of 0.7 per cent out of 32,000 votes cast.

In December 1916, a fire destroyed the TRC's King carhouse and 163 motor cars and trailers within it.

[4]: 32–33 In 1891, the TRC inherited 109 kilometres (68 mi) of horsecar track from its predecessor, the Toronto Street Railway.

The TRC learned from the troubled experiences of the Metropolitan Street Railway in North Toronto, which had previously done a horse to electric conversion.

The city-owned, TRC-operated tracks were:[4]: 30 By 1909, there were proposals to build subways in competition to the TRC's surface streetcar lines.

However, the TRC felt it lacked the capacity to build enough streetcars to convert the horsecar system it inherited to electrical operation by the city-imposed deadline.

Thus, the city granted the TRC an exception to purchase ten single-ended, single-truck streetcars from James Crossen-Cobourg Car Works in Cobourg, Ontario in 1893.

[2]: 20–24 After the TRC completed electrification, some horsecars were converted into trailers where one or two would be hauled by a motor car.

However, horsecar trailers were found to be unsuited for the higher speed of electric streetcar operation.

Some open cars had one-man crews, requiring a helper to be stationed at the end of the line.

Also, both open and closed motor cars could pull one or two trailers; thus, single-ended operation eliminated the time needed to rearrange the consist at the end of the line.

Because of safety concerns, the Railway and Municipal Board banned open cars from the streets on November 22, 1915.

[2]: 20–24 At the end of its franchise in 1921, the TRC had 830 streetcars on its active roster that the city agreed to accept along with a number of work cars.

The TTC did retain one horsecar trailer and a single-ended streetcar from 1892, preserving them as relics ultimately to be given to a museum.

Many of these facilities were inherited from the Toronto Street Railway (TSR), and the TRC repurposed them for the electric streetcar system.

The following is a list of facilities in the Front and Frederick area:[4]: 111–130 Today, only the powerhouse building still stands, now occupied by a theatre.