Twin lights appear in the tunnel approaching Greenwood Station. There’s a roar and as the train draws closer it lets out a few blasts of the horn; there is a rush of wind.

The train is greeted by a group of enthusiastic and mainly young transit devotees armed with recording devices to document and celebrate the termination of the H-6 subway cars in TTC service.

On Friday the TTC officially retired the cars with a farewell run departing from Greenwood Station.

The cars could be identified by their citrus-coloured doors, wood-looking panelling and that single seat tucked-in behind the cab.

Steven Bergeron, 23, came all the way from Barrie sporting a mock transit uniform complete with a cap and reflective vest.

“I’m a fan of old technology,” said Bergeron as he waited on the platform. “The old machines are built like a workhorse.”

Some of the farewell riders are part of the Toronto Transportation Society, a group for transit enthusiasts.

Train enthusiast Emmanuel Elkabas Besnard gets on board for the last run.

Inside the train, a group of young fans gathered in the end car discover that the cab door has not been secured and they hover around excitedly — a couple of them daring to press the red horn button.

But for all the fun and nostalgia surrounding their last run, the cars had their drawbacks too. The lack of flip-up seats for wheelchair space, for one — and the stanchions (metal poles) sprouting from the middle of the floor that made the cars less accessible.

The H-6 cars were purchased by the TTC from the Urban Transportation Development Corporation in the 1980s at a cost of about $7 million per train set and first went into public service in May 1987.

According to TTC spokesperson Brad Ross, the cars are being replaced as part of fleet renewal.

“These are a great, a great train but they are running out of life,” said Ross. “There’s nothing specifically wrong with them except they do get older [and] they do become less reliable as they get older.”

The cars will likely end up being sold for scrap after anything of value is removed, said Ross. But some might be spared and converted into work cars to ship crews and equipment around the network for maintenance.

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The Star reported in 2011 that a number of former H-5 and H-6 TTC train cars were purchased by a company called Eko Rail and destined for a surface rail line in Nigeria.

Back on the track, the train surfaces between Royal York and Islington. A passing train sounds its horn as if saying farewell. And for some, such as 17-year-old Chris Edwards, it is personal.

“I’m here basically to say goodbye to an old friend.”