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Toronto Water

Toronto Water is the municipal division of the City of Toronto under Infrastructure and Development Services responsible for the water supply network, and stormwater and wastewater management in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as well as parts of Peel and York Regions.

Early days
Water treatment was originally established in order to provide safe drinking water. In the 19th century, the water off the city's shores was severely polluted by the dumping of waste from residences and businesses.

Before 1842, Toronto's water supply was manually pumped from Lake Ontario, streams and wells. Water carters would take the water and distribute it to customers across the city.

Private water supply
From 1843 to 1873, water was privately provided by Furniss Works or Toronto Water Works, a subsidiary of Toronto Gas Light and Water Company, which was owned by Montreal businessman Albert Furniss.

Following Furniss's death in 1872, the City of Toronto bought out Furniss Works and transformed the water supply to public hands under the Toronto Water Works Commission.

Suburban water supply
Outside of the pre-amalgamation City of Toronto each of the former municipalities had its own treatment plants and pumping stations. North York had three, one at Oriole, which was built in the 1923, the ruins of pumping station found near Duncan Mills Rd and Don Mills Rd, Steeles built in the 1930s, and Sheppard West built in the 1940s. Scarborough had one built in 1921 and New Toronto had one built in 1924. Prior to the 1950s, the municipalities were responsible for water treatment and water came from local water sources like wells and streams.

Metro Toronto
The current system was introduced in the mid-1950s, with the formation of Metro Toronto in 1954, and was managed by Metro Toronto. Since 1975, Toronto has supplied water to York Region (mostly to residents in the south end of York).

City of Toronto
Following amalgamation in 1998, Toronto Water was created from the Toronto Works and Emergency Services and once part of Metro Toronto Works department.

As of April 2005, the departments and commissioners were replaced by divisions under the City Manager (and Deputy Managers). Toronto Water is now under the Toronto Water Division.

Treatment process
Water pumped from Lake Ontario is treated via conventional drinking water treatment processes:

 * 1) Pre-chlorination
 * 2) Flocculation and sedimentation
 * 3) Filtration
 * 4) Chlorination
 * 5) Chloramination, prior to distribution

Treatment plants
The City of Toronto uses four water treatment plants, all of which are located next to and get their water from Lake Ontario:

R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant
The R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant is located east of Old Toronto at the eastern end of Queen St East and the foot of Victoria Park Ave at Lake Ontario. It is the oldest of the operational water treatment plants in Toronto, being opened on November 1, 1941 after construction started in 1932. The plant has a capacity of 950 million litres per day (250 million US gallons per day) and produces approximately 30% of Toronto's drinking water. The intakes are located over 2.6 km from shore in 15 m of water, running through two pipes under the bed of the lake.

Prior to the construction of the water treatment plant, the area was the site of Victoria Park, a waterfront amusement park that operated from 1878 until 1906, and then the site was used by the Victoria Park Forest School until construction started in 1932. The plant is named after Roland Caldwell Harris, who was the Public Works Commissioner from 1912 to 1945. He was involved in projects including the Prince Edward Viaduct, the Mount Pleasant bridge, and the expansion of the Toronto Civic Railways' streetcar network. Known for its Art Deco style, the building is dubbed “The Palace of Purification” and was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1998.

Island Water Treatment Plant
The Island Water Treatment Plant is located on the Toronto Islands. The plant was opened in 1977 with a capacity of 440 ML/d. The plant produces approximately 20% of Toronto's drinking water. The plant sits on the site of the first water treatment plant in Toronto, which was built in the 1900s and is no longer in service. The cold, treated water produced by the plant passes through a heat exchange system, which enables Enwave's Deep Lake Water Cooling project to cool buildings across the harbour in Downtown Toronto.

F. J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant

The F. J. Horgan Water Treatment Plant is located in Scarborough in the West Hill neighbourhood on Lake Ontario. It is the newest of Toronto's water treatment plants, being opened in 1979. With a capacity of 800 ML/d, it provides water to customers in the east end and York Region. The plant produces approximately 20% of Toronto's drinking water. The plant is named after Frank J. Horgan, the Commissioner of Works for Metro Toronto from 1980 to 1989.

In 2009, the plant was expanded by Alberici in a CA$184 million contract. The expansion included the construction of a new building with three ozone tanks, five filter boxes, and two backwash surge tanks. As of 2022, it remains the only plant in Toronto that uses ozone as the primary disinfectant to control pathogens, seasonal taste, and odour. The plant features a green roof and a 10-megawatt standby power plant to meet demand in the event of a power outage.

R. L. Clark Water Treatment Plant
The R. L. Clark Water Treatment Plant is located in Etobicoke in New Toronto on Lake Ontario. The plant was opened on November 22, 1968. It has a capacity of 615 ML/d and produces approximately 30% of Toronto's drinking water. The plant was originally called the Westerly Plant, but it was later named after Ross Leopold Clark, the Commissioner of Works for Metropolitan Toronto from 1956 to 1979. The plant replaced the New Toronto Filtration Plant, which was opened in 1915.

Distribution
The drinking water distribution system operated by Toronto Water comprises 6 pressure zones and approximately 520 km of watermains (greater than 150 mm in diameter).

Pumping stations are located across the city to pump water from the filtration plants to residences. They are particularly critical since the city gains in elevation as it moves northwards away from Lake Ontario. Some pumping stations are located outside the city.

The City of Toronto operates 18 water pumping stations as of 2014:

Storage
Toronto water stores water in three formats:
 * Floating reservoir: Newer Water tower or older Water tank with limited capacity.
 * Ground level reservoir: Underground water storage with grass covered top with large capacity.
 * Temporary storage: Stored at a water treatment plant with limited capacity.

Water in the city is stored once it is treated, ensuring uninterrupted water supply.

There are 4 water towers located in the city. They are mainly located in areas that cannot accommodate underground reservoirs due to space restrictions.

There are 10 underground reservoirs across Toronto and in Markham:

There are in-plant temporary storage tanks storing water as well:

Treatment process
Toronto's wastewater treatment plants treat wastewater in a 5 step process:

 * 1) Screening
 * 2) Git removal
 * 3) Primary treatment
 * 4) Secondary treatment
 * 5) Disinfection

During screening, large objects such as rocks and sticks that get washed into the sewer system are removed. Git removal removes smaller objects like tampons, dental floss, and wipes. Primary treatment separates human waste from wastewater. Secondary treatment uses microscopic organism to reduce and convert pollutants in the wastewater. This stage also removes nitrogen and phosphorus from the wastewater. Disinfection destroys any remaining harmful pathogens. After disinfection, the effluent wastewater meets all Ministry standards and is returned to the natural environment and reused within the facility for internal process use.

Solids removed during primary treatment and secondary treatment are pumped into digesters which allow a biological process that uses microorganisms, heat, mixing, and a 10-20 day holding time to break down complex organic matter into simpler forms. This produces methane as a byproduct. This produces biosolids, which are rich in organic material and nutrients.

Treatment plants
The City of Toronto has four facilities that process wastewater before it is returned to the lake:

Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant is located on the east end of the Port Lands, south of the intersection of Leslie St and Lake Shore Blvd East along Lake Ontario. The plant has a capacity of 818 ML/d, serving a population of 1.5 million. The plant began operation in 1917 and was originally called the Main Treatment Plant.

North Toronto Wastewater Treatment Plant
The North Toronto Wastewater Treatment Plant is located in the Don Valley north of the Millwood Rd over the Don Valley Parkway. The treatment plant discharges into the Don River. The plant has a capacity of 34 ML/d serving a population of 55,000. The plant began operations in 1929. The plant is one of several legacy projects of Roland Caldwell Harris, the Public Works Commissioner from 1912 to 1945. The plant was partly created after North Toronto residents threatened to de-amalgamate over inadequate sewage treatment in the late 1920s.

Highland Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
The Highland Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is located at the mouth of Highland Creek in the West Hill neighborhood of Scarborough. The treatment plant has a capacity of 219 ML/d, which serves a population of approximately 450,000. The plant began operations in 1956. The operations of the plant, especially the handling of the 41,000 wet tonnes of biosolids the plant produces each year is an issue of concern to residents around the plant. A neighbourhood liaison committee has been established to allow residents to discuss these concerns.

Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant is located near the mouth of the Humber River on The Queensway. The treatment plant has a capacity of 473 ML/d, which serves a population of approximately 680,000. The plant first began operations in 1960. Local residents have been complaining about the smell produced by the plant during hotter weather. The city spent CA$64 million in 2018 to help reduce the smell produced by the plant.

Heavy rainfall
During heavy rainstorms, some excess flow which cannot be handled by the treatment plant many be diverted around some of the plant's treatment processes. As this bypass happens during storm events, the waster is mostly rain water, often with a ratio of four or five parts rain to one part sewage. These bypasses can happen at the Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Humber Wastewater Treatment Plant, as these plants serve areas of the city with older combined sewers, which carry both sewage and stormwater to water treatment plants.

In addition to bypasses at wastewater treatment plants, the city also has detention storage facilities that can temporarily hold sewage for treatment at a later time when the treatment plants are no longer operating at full capacity. These detention facilities include the Kenilworth Ave Tank which was put into operation in 1990 and the Maclean Ave Tank which was put into operation in 1995.

title: Toronto Water


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LMS Princess Coronation Class 6229 Duchess of Hamilton

London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) Coronation Class 6229 (British Railways number 46229) Duchess of Hamilton is a preserved steam locomotive built in September 1938 by the LMS Crewe Works and operated until February 1964.

Service
6229 was built in 1938 at Crewe as the tenth member of its class and the last in the second batch of five red streamliners, complete with gold speed cheat stripes (the original five 6220-4 having been given a unique Caledonian blue livery with silver stripes). In 1939 no. 6229 swapped identities with the first of the class 6220 Coronation and was sent to North America with a specially-constructed Coronation Scot train to appear at the 1939 New York World's Fair. There was therefore for a while a blue 6229 Duchess of Hamilton in the UK and a red 6220 Coronation in the US. R.A. Riddles drove for most of the tour, owing to the illness of the assigned driver. The locomotive (though not its carriages) was shipped back from the US in 1942 after the outbreak of the Second World War, and the identities of the locomotives were swapped back in 1943. The carriages returned in 1946.

6229 was painted wartime black livery in November 1944. Its streamlined casing was removed for maintenance-efficiency reasons in December 1947 and it was then given the LMS 1946 black livery. In 1948, 6229 passed into BR ownership. BR renumbered the locomotive as 46229 on 15 April 1948. It was painted in the short-lived BR blue livery in April 1950, but was soon repainted on 26 April 1952 into Brunswick green. The semi-streamlined smokebox was replaced with a round-topped smokebox in February 1957, and in September 1958 the locomotive was painted maroon. The lining was BR style to begin with; then in October 1959 it received the current LMS style lining which it has carried for all the years in preservation.

Preservation
46229 was saved from the scrap yard along with non streamlined classmate 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, as a result of Sir Billy Butlin's efforts to place these locomotives as children's playground exhibits at his holiday camps. The third preserved member of the class 6235 City of Birmingham was donated by British Railways to Birmingham City Council for preservation within the Birmingham Industrial Museum.

Having started construction work in the winter of 1961, the new £2 million Butlins Minehead camp opened to the public on 26 May 1962. Duchess of Hamilton and LB&SCR A1 class Knowle were added in 1964, after being transported there by Pickfords.

Under a camp refurbishment and modernisation programme, the locomotives left the holiday camp in March 1975 via railhead access at Minehead railway station. In 1976, the Friends of the National Railway Museum accepted the locomotive from Butlin's on a twenty-year loan deal, and immediately began to restore and preserve it. It first ran as the museum's flagship locomotive in 1980 and was operational until 1985. After purchasing the locomotive from Butlin's in 1987, after an extensive overhaul it resumed running in 1989, withdrawn from main line duty in 1996 when its seven-year boiler ticket expired.

From 1998 to 2005, 46229 was a static exhibit in the National Railway Museum, standing next to Mallard. In September 2005 the National Railway Museum announced that the streamlining would be re-instated, returning the locomotive to its original appearance. This work was undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works and on 18 May 2009 it was returned to the National Railway Museum, going on display in a new exhibition called "Duchess of Hamilton Streamlined: Styling An Era". Since then, the locomotive is on display next to a 1937 Chrysler Airflow.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a conservation authority in southern Ontario, Canada. It owns about 16000 ha of land in the Toronto region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employees and coordinates more than 3,000 volunteers each year. TRCA's area of jurisdiction is watershed-based and includes 3467 km2 – 2,506 on land and 961 water-based in Lake Ontario. This area comprises nine watersheds from west to east – Etobicoke Creek, Mimico Creek, Humber River, Don River, Highland Creek, Petticoat Creek, Rouge River, Duffins Creek and Carruthers Creek.

The lands that TRCA administers are used for flood control, recreation, education and watershed preservation activities, including drinking water source protection. On several sites, TRCA operates conservation areas open to the public for recreational use. TRCA also operates the Black Creek Pioneer Village, which preserves several 1800s-era buildings in a pioneer setting. Several municipal parks inside and outside Toronto are located on TRCA lands, such as the Toronto Zoo, Humber Bay Park and Milne Park. TRCA operates five dams for flood control.

TRCA assists its partners in contributing to a healthy city region. This includes ecology and the study of water quality, natural habitats, plants, animals and more. It helps identify environmental needs, sets targets and restores natural areas. It advises partners about land use, development proposals and construction, and environmental education to help students and community members appreciate their local environment and learn to look after it. This work is focused in and around Toronto, including portions of the Regions of Peel, York and Durham.

History
In 1946, a number of conservation authorities (CA) were established by the province to administer the numerous watersheds of the Toronto region (Don Valley CA, Etobicoke-Mimico CA, Humber Valley CA, Rouge CA, Duffins Creek CA, Highland Creek CA and Petticoat Creek CA) under the Conservation Authorities Act. These early conservation authorities were funded by the municipalities that bordered their valleys, and any land purchases had to be proposed and funded from either the Province of Ontario grants, local municipal levies or grants on a project-by-project basis. For example, in 1951, the Don Valley CA proposed a conservation area at the point where Lawrence Avenue today crosses the East Don River in Toronto. The Don Valley CA also proposed a halt on transportation uses in the valley. Funding was not approved for the project and the land was eventually used for the Don Valley Parkway project.

In conjunction with the formation of the conservation authorities, volunteer organizations sprang up to assist the conservation authorities in their missions. In Toronto, the Don Valley Conservation Association was established in 1946 by Roy Cadwell, Rand Freeland and Charles Sauriol to protect the lands of the Don River valley from a proposed development. The Association went on to other activities, including tree plantings, wildflower and tree preservation and advocacy. The Association organized popular 'conservation special' train outings from the Don Station north along the CNR line to Richmond Hill and other destinations to promote the conservation of the Don Valley. Sauriol would later become a director of the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (MTRCA).

Watershed management also included promoting activities such as recreation and public education on authority lands. The Humber Valley CA opened Albion Hills Conservation Area in Caledon as well as Dalziel Pioneer Park, around a historic 1809 barn located on farmland in the Humber River valley. The designated conservation areas charged daily use fees for the general public to use their facilities, unlike typical public parks.

After the deaths and damage of Hurricane Hazel in 1954, governments recognized the need for improved regulation of river floodplains. In 1957, the four Toronto-area authorities were merged into the single Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and given full legal authority to purchase and expropriate lands for conservation. In conjunction with this, the Province of Ontario passed legislation that made building on floodplains illegal. The authority retained the name until 1997, when Metro Toronto was abolished.

In 1959, MTRCA developed its Plan for Flood Control and Water Conservation, which outlined a CDN $22 million plan of dam construction, flood channel construction and floodplain acquisition. In total, 15 dams, and four channels were to be built and 11200 acres of land were to be acquired. The MTRCA constructed three of the 15 dams: Claireville, Milne and G. Ross Lord dam, plus others in Stouffville and on the Black Creek. The Authority constructed twelve flood control channels and two flood control dikes. Over 280 erosion control works were also constructed.

The MTRCA continued to operate the Dalziel Pioneer Park. In 1960, the MTRCA opened Black Creek Pioneer Village on the Stong Farm, at the corner of Jane and Steeles on the Black Creek, which expanded on the Dalziel lands. It subsequently added other pioneer buildings relocated from around the Toronto area. The village became a popular tourist destination in its own right.

In 1982, the MTRCA opened the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Woodbridge, Ontario. Its mission is to be "a center of excellence in the field of sustainable technology". The 325-hectare property hosts educational programs for students, workshops for industry and the general public, and technology demonstrations in a park-like setting.

Properties
A list of parks and conservation areas under the TRCA:

 * Altona Forest - Pickering, Ontario
 * Albion Hills Conservation Area and Campground - Caledon
 * Boyd Conservation Area - Vaughan
 * Bruce's Mill Conservation Area - Whitchurch–Stouffville
 * Bathurst Glen Golf Course - King City
 * Black Creek Pioneer Village - Toronto, Ontario
 * Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve - Toronto, Ontario
 * Claireville Conservation Area - Brampton
 * Cold Creek Conservation Area - King
 * East Duffins Headwaters - Uxbridge
 * Glen Haffy Conservation Area - Caledon
 * Glen Rouge Campground - Toronto, Ontario
 * Heart Lake Conservation Area - Brampton
 * Indian Line Campground - Brampton
 * Kortright Centre for Conservation - Vaughan
 * Lake Saint George --Richmond Hill
 * Langstaff Ecopark - Vaughan
 * Petticoat Creek Conservation Area - Pickering
 * Tommy Thompson Park - Toronto, Ontario

Associated properties

 * Humber Bay Shores Waterfront Park - Toronto, Ontario
 * Toronto Zoo sits on land mostly controlled by the TRCA.


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Social cycle theory

Social cycle theories are among the earliest social theories in sociology. Unlike the theory of social evolutionism, which views the evolution of society and human history as progressing in some new, unique direction(s), sociological cycle theory argues that events and stages of society and history generally repeat themselves in cycles. Such a theory does not necessarily imply that there cannot be any social progress. In the early theory of Sima Qian and the more recent theories of long-term ("secular") political-demographic cycles as well as in the Varnic theory of P.R. Sarkar, an explicit accounting is made of social progress.

Historical forerunners
Interpretation of history as repeating cycles of Dark and Golden Ages was a common belief among ancient cultures. Kyklos (Ancient Greek: κύκλος, "cycle") is a term used by some classical Greek authors to describe what they considered as the cycle of governments in a society. It was roughly based on the history of Greek city-states in the same period. The concept of the kyklos is first elaborated by Plato, Aristotle, and most extensively Polybius. They all came up with their own interpretation of the cycle, and possible solutions to break the cycle, since they thought the cycle to be harmful. Later writers such as Cicero and Machiavelli commented on the kyklos. The more limited cyclical view of history defined as repeating cycles of events was put forward in the academic world in the 19th century in historiosophy (a branch of historiography) and is a concept that falls under the category of sociology. However, Polybius, Ibn Khaldun (see Asabiyyah), and Giambattista Vico can be seen as precursors of this analysis. The saeculum was identified in Roman times. In recent times, P. R. Sarkar in his social cycle theory has used this idea to elaborate his interpretation of history.

Plato
Plato describes his cycle of governments in his work Republic, Book VIII and IX. He distinguishes five forms of government: aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny, and writes that governments devolve respectively in this order from aristocracy into tyranny. Plato's cycle of governments is linked with his anthropology of the rulers that come with each form of government. This philosophy is intertwined with the way the cycle of governments plays out. An aristocracy is ruled by aristocratic people whose rule is guided by their rationality. The decline of aristrocracy into timocracy happens when people who are less qualified to rule come to power. Their rule and decision-making is guided by honor. Timocracy devolves into oligarchy as soon as those rulers act in pursuit of wealth; oligarchy devolves into democracy when the rulers act on behalf of freedom; and lastly, democracy devolves into tyranny if rulers mainly seek power. Plato believes that having a philosopher king, and thus having an aristocratic form of government is the most desirable.

Polybius
According to Polybius, who has the most fully developed version of the kyklos, it rotates through the three basic forms of government: democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy, and the three degenerate forms of each of these governments: ochlocracy, oligarchy, and tyranny. Originally society is in ochlocracy but the strongest figure emerges and sets up a monarchy. The monarch's descendants, who lack virtue because of their family's power, become despots and the monarchy degenerates into a tyranny. Because of the excesses of the ruler the tyranny is overthrown by the leading citizens of the state who set up an aristocracy. They too quickly forget about virtue and the state becomes an oligarchy. These oligarchs are overthrown by the people who set up a democracy. Democracy soon becomes corrupt and degenerates into ochlocracy, beginning the cycle anew. Polybius's concept of the cycle of governments is called anacyclosis. Polybius, in contrast to Aristotle, focuses on the idea of mixed government: the idea that the ideal government is one that blends elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Aristotle mentions this notion but pays little attention to it. Polybius saw the Roman Republic as the embodiment of this mixed constitution, and this would explain why the Roman Republic was so powerful and why it would remain stable for a longer amount of time. Polybius' full description can be found in Book VI of his Histories.

Cicero
Cicero describes anacyclosis in his philosophical work De re publica. His version of the anacyclosis is heavily inspired by Polybius' writings. Cicero argues, contrary to Polybius, that the Roman state can prevail and will not succumb to the harmful cycle despite its mixed government, as long as the Roman Republic will return to its ancient virtues (mos maiorum).

Machiavelli
Machiavelli, writing during the Renaissance, appears to have adopted Polybius' version of the cycle. Machiavelli's adoption of anacyclosis can be seen in Book I, Chapter II of his Discourses on Livy. Although Machiavelli adopts the idea of the circular structure in which types of governments alternate, he does not accept Polybius' idea that the cycle naturally devolves through the exact same pattern of governments.

19th and 20th century theories
Thomas Carlyle conceived of history as though it were a phoenix, growing and dying in stages akin to the seasons. He saw the French Revolution as the ashes or winter of European civilisation, and that it would necessarily build out of the rubble. Russian philosopher Nikolai Danilewski in Rossiia i Evropa (1869), differentiated between various smaller civilizations (Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, Greek, Roman, German, and Slav, among others). He wrote that each civilization has a life cycle, and by the end of the 19th century the Roman-German civilization was in decline, while the Slav civilization was approaching its Golden Age. A similar theory was put forward by Oswald Spengler who in his Der Untergang des Abendlandes (1918) also argued that the Western civilization had entered its final phase of development and its decline was inevitable.

The first social cycle theory in sociology was created by Italian sociologist and economist Vilfredo Pareto in his Trattato di Sociologia Generale (1916). He centered his theory on the concept of an elite social class, which he divided into cunning 'foxes' and violent 'lions'. In his view of society, the power constantly passes from the 'foxes' to the 'lions' and vice versa.

Sociological cycle theory was also developed by Pitirim A. Sorokin in his Social and Cultural Dynamics (1937, 1943). He classified societies according to their 'cultural mentality', which can be ideational (reality is spiritual), sensate (reality is material), or idealistic (a synthesis of the two). He interpreted the contemporary West as a sensate civilization dedicated to technological progress and prophesied its fall into decadence and the emergence of a new ideational or idealistic era.

Alexandre Deulofeu developed a mathematical model of social cycles that he claimed fit historical facts. He argued that civilizations and empires go through cycles in his book Mathematics of History (in Catalan, published in 1951). He claims that each civilization passes through a minimum of three 1700-year cycles. As part of civilizations, empires have an average lifespan of 550 years. He also stated that by knowing the nature of these cycles, it could be possible to modify the cycles in such a way that change could be peaceful instead of leading to war. Deulofeu believed he had found the origin of Romanesque art, during the 9th century, in an area between Empordà and Roussillon, which he argued was the cradle of the second cycle of western European civilization.

Literary expressions
Much of post-apocalyptic fiction depicts various kinds of cyclical history, with depictions of civilization collapsing and being slowly built up again to collapse again and so on.

An early example is Anatole France's 1908 satirical novel Penguin Island (L'Île des Pingouins) which traces the history of Penguinia—a thinly disguised analogue of France—from medieval times to the modern times and into a future of a monstrous super-city—which eventually collapses. This is followed by a renewed Feudalism and agrarian society, and a gradual building up of increasingly advanced civilization—culminating with a new monstrous super-city which would eventually collapse again, and so on.

A later example is Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz, which begins in the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war, with the Catholic Church seeking to preserve a remnant of old texts (as it did in the historical Early Middle Ages), and ends with a new civilization, built up over two thousand years, once again destroying itself in a nuclear war—and a new group of Catholic clergy yet again setting out to preserve a remnant of civilized knowledge.

In the future depicted in October the First Is Too Late, a 1966 science fiction novel by astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the protagonists fly over where they expected to see the United States, but see no sign of urban civilization. At first assuming they were in the pre-1750 past, they later find it was a future time. Humanity is doomed to go through repeated cycles of industrialization, overpopulation, collapse—followed by rebuilding, and then again industrialization, overpopulation and collapse and so on, over and over again. In the far future, a civilization which is aware of this history no longer wants progress.

Contemporary theories
One of the most important recent findings in the study of the long-term dynamic social processes was the discovery of the political-demographic cycles as a basic feature of the dynamics of complex agrarian systems.

The presence of political-demographic cycles in the pre-modern history of Europe and China, and in chiefdom level societies worldwide has been known for quite a long time, and already in the 1980s more or less developed mathematical models of demographic cycles started to be produced (first of all for Chinese "dynastic cycles") (Usher 1989). At the moment there are a considerable number of such models (Chu and Lee 1994; Nefedov 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004; S. Malkov, Kovalev, and A. Malkov 2000; S. Malkov and A. Malkov 2000; Malkov and Sergeev 2002, 2004a, 2004b; Malkov et al. 2002; Malkov 2002, 2003, 2004; Turchin 2003, 2005a; Korotayev et al. 2006).

Long cycle theory
George Modelski, who presented his ideas in the book Long Cycles in World Politics (1987), is the chief architect of long cycle theory. Long cycle theory describes the connection between war cycles, economic supremacy, and the political aspects of world leadership.

Long cycles, or long waves, offer perspectives on global politics by permitting "the careful exploration of the ways in which world wars have recurred, and lead states such as Britain and the United States have succeeded each other in an orderly manner." Not to be confused with Simon Kuznets' idea of long-cycles, or long-swings, long cycles of global politics are patterns of past world politics.

The long cycle, according to Dr. Dan Cox, is a period of time lasting approximately 70 to 100 years. At the end of that period, "the title of most powerful nation in the world switches hands." Modelski divides the long cycle into four phases. When periods of global war, which could last as much as one-fourth of the total long cycle, are factored in, the cycle can last from 87 to 122 years.

Many traditional theories of international relations, including the other approaches to hegemony, believe that the baseline nature of the international system is anarchy. Modelski's long cycle theory, however, states that war and other destabilizing events are a natural product of the long cycle and larger global system cycle. They are part of the living processes of the global polity and social order. Wars are "systemic decisions" that "punctuate the movement of the system at regular intervals." Because "world politics is not a random process of hit or miss, win or lose, depending on the luck of the draw or the brute strength of the contestants", anarchy does not play a role; long cycles have provided, for the last five centuries, a means for the successive selection and operation of numerous world leaders.

Modelski used to believe that long cycles were a product of the modern period. He suggests that the five long cycles, which have taken place since about 1500, are each a part of a larger global system cycle, or the modern world system.

Under the terms of long cycle theory, five hegemonic long cycles have taken place, each strongly correlating to economic Kondratieff Waves (or K-Waves). The first hegemon would have been Portugal during the 16th century, then the Netherlands during the 17th century. Next, Great Britain served twice, first during the 18th century, then during the 19th century. The United States has been serving as hegemon since the end of World War II.

In 1988, Joshua S Goldstein advanced the concept of the political midlife crisis in his book on "Long Cycle Theory", Long Cycles: Prosperity and War in the Modern Age, which offers four examples of the process:

 * The British Empire and the Crimean War (1853–1856): A century after Britain's successful launch of the Industrial Revolution, and following the subsequent British railway boom of 1815–1853, Britain, in the Crimean War, attacked the Russian Empire, which was perceived as a threat to British India and to eastern Mediterranean trade routes to India. The Crimean War highlighted the poor state of the British Army, which were then addressed, and Britain concentrated on colonial expansion and took no further part in European wars until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
 * The German Empire and World War I (1914–1918): Under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Germany had been unified between 1864 and 1871, and then had seen 40 years' rapid industrial, military, and colonial expansion. In 1914 the Schlieffen Plan for conquering France in eight weeks was to have been followed by the subjugation of the Russian Empire, leaving Germany the master of Mitteleuropa (Central Europe). In the event, France, Britain, Russia, and the United States fought Germany to a standstill, to defeat, and to a humiliating peace settlement at Versailles (1919) and the establishment of Germany's unstable Weimar Republic (1919–1933), in a prelude to World War II.
 * The Soviet Union and the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962): The Soviet Union had industrialised rapidly under Joseph Stalin and, following World War II, had become a rival nuclear superpower to the United States. In 1962 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, intent on securing strategic parity with the United States, covertly, with the support of Fidel Castro, shipped nuclear missiles to Castro's Cuba, 70 miles from the US state of Florida. US President John F. Kennedy blockaded (the term "quarantined" being used because a blockade is an act of war), the island of Cuba and negotiated the Soviet missiles' removal from Cuba (in exchange for the subsequent removal of US missiles from Turkey).
 * The United States and the Vietnam War (1955–1975): During World War II and the ensuing postwar period, the United States had greatly expanded its military capacities and industries. After France, supported financially by the US, had been defeated in Vietnam in 1954 and that country had been temporarily split into North and South Vietnam under the 1954 Geneva Accords; and when war had broken out between the North and South following South Vietnam President Ngo Dinh Diem's refusal to permit all-Vietnam elections in 1956 as stipulated in the Geneva Accords, the ideologically anti-communist United States supported South Vietnam with materiel in a Cold War proxy war and by degrees allowed itself to be drawn into South Vietnam's losing struggle against communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong acting in South Vietnam. Ultimately, following the defeat of South Vietnam and the United States, the US's governing belief that South Vietnam's defeat would result in all of remaining Mainland Southeast Asia "going communist" (as proclaimed by the US's "domino theory"), proved erroneous.

Kondratiev waves
In economics, Kondratiev waves (also called supercycles, great surges, long waves, K-waves or the long economic cycle) are hypothesized cycle-like phenomena in the modern world economy. It is stated that the period of a wave ranges from forty to sixty years, the cycles consist of alternating intervals of high sectoral growth and intervals of relatively slow growth. They are estimated to be roughly between 10.3²x 10 and 10.3² megahertz.

Such theories are dismissed by most economists on the basis of econometric analysis which has found that recessions are essentially random events, and the probability of a recession does not show any kind of pattern across time. Despite frequent use of the term business cycles to refer to changes in an economy around its trend line, the phrase is considered a misnomer. It is widely agreed that fluctuations in economic activity do not exhibit any kind of predictable repetition over time, and the appearance of cycles is a result of pareidolia.

Secular cycles theory
Recently the most important contributions to the development of the mathematical models of long-term ("secular") sociodemographic cycles have been made by Sergey Nefedov, Peter Turchin, Andrey Korotayev, and Sergey Malkov. What is important is that on the basis of their models Nefedov, Turchin and Malkov have managed to demonstrate that sociodemographic cycles were a basic feature of complex agrarian systems (and not a specifically Chinese or European phenomenon).

The basic logic of these models is as follows: It has become possible to model these dynamics mathematically in a rather effective way. Note that the modern theories of political-demographic cycles do not deny the presence of trend dynamics and attempt at the study of the interaction between cyclical and trend components of historical dynamics.
 * After the population reaches the ceiling of the carrying capacity of land, its growth rate declines toward near-zero values.
 * The system experiences significant stress with decline in the living standards of the common population, increasing the severity of famines, growing rebellions etc.
 * As has been shown by Nefedov, most complex agrarian systems had considerable reserves for stability, however, within 50–150 years these reserves were usually exhausted and the system experienced a demographic collapse (a Malthusian catastrophe), when increasingly severe famines, epidemics, increasing internal warfare and other disasters led to a considerable decline of population.
 * As a result of this collapse, free resources became available, per capita production and consumption considerably increased, the population growth resumed and a new sociodemographic cycle started.

The models have two main phases, each with two subphases. An intercycle is where a functioning state collapses and takes some time to rebuild. Disintegrative phases typically do not have continuous disorder, but instead periods of strife alternating with relatively peaceful periods. This alternation typically has a period of about two human generation times (40 – 60 years), and Turchin calls it a "fathers and sons" cycle.
 * Integrative phase
 * Expansion (growth)
 * Stagflation (compression)
 * Disintegrative phase
 * Crisis phase (state breakdown)
 * Depression / intercycle

Fourth Turning theory
The Strauss–Howe generational theory, also known as the Fourth Turning theory or simply the Fourth Turning, which was created by authors William Strauss and Neil Howe, describes a theorized recurring generation cycle in American history. According to the theory, historical events are associated with recurring generational personas (archetypes). Each generational persona unleashes a new era (called a turning) in which a new social, political, and economic climate exists. Turnings tend to last around 20–22 years. They are part of a larger cyclical "saeculum" (a long human life, which usually spans between 80 and 90 years, although some saecula have lasted longer). The theory states that after every saeculum, a crisis recurs in American history, which is followed by a recovery (high). During this recovery, institutions and communitarian values are strong. Ultimately, succeeding generational archetypes attack and weaken institutions in the name of autonomy and individualism, which ultimately creates a tumultuous political environment that ripens conditions for another crisis.

Schlesinger liberal-conservative cycles of United States history
The cyclical theory (United States history)   is a theory of US history developed by Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr. and Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. It states that US history alternates between two kinds of phases: Each kind of phase generates the other. Liberal phases generate conservative phases from activism burnout, and conservative phases generate liberal phases from accumulation of unsolved problems.
 * Liberal, increasing democracy, public purpose, human rights, concern with the wrongs of the many
 * Conservative, containing democracy, private interest, property rights, concern with the rights of the few

Huntington's creedal-passion episodes of United States history
Historian Samuel P. Huntington has proposed that American history has had several bursts of "creedal passion" roughly every 60 years. These are efforts to bring American government closer to the "American creed" of being "egalitarian, participatory, open, noncoercive, and responsive to the demands of individuals and groups."

United States Party Systems
The United States has had six party systems over its history. Each one is a characteristic platform and set of constituencies of each of the two major parties. A new party system emerges from a burst of reform, and in some cases, the disintegration of a party in the previous system (1st: Federalist, 2nd: Whig).

Skowronek United States Regimes and Presidency Types
Political scientist Stephen Skowronek has proposed that American history has gone through several regimes, with four main types of presidencies. Each regime has a dominant party and an opposition party. The President involved in starting it is a "reconstructive" one, and that President's successors in the dominant party are "articulating" ones. However, opposition-party Presidents are often elected, "preemptive" ones. A regime ends with having a President or two from its dominant party, a "disjunctive" President.

Klingberg cycles of United States foreign policy
Frank Klingberg has proposed a cyclic theory of US foreign policy. It states that the US alternates between extroverted phases, phases involving military adventures, challenging other nations, and annexing territory, and introverted phases, phases with the absence of these activities.

title: Social cycle theory


text:
List of BDSM artists

This is a list of notable artists in the field of BDSM art:

 * Nobuyoshi Araki
 * Gene Bilbrew
 * Robert Bishop
 * Charles Guyette
 * Jeff Gord
 * Erich von Götha de la Rosière
 * Sadao Hasegawa
 * Namio Harukawa
 * Seiu Ito
 * Eric Kroll
 * Monica Majoli
 * Michael Manning
 * Peter Acworth
 * Robert Mapplethorpe
 * Ken Marcus
 * Daido Moriyama
 * Fakir Musafar
 * Helmut Newton
 * Barbara Nitke
 * Satine Phoenix
 * Rex
 * Sardax
 * Franco Saudelli
 * Bill Schmeling
 * Stjepan Sejic
 * Joe Shuster
 * Eric Stanton
 * Roy Stuart
 * Bill Ward
 * John Willie

See also: List of BDSM photographers

title: List of BDSM artists


text:
User:Menju

I'm Highly Suspicious

In need of new pants!

title: User:Menju


text:
User:Takeel

Hi. I like Wikipedia. I think I'm a wikignome. I keep a journal of Wikipedia thoughts here. I maintain a list of my personal Wikipedia editing goals here.

Some stuff I find useful:

Templates

 * Template messages/User talk namespace
 * Edit lock
 * Template:Unsigned

Policy

 * Simplified Ruleset
 * Deletion debates
 * Centralized discussion

Other

 * Administrators' noticeboard
 * Wikipedia:Dispute Resolution
 * Third opinion- WP:3O is tremendously valuable and not many people currently know about it. It's especially great for articles that don't get much attention from the general masses.

title: User:Takeel


text: User talk:143.158.254.227

title: User talk:143.158.254.227


text:
A. niger

A. niger may refer to:
 * Acromyrmex niger, an ant species found in southern Brazil and Paraguay
 * Agelastes niger, the black guineafowl, a bird species found in humid forests of Central Africa
 * Allocyttus niger, the black oreo, a fish species found around Australia and New Zealand
 * Andricus niger, a gall wasp species in the genus Andricus
 * Aspergillus niger, the black mold, a fungus species

title: A. niger


text:
List of BDSM photographers

''This is a list of notable photographers in the field of BDSM. For other notable people associated with BDSM, see List of people associated with BDSM.''
 * Jeff Gord (1946–2013)
 * Eric Kroll (born 1946)
 * Robert Mapplethorpe (1946-1989)
 * Ken Marcus (born 1946)
 * Fakir Musafar (1930–2018)
 * Helmut Newton (1920–2004)
 * Barbara Nitke (born 1950)
 * Roy Stuart (born 1962)

title: List of BDSM photographers


text:
Tracy Barlow

Tracy McDonald (previously Barlow, Preston, and Langton) is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. She was played by Christabel Finch until 21 November 1983. Holly Chamarette played the role from 8 July 1985 until 23 March 1988. Dawn Acton played the role from 12 December 1988 to 10 July 1995. Acton reprised the role for two short stints in November 1996 and December 1997. She reprised the role once again on 14 March 1999 and made her final appearance as Tracy on 10 October 1999. Kate Ford took over the role from 25 December 2002 to 8 April 2007. Ford reprised the role for a brief stint from late May to early June 2010, returning full-time from 24 December 2010. In April 2024 Ford took a break from the show and will return in late 2024.

Tracy is the daughter of Ray Langton (Neville Buswell) and Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride). Tracy never had much to do with Ray and was later adopted by Deirdre's new husband Ken Barlow (William Roache). Early storylines featuring Tracy concentrated on her childhood. She went on to feature in storylines about drugs, various family crises, relationships with Roy Cropper (David Neilson) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), a feud with Steve's ex-wife Karen McDonald (Suranne Jones) and a short-lived marriage to Robert Preston (Julian Kay). Her exit storyline in 2007 was the culmination of a storyline that saw Tracy imprisoned for killing her boyfriend Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward) in revenge. In the on-screen events, Tracy was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Her brief return in May 2010 saw the character lie about Gail Platt (Helen Worth) confessing to murdering late husband Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale). Her return in December 2010 saw her released from prison after forensic evidence used at her trial was discredited. She received her daughter Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) back and attempted to steal Steve from his wife Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) and failed. This resulted in the two characters having a feud. Tracy also began a feud with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan), which worsened after it transpired that Tina had kissed Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis). Rob would later murder Tina and after discovering this, Tracy and Rob's sister, Carla Connor (Alison King), turned him in and he was arrested, sparking a feud between Tracy and Carla. Tracy's former husband Robert Preston (Tristan Gemmill) also returned, with Tracy going on to briefly reunite with him. She has since remarried Steve and had a drunken one-night stand with Paula Martin (Stirling Gallacher).

Casting

Tracy was created as the daughter of Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) and Ray Langton (Neville Buswell). The first actress to play Tracy was Christabel Finch in 1977, who first appeared in the role when she was 15 days old. According to Finch in 2007, "It was a case of being the right baby, in the right place, at the right time. The casting director came to the baby unit and picked me at random, then asked my parents if I could be in the show." In 2001, Finch reflected on her time in the soap, remembering that she used to share a dressing room with Anne Kirkbride who played Tracy's mother Deirdre and one of her most prominent storyline memories is her involvement in Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs): "Because I was a kid, everyone was really friendly to me. Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Gilroy, was really lovely and a very down-to-earth person. The biggest plot I was involved in was when Deirdre had an affair with Mike Baldwin. There was a lot of shouting going on and Ken was screaming at her, 'Get out of the house!' I just thought, 'what's going on, why are they shouting?'" Finch left the role when she was seven, as her parents had opted to move to Guernsey.

It was two years until the producers recast Tracy. On screen during that time, Tracy's parents Ken and Deirdre would say that Tracy was either in her room upstairs or at school. Eight-year-old Holly Chamarette was given the role in 1985. At the time she reportedly commented, "I'm thrilled. I've been watching Coronation Street for ages." She was chosen from more than 60 children, but left the role when she was 11, in 1988, quitting the acting profession to become a doctor.

The third actress to play the part was Dawn Acton, appearing between 1988 and 1999. Acton was 11 when she took on the role and played the character through her teenage years, in what Acton has described as Tracy's tarty phase. Acton has said that Tracy's appearances became rare in the mid-1990s, until the casting director James Bain informed her that her contract was not being renewed, as "the storylines involving Tracy had dried up". Acton adds, "I was 17 but I wasn't devastated. There were no tantrums, like the ones Tracy was famous for. James said I should try other things in the acting world. I did – but it didn't work out."

In November 2002, it was reported that Dawn Acton reauditioned for the role of Tracy, but was unsuccessful, which resulted in the role being given to Kate Ford. A spokeswoman for the soap said: "[Kate] is very excited to have got the part. The character has changed substantially in the past four years and really hits the ground running. Kate is thrilled." Discussing why Acton was not brought back, a spokesperson said, "We [looked] at other actresses because the character has changed so much—she's going to be explosive." Ford was a fan of the show as a child, and revealed that when she was 12, she wrote around ten letters to the casting director requesting a part. The character is portrayed as being extremely selfish and dangerous. She appears to be a tough, fiery and very bitchy character, with Ford stating that "underneath she does care about her daughter which does show a soft side to her".

Reintroduction (2002)
On 23 October 2002, it was reported that Tracy would be reintroduced later that year. A show spokesman says the new Tracy will be sexy, sassy and opinionated. She will make a beeline for womanising bookie Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), her own stepbrother, before moving on to former sailor Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy) and knicker factory boss Joe Carter (Jonathan Wrather). Tracy returns home to Weatherfield at Christmas after turning to her mother, Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride), when her marriage breaks down – she left the Street after marrying Robert Preston (Julian Kay) at Weatherfield Register Office. The character was last played by Dawn Acton. A Coronation Street spokesman said: "We are looking at other actresses because the character has changed so much – she's going to be explosive."

Explaining the decision to bring Tracy back as an antagonist, writer Daran Little commented: "You only have to look at a character whose parents got divorced when she was very young and then pulled either way to find out this woman is very flawed and has a chip on her shoulder. So you take that and bring her back a few years later as a very selfish person."

On 13 November 2002, it was announced that Kate Ford had been cast as Tracy. It was reported that Acton was said to be "devastated" when she failed to win the part, which instead went to Ford. But whereas Tracy Barlow was a glum-faced teenager, Tracy Preston – as she is now called – is a sexy, sassy and opinionated man-eater. At the same time, it was also reported that Tracy would sleep with her mother's former flame Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin). A Coronation Street spokeswoman said Ford, fresh from London's Webber Douglas Academy but originally from north Lancashire, was "thrilled" to have landed the role. "She is very excited to have got the part. The character has changed substantially in the past four years and really hits the ground running. Kate is thrilled."

Tracy returned on-screen on 25 December 2002, and she spent no time moping over her failed marriage. "She's been bored in London and she's ready to let her hair down and have some fun. Tracy's a strong, feisty woman and I think at last Dev may have met his match."

Pregnancy
A storyline involving Tracy in 2003 saw her have a one-night stand with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) and wanted to take things further but Steve got back together with his wife Karen (Suranne Jones) instead. In need of an ego boost, Tracy bet Bev Unwin (Susie Blake) 1p that she could bed Roy Cropper (David Neilson), to prove that she could have any man she wanted. Tracy won the bet by subterfuge – drugging Roy. A few weeks later Tracy found out she was pregnant and booked an abortion. Her original intent was to keep quiet but, when confronted by a furious Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Tracy blurted out that she was pregnant with Roy's baby. As Roy and Hayley couldn't have children and longed for one, Tracy suggested that they adopt her baby for £20,000. The Croppers agreed but tried to persuade Tracy to marry Roy to guarantee his parental rights. Faced with a legal bill from her divorce from Robert, Tracy agreed, marrying Roy with Hayley and Ciaran as their witnesses. The conclusion of the storyline saw Tracy give birth to baby daughter Amy in February 2004, who was revealed to be Steve's child and not Roy's, leaving Tracy to later go on to have a fight with Steve's wife Karen.

Departure (2007)
In 2005, Ford made the decision to leave the series, but after being promised more "juicier storylines", she decided to stay. In January 2006, it was reported by the News of the World, that Ford had again insisted that she will bow out next year when her contract expires. A Coronation Street spokesman told Digital Spy: "Kate is contracted until next Spring so she's with us for the foreseeable future." Bill Ward who plays Charlie Stubbs, the boyfriend of Tracy announced his departure from the series in June 2006, an ITV spokesperson commented: "Contrary to press reports Bill's decision to leave is not linked to the future of the character of Tracy Barlow. Actress Kate Ford is contracted to Coronation Street until March 2007." After months of speculation, Ford announced in August 2006 that she was to quit the show the following year. It was announced that Tracy would kill Charlie as part of Ford and Ward's leaving storylines which saw Tracy sentenced to life imprisonment for Charlie's murder. Brian Capron, who played notorious serial killer Richard Hillman from 2001 to 2003, warned Ford and Ward that the murder plot could harm their careers due to the storyline being so high-profile. Ford promised that it's a fitting end for Coronation Street's resident love rat. "Charlie has had this smug attitude that he can do whatever he wants and it has just driven Tracy insane," she said. "He lives by the sword and dies by the sword. I don't think there's a man Tracy's met who's going to get the better of her. She hates what he's turned her into and wants him to die after he continually cheated on her." Ward commented: "He doesn't believe that Tracy would actually go through with murder and thinks himself much smarter. "Charlie has long suspected that Tracy was concocting something evil, and when she reveals her wicked plans he challenges her to go through with it. He doesn't believe she would actually go through with it for a second, so when Tracy actually goes for him it's a complete shock. She attacks him with such ferocity that he doesn't stand a chance." The storyline saw Tracy spending weeks staging arguments, locking herself in the house, and even burning herself with an iron, in order to convince neighbour Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth) that Charlie is abusing her. Ken and Deirdre are also concerned for Tracy's well-being, but she will not leave Charlie. Tracy gives Charlie a lap dance and begins to tell him they will be together forever. While he is distracted, she hits him over the head with a heavy metal sculpture. She taunts him and then hits him again, with a fatal blow. This resulted in Charlie ending up in hospital in a coma. Tracy, meanwhile, is successfully granted bail following an intense grilling by detectives. She ignores her bail conditions and sneaks to the hospital where she leans over an unconscious Charlie. "When Tracy finds out that Charlie hasn't died straight away she's terrified that he might actually wake up and tell the cops the truth," Ford revealed. "She planned to kill him so knowing he's still alive puts her into a panic. She orders Deirdre to take her to the hospital where she wishes her cheating boyfriend would hurry up and die. It's a really worrying time for Tracy as she's desperate to cover her tracks and not be charged with murder. Ford added: "As far as Tracy's concerned Charlie was trying to kill her and that's what she has told everybody. But if Charlie comes to and tells the truth, Tracy will almost certainly be done for attempted murder." Charlie later ends up dying in hospital much to the relief of Tracy.

Coronation Street broadcast an episode on March 25, 2007, which only featured Ford and Kirkbride who played Tracy's mother Deirdre, this was the first episode to feature only two actors since Kevin Kennedy and Sarah Lancashire who played Curly and Raquel Watts in 2000. The episode saw Tracy confess all to Deirdre. Speaking of the episode, Ford said: "Deirdre's been asking questions and Tracy knows she's onto her. Also Tracy's feeling the pressure and she needs to confide in someone after keeping it to herself for so long. It's all too much, so when the big confrontation comes Tracy lets go and confesses to Deirdre that she murdered Charlie in cold blood. She feels like she wants to take the weight off her. For months she's been carrying round this big secret and she needs to offload it, especially now Deirdre's sniffing around. Also, Deirdre intimates that she would lie for her so Tracy's quite confident that she can freely offload." Ford added: "She forces her word that she won't tell anyone and that she'll back her in court, but Deirdre's wavering. She's appalled and wants Tracy to come clean, but she's also her child, her own flesh and blood, so it's hard to consider giving her up. Tracy expects that as her mum Deirdre will stick by her whatever. It was amazing to be able to do an entire episode just with the two of us. I love working with Anne and this was a fantastic opportunity to explore the relationship between the two of them." Tracy's trial aired in March 2007 and the jury delivered the "guilty" verdict, resulting in Tracy being sentenced to life imprisoned. Ford's final episode as Tracy was broadcast on 8 April 2007.

When asked by itv.com in 2013 whether Tracy would ever be driven to kill again, Ford replied: "I don't think she ever wants to go back to prison, she absolutely hated it, so for that reason, no. Also I think she was in such a dark place when she was with Charlie, I don't think she just killed him for the sake of it, she'd gone a bit mental because he was playing games with her head."

Reintroduction (2010)
On 5 January 2010, it was announced that Ford would reprise the role of Tracy after more than three years away. The actress attributed her return in part to the 2009 return of her friend Shobna Gulati as Sunita Alahan, and her desire to work with Gulati again. Ford believes that the time she has spent in prison has made Tracy's attitude worse, characterising her as "a bit cagey and a bit bitter". She stated that Tracy still loves Steve, but that his new wife Becky would beat her in a fight. Her first scenes were shown in May, when she returned for her grandmother Blanche's funeral. Ford found the scenes difficult to film, following the then recent death of Maggie Jones who played Blanche. She described Tracy as a more ruthless and extreme version of her grandmother.

Tracy returned to Weatherfield on a permanent basis later in 2010. The storyline depicting her initial return involved her being offered an early release in exchange for extracting a murder confession from Gail. She falsely accused Gail of her husband Joe McIntyre's (Reece Dinsdale) murder, by telling the police that she hit him with a rolling pin, after Gail told her that she hid a rolling pin on top of a bedroom wardrobe in order to stop poor cook Joe from baking potato pie. The police subsequently found the rolling pin hidden in the house, making Tracy's lie appear true. Tracy decided to testify in court, alleging that Gail was guilty of murdering Joe; Gail was found not guilty of murder and Tracy was furious that she might not be let out early, thus throwing a chair across the room at two police officers who were involved in Gail's case. Later that day, Tracy was attacked by Gail's fellow inmates after they threw water at her and locked her in a cell and beat her up for being a "grass". Tracy was hospitalised.

Executive producer Phil Collinson has revealed that Tracy's return will bring a few years' worth of storylines for her and many other characters in the soap, and that there is a possibility of Becky McDonald and Tracy appearing in a special two-hander episode. It was revealed on 4 October, that Tracy would return on Christmas Eve 2010, following her shock release from prison. Speaking to Inside Soap, Ford said: "Tracy's absolutely ecstatic to be out of prison, and excited to be home. She's a bit nervous because she knows everybody is going to hate her – but she's basically the same old Tracy!" Ford added: "Primarly she wants Amy back, but she'd like to be with Steve as well. She wants them to be a family. Steve is Tracy's true love, and she'd do anything to Becky if it meant she could have him." Speaking to Soaplife about Tracy's comeback, Simon Gregson who plays Steve McDonald explained: "I'm really excited. Tracy's a brilliant character. You've got that lightness and then pure evil. And Kate (Ford) does such a good deadpan face. I sometimes have to struggle not to laugh. Her return is a massive shock. Steve instantly thinks, 'Oh no!' He just knows she'll be bringing him loads of flack." Discussing Tracy's demands for custody of Amy, Gregson continued: "Tracy's got [Steve] over a barrel. It turns out Amy's heard Steve and Becky talking about buying Max and she's told Tracy. "That's all the ammunition she needs. She tells Steve if she doesn't get custody she'll shop him and Becky to the authorities."

Tracy returns just as the tram crash memorial service is taking place. By the end of Christmas Eve, she has managed to alienate most of the community, particularly Gail McIntyre and the recently widowed Claire Peacock. On 30 December 2010, after Tracy has complained to Deirdre, Ken, and Peter about being deprived of sex, David Platt confronts her at home about her conduct towards his mother. After a bitter argument, Tracy seduces David. Shortly afterward, Tracy sleeps with Nick Tilsley (Ben Price); they are discovered by Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson). On New Year's Eve, Deirdre and Ken find Tracy unconscious with a head injury. Suspicion falls on Steve, who is standing nearby with blood on his hands.

On 19 May 2011, Ford revealed that the main thing driving her Coronation Street alter-ego Tracy Barlow is the desire to have a family with daughter Amy and former husband, Steve. Speaking to TV Times, Ford said that Tracy is feeling as if her meddling is starting to pay off. "She thinks she can see a shift in Steve, and she knows that his and Becky's relationship is not on firm ground. She's excited because she thinks an opportunity might be presenting itself," Ford explained. "All Tracy wants is for her, Amy and Steve to be a family. She sees that as the key to her fulfilment and happiness. She does love Amy and she's really worried about her mystery illness. When it comes down to it, she will put Amy above anything."

Rob Donovan

In December 2012, it was announced that an upcoming storyline would see Tracy begin a dangerous relationship with Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis), the brother of Carla Connor (Alison King). Speaking of the storyline a Coronation Street source said: "Tracy and Rob are a match made in soap hell, They will be fiery, passionate and out to cause trouble." Baylis went on to say: "Watch this space – interestingly, Tracy Barlow comes onto his radar. That is an interesting combination. Without a doubt, he sees something of himself in Tracy and finds her intriguing!" Ford admitted: "She [Tracy] likes the fact that he's quite feisty – it takes one to know one, after all. Maybe they're kindred spirits!" Asked about the kind of a dynamic between Rob and Tracy, Baylis told Digital Spy: "There's a lot of joyful banter – they challenge each other in a fun way. They're quite similar, they can see those similarities and they do have a lot of fun together. They put a smile on each other's faces, and we'll just have to see how it goes from there." Asked if Rob can hold his own when it comes to Tracy, Baylis replied: ""Definitely, otherwise he wouldn't get involved. He is aware of the whole situation that happened with Ryan last year, but he's got a few more years on Ryan and he's been round the block a few times. Rob definitely wouldn't get involved in something that he didn't think he could handle. But Rob does have an arrogant side, and he feels like he could deal with anything. That's one of Rob's main flaws. I've really enjoyed working with Kate Ford on the storyline – we've had an absolute blast. We've been working a lot together, and hopefully the working relationship that we've built up behind the scenes will come across on screen. I'm looking forward to seeing that unfold myself." When asked how Rob first gets Tracy's attention, Ford told All About Soap: "Well, Tracy's going off shopping in town and she gets into a taxi at exactly the same time as Rob. She demands that he leave, as it's her taxi and not his. He refuses to move though, and when Steve asks them where they're going and they both say the city centre at the same time, they share a smile and end up going in the cab together. She likes the fact that he's quite feisty – it takes one to know one, after all. Maybe they're kindred spirits!" Ford also stated that not only is Tracy attracted to Rob, she realises that it would also annoy Michelle (Kym Marsh), adding: "If he had got out of the taxi, she probably wouldn't have fancied him. He's quite easy on the eye too, of course. Plus, he hangs round with Michelle, and if Tracy and Rob were an item, it would annoy her – that's another good reason for Tracy." On Tracy's reaction to being asked out by Rob, she said: "She's quite annoyed at first and she turns him down. But he persists and he flatters her, so she thinks, why not? I think he's like a nicer version of Charlie, so maybe. He's got the bad lad streak, he's ruthless, but he's nowhere near as cruel as Charlie." Tracy convinces Rob to give her a job at Underworld, and when factory boss Carla has doubts over the arrangement, the Tracy promises to behave herself. It was announced that Tracy will put her relationship with Rob before her own daughter as she tries to secure more commitment from him. Tracy decides that she wants to live with Rob, but she knows that he may need some convincing as he is not ready to be a stepfather to Amy. Tracy's interfering stepbrother, Peter, is responsible for planting the idea in Tracy's head, questioning why she hasn't moved in with Rob now that they have a business together. Ford told itv.com: "It definitely strikes a nerve when Peter says that Rob will never see her that way and only cares about himself. Tracy is willing to do anything to move in with Rob, even if it means palming Amy off on Steve and her mum more often. She knows one of the reasons Rob's reluctant to move in with her is because he fears he won't be a good stepdad to Amy, and that's not really the life he wants right now. So to solve this problem, she persuades Steve to have Amy four nights a week and Deirdre the other three." Ford added: "Tracy is very good at twisting people round her finger. Rob's got everything she wants in a man – he's ambitious and driven, he shares her ruthless streak."

A twist in Tracy and Rob's relationship storyline happened when Rob later went to kiss Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan). Asked why they end up kissing each other, Baylis replied: "They're playing games with each other. The thing with Rob is that he can't resist a challenge. He'll always rise to the bait, and Tina challenges him. They're both pushing each other while they are flirting and it's all about game playing. That's how it happens." Tracy later finds out about their kiss and is furious, beginning a feud with her and Tina; which would later build up to the departure of Keegan and the murder of Tina for which Tracey was a suspect. Kate Ford, said: "Tracy has committed murder before and got away with it and she certainly takes no prisoners when it comes to getting revenge on people who have wronged her. She has never really forgiven Tina for kissing Rob and trying to take him off her – and for her campaign to try and close down Barlow's Buys when they first opened. Now that she knows Tina has rumbled their dodgy dealings with Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard), it may be that she thinks enough is enough and slips away from her engagement party to confront her – but Tina is every bit as feisty and Tracy might have bitten off more than she can chew trying to keep her quiet." It was later revealed that it wasn't Tracy who killed Tina and in fact it was Rob who killed her. As the storyline concluded Rob was sent to prison leaving Tracy relieved.

Tony Stewart
In December 2014, it was revealed that Tracy was to have an affair with Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard) who is in a relationship with Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard). Maynard explained: "Tracy is at her lowest ebb. She's broken and she needs validating in some way by a man. She's realized that she's all alone and that she's not going to have a relationship with Rob as he's locked up for life. she thinks that she'll be older and nobody will be interested in her. Tony tells Tracy what she wants to hear, because he does feel for her. He tells her that she looks good, that there are loads of men that would want her. That's when Tracy turns to him and asks him if he'd go there with her. Tony refuses to answer and tells her he's with Liz and that he can't answer that question. Tony makes a point of telling Tracy he's happy with Liz and he puts his cards on the table. But Tracy still comes on strong because she needs this – this is something she needs to stabilise her. If she had a good friend that she could cry to and could go to, this might not be happening – but she needs a sexual validation, so it becomes about power."

Asked whether Tony pulls back when Tracy first tries to kiss him, Maynard replied: "He tries to. When she starts kissing him, he is completely disengaged and tries to turn away from her. But there's no doubt about it that there's an attraction to Tracy and he can't deny it. With her coming on so strong, he can't help himself. I think he likes how much of a challenge she's becoming too. He feels lousy afterwards. I think he has concern for what will happen now and for what will happen with Liz. He hopes that's the end of it and that it won't spill out into the public domain. He genuinely loves Liz and he hasn't felt like this about a woman for a very long time so he doesn't want to lose it. He wants to just forget it and move on but it's evident that Tracy isn't going to let it go. From Tony's point of view it's about managing her and playing the game – he wants the business and that's still all he wants." Writers confirmed that the pair's romantic spark wouldn't be just be a one-off, so Tony's attraction to Tracy could grow as time goes on. Maynard added: "He's not in love with her and they're not the same sort of feelings that he has for Liz, but I think he considers Tracy to be a friend of his and I think the feelings he does have for her could well grow." Ford said that Tracy could have met her match in Tony after he sets her up. Tracy agrees to go into business with Tony when he masterminds a situation that leaves her shaken, forcing her to reconsider her options. Tracy is left feeling threatened by a supplier after buying some dodgy stock, only to be rescued by Tony, who is hoping to finally get his hands on the business. Ford said: "When it all goes wrong she's terrified. When he turns violent, she realises it could have gone massively wrong if Tony hadn't come in. She is quite good at protecting herself – she's been in prison so she can handle herself, but she is shaken." However, although Tracy believes she can keep Tony at arm's length once they become business partners, Ford thinks her alter ego could have her work cut out. She said: "Tracy can kind of see through Tony. She is a big girl and she can look after herself. It's more about the money and the fact that she can't cope without him financially. She doesn't think of Tony as her saviour, it's all about the money. Tracy can be pretty ruthless herself so maybe she'll have to play Tony at his own game. I think she's going to have her work cut out though this time." Liz later finds out about the affair when Tracy breaks the news to her on the day of Steve and Michelle's wedding. Callard commented: "At first Liz doesn't quite believe it. She's not concerned about the dodgy things that Tracy and Tony might get up to at Barlow's Buys, but she doesn't believe Tony would do anything else. Tracy then starts to show her texts which prove they've been having an affair. Liz still doesn't quite believe it, but she soon starts to realise there could be some truth to it. Tracy also tells Liz that they've been trying to get The Rovers from underneath her as well. That just puts the lid on it for Liz, but the one thing she's thinking is that she can't let it ruin the wedding day for Steve and Michelle."

Robert Preston
On 9 May 2015, it was announced that Tristan Gemmill had been cast as Tracy's ex Robert Preston. Robert (then played by Julian Kay) had previously been married to Tracy when Dawn Acton was playing the role. It was announced that Robert will return to Tracy's life in the summer when he turns up unexpectedly at the funeral of her mother Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride). With Tracy grieving following her mother's sudden death and also newly single after splitting from Tony Stewart, she quickly seeks comfort by falling back into Robert's arms. However, if Tracy harbours any hopes for a full reunion with Robert, it won't be easy for her as he is still married to his second wife – something he has neglected to tell her. Played by former Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, Robert's wife quickly joins him in Weatherfield to fight for her man. Asked what Robert likes about Tracy, Gemmill replied: ""Now there's a question! I guess some people are attracted to broken people. I've got friends who have poor relationships by anyone's standards because they keep making the same mistake. Maybe Robert is one of those people who is attracted to danger, maybe he thinks he can fix her. There's an element of thrill being with someone who's unpredictable."

Kidney infection
On 16 May 2016, it was reported by the Metro that an upcoming storyline would see Tracy at "death's door" as her health will take a turn for the worse. It was also revealed that as she faces a fight for life, she may be doing so alone as all of her family will have turned their backs on her in the wake of her feud with Carla. With Tracy only having one kidney, she will end up with an infection. Speaking to Metro.co.uk at a recent press event, Ford explained: "She gets an infection and the people that she thinks will be there for her aren't and she realises she's pushed everyone too far. There'll be a big, bad karma – even her daughter who she took for granted doesn't want to know. Even Ken has been pushed too far – although he does go and see her at the hospital, she is his daughter after all and she is at death's door." Ford also hinted that the terror of the situation might make Tracy change her ways: "It's a different Tracy post-this, for quite some time. She realises she has cut off everybody – the health issue makes being conniving quite difficult! We won't see as much of that in the future." In an interview with Digital Spy, Ford explained why Tracy only has one kidney: "She has only got the one kidney because when she was younger she took an ecstasy tablet in a nightclub and had organ failure. The kidney she's got is Samir Rachid's kidney". Ford also went on to explain the storyline in more detail: "Tracy gets an infection in her kidney, which means that she becomes very poorly as it isn't functioning properly. She's been feeling pain for a while and feeling tired but she's been taking her medication, so isn't overly worried until she suddenly doubles over in agony in the flower shop. She tries to make light of it when she's referred to the transplant clinic, claiming as soon as she's ill, the doctors always presume it's her kidney. But deep down I think she's more worried than she's letting on." Discussing the aftermath of Tracy's subsequent collapse, Ford confirmed: "Well she doesn't die! I think for Tracy the only positive that comes out of it is that she hopes it will bring her and Amy back together. But Amy is quite a tough cookie and she doesn't come to the hospital to see her, even though Tracy is on her deathbed. That really affects Tracy. She's desperate to try to make amends with Amy but it doesn't seem to work. She's very lonely and very emotional when she's at the hospital. Robert visits her and she's hopeful it means they have a future together, but it's not going to be that simple. Especially with Amy, who Tracy fears she may have lost forever."

1977–1999
Tracy, the daughter of Ray (Neville Buswell) and Deirdre Langton (Anne Kirkbride) made her first appearance after being born on 24 January 1977. Ray leaves when Tracy is a baby and she is raised by Deirdre and her husband, Ken Barlow (William Roache), who adopts her.

Ken and Deirdre separate in December 1989 when Ken has an affair with Wendy Crozier (Roberta Kerr), his secretary at the Weatherfield Recorder. Initially, Tracy supports Deirdre, but above all else, Tracy wants a return to family life. Once Ken sees the error of his ways and begins seeking a reconciliation, in opposition to Deirdre who wants a divorce, Tracy's allegiance shifts to Ken. Deirdre is subjected to further resentment when she takes up with Dave Barton (David Beckett), who rescues Tracy when she accidentally sets the kitchen on fire. The divorce even affects Tracy's school life as Ken gets a teaching job there in 1990, as he can stay updated on Deirdre's exploits through Tracy. Caught between Ken and Deirdre, Tracy starts to rebel by playing truant from school, going instead to the amusement arcade with twin brothers Steve (Simon Gregson) and Andy McDonald (Nicholas Cochrane). 1991 also sees Tracy get her first boyfriend, Graham Egerton (Paul Aspden), but it does not last long and they end their relationship.

Tracy meets Robert Preston (Julian Kay) and they decide to marry in 1996. They intend to marry in London, where they are living, but when telling Ken and Deirdre her news, Tracy decides to marry in Weatherfield instead, on the cheap; she books the Registry Office immediately and buys a £14 wedding dress from a charity shop. The wedding is a success and Robert and Tracy return to London. Tracy visits Weatherfield three times over the next few years: she comes to Deirdre and her fiancé, Jon Lindsay's (Owen Aaronovitch) engagement party in 1997 and approves of Jon (who is really a confidence man), and then in 1999, she seeks refuge in Weatherfield after falling out with Robert, who accused Tracy of having an affair with her friend after he saw them kissing. Robert follows Tracy to Weatherfield and they reconcile when he accepts her story that she and Dan are just friends. Tracy is delighted when Ken and Deirdre finally reconcile.

2002–2007
Tracy returns on Christmas Day 2002, claiming that Robert has cheated on her, but it emerges that she was sleeping with Robert's best friend; so she and Robert divorce. Tracy has a brief fling with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) but when she realises Dev thinks she is not "marriage material", she dumps him before cutting up his suits and stealing his credit card.

In August 2003, Tracy places a bet with Bev Unwin (Susie Blake) that she can sleep with married Roy Cropper (David Neilson). She spikes his drink and then claims they slept together when he wakes up in her bed the next morning. Roy is racked with guilt and his wife Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) is heartbroken and when Tracy discovers she is pregnant, she threatens to have an abortion unless Roy and Hayley buy the baby for £15,000. With Hayley being a trans woman, they agree, much to the disgust of the Barlow family. Roy and Hayley worry Tracy will flee with their money and the baby so Roy marries Tracy to gain legal rights to the baby. In February 2004, after delivering her daughter, whom Roy and Hayley name Patience, Tracy wants her daughter back and admits at Steve and Karen Phillips' (Suranne Jones) wedding that Steve is her daughter's biological father, not Roy and she lied about them having sex. Not surprisingly, this causes a feud between her and Karen but Roy is persuaded by Ken to return Tracy's daughter, whom she renames Amy (Holly Bowyer and Rebecca Pike). Tracy taunts Karen when she does not get pregnant as quickly as Tracy did, calling her "Barren" Karen. Karen does get pregnant, but miscarries soon after in December 2004. Karen struggles to cope and finds Tracy's sympathy harder to cope with than her taunting, leading her to steal and torch Tracy's car. Tracy is devastated, thinking Amy is dead because she was in the car, and angrily goes after Karen, threatening to kill her. Only Steve's insistence that Amy is safe with Roy and Hayley, makes Tracy stop and he ends his marriage to Karen, reminding her that he is grieving too and could have lost two children. Tracy watches triumphantly as Karen leaves and Steve tries to reconcile with Tracy but realises he wants Amy, not her. This leads to a bitter custody battle, with Tracy making it look as if Steve tried to kidnap Amy and even accusing him of abusing her. While Tracy wins primary custody, the judge does not believe her accusations and allows Steve visits with Amy.

Short-lived flings with Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy) and Nathan Harding (Ray Fearon) follow, until Tracy starts to date Charlie Stubbs (Bill Ward) in December 2005. However, Charlie has a one-night stand with his ex-girlfriend, Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), ultimately resulting in her pregnancy. Although Tracy forgives Charlie, he betrays her again with Maria Sutherland (Samia Ghadie). Tracy concocts a plan for revenge, spreading lies that Charlie is abusing her while suggesting to Charlie that she is cheating. When Charlie decides to throw Tracy out, she announces her intention to kill him, which he does not believe. In January 2007, she seduces him, then hits him twice on the head with a metal ornament, taunting him as she does; she tries to convince the police that it was self-defence but fails and is charged with murder after Charlie dies. Tracy is released on bail and David Platt (Jack P. Shepherd) gives the police a statement, claiming to have witnessed the murder in return for sleeping with Tracy, which she does, desperate to avoid going to prison. He lies under oath, but his evidence is dismissed by the court and, following Tracy's confession to Deirdre that the murder was planned, Deirdre is unconvincing as a witness. Consequently, Tracy is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 15 years before parole. In financial ruin, Ken and Deirdre can not pay for an appeal, leaving Tracy to serve her sentence, while Amy (now played by Amber Chadwick) is sent to live with Steve.

2010–present
In May 2010, Tracy is allowed a day release from prison to attend her grandmother Blanche Hunt's (Maggie Jones) funeral. While at the funeral she argues with Steve's wife, Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) when she realises that Becky is playing a mother figure to Amy (now played by Elle Mulvaney). On Christmas Eve 2010, Tracy returns to the Street. She tells the Barlows that the expert who handled the forensic evidence for her trial falsified his qualifications so she has been released on bail, pending a retrial. Tracy is found not guilty at the retrial, owing to the unreliability of forensic evidence. Tracy begins a feud with Becky, regularly taunting her over her inability to give Steve a child. She antagonises several residents on the street, seduces David and Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), and demands access to Amy against Steve and Becky's wishes. Just after midnight on New Year's Day 2011, Tracy is attacked on the back porch of Ken and Dierdre's home by an unseen assailant and put into a coma. Several street residents are suspects including Steve, Becky, Nick, David, and Gail Platt (Helen Worth). After waking from her coma, Tracy names Becky as her assailant, but it is revealed to be Claire Peacock (Julia Haworth). Claire turns herself in to the police but when she is released on bail, flees the country with her two sons. Becky refuses to tell Tracy where Claire went, so her plans for revenge are in vain. Tracy learns that Becky stole £5,000 from the Corner Shop on the night of the tram crash to buy Max Turner from his mother Kylie (Paula Lane). She takes Amy to move in with her in exchange for her not going to social services and Steve is forced to acquiesce. As Becky and Tracy's feud intensifies, Steve and Becky's marriage disintegrates and he and Tracy begin a relationship. She becomes pregnant with twins. Steve and Becky go into business together and they meet with a hotel manager. Tracy believes that they are having an affair and follows them to the hotel but is unable to find them and has a miscarriage. She confronts Becky over her and Steve but Becky insists that nothing happened. Tracy intentionally falls down the stairs in Becky's house but lies to Steve that Becky pushed her down the stairs and caused the miscarriage. Deirdre discovers Tracy's lies but Tracy insists that she loves Steve and convinces Deirdre to keep quiet. Steve and Tracy's relationship is cemented and Becky is ostracised by the street. Steve proposes to her on Christmas Day and they marry after his divorce with Becky is finalised. Becky crashes the reception at the Rovers with a copy of Tracy's medical records, proving that she lied about being pushed down the stairs and miscarrying. Furious, Steve breaks up with her but is unable to legally end the marriage until after a year or kick her out of the house as it is in both their names. Ken is unable to forgive Tracy for her lies, and throws her out of the house. He eventually allows her to move back in she falls unconscious due to kidney failure.

Tracy begins dating Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis). Rob and Tracy then buy the bookmakers' and turn it into a pawnbroker's shop. Tracy is furious when Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) tells her that Rob kissed Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and that his elder sister Carla Connor (Alison King) knew about it. Rob attacks Tina in her own home, leading to her running to the balcony, where the argument continues. He tries to persuade Tina not to tell Carla about her affair with Peter, unaware that Peter has told her himself,– to save her feelings and threatens her not to say anything to the police about their dealings with Tony. Tina refuses, so as Rob pushes her away, Tina loses her balance and falls from the balcony, plummeting onto the cobbles below. Rob believes that Tina is dead, so leaves her flat panic-stricken. He then hears Tina's groans and realises that she is still alive. Tina threatens to tell the police that Rob pushed her from the balcony on purpose in an attempt to kill her. This pushes Rob over the edge, leading to him picking up a metal pipe and beating her with it. Tracy is happy that Tina has been hospitalised, as she hated her, but is more sympathetic when she dies. Rob calls her from a B&B, admitting to killing Tina. Tracy agrees to bring money to him, which she takes out of their wedding cards. They meet but upon saying goodbye, Tracy decides she wants to go on the run with him. They plan for her to collect their things and meet the following evening. However, when they meet it is revealed that Tracy has called the police, as she did not want to leave Amy behind or go to prison again. A tearful Tracy tells Rob that she is sorry, and he is led away by the police.

Tracy starts an affair with Tony Stewart (Terence Maynard), who is in a relationship with Steve's mother Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard), but tells Liz about it before Steve and Michelle Connor's (Kym Marsh) wedding in May 2015. Tracy accidentally starts a fire when she sneaks into Carla's flat and leaves a candle there after leaving. Amy, who was in the flat, and Carla are saved, but Kal Nazir (Jimi Mistry) and Maddie Heath (Amy James-Kelly) die due to the resulting explosion. As Tracy is nowhere to be seen, Carla is blamed for the fire. Tracy is distraught when Deirdre dies. At Deirdre's funeral, Ken snaps at her after learning that Deirdre wouldn't come home as she felt ashamed of Tracy's affair with Tony. Tracy storms out and her ex-husband Robert (now Tristan Gemmill) follows. Back at the house, Robert and Tracy admit there are still feelings between them and Tracy tries to seduce him. Ken decides to give Tracy another chance and goes round to sort things out, only to find Robert and Tracy half-dressed. Ken throws Robert out and lashes out at a guilt-stricken Tracy, and they later argue. Tracy later opens her own florist and calls it "Prestons Petals" in a bid to win Robert back; however, she later finds out Robert slept with Carla and she threatens her. Tracy later collapses due to her kidney and is hospitalised.

In March 2017, Ken is pushed down the stairs by an unknown assailant, however, the police suspect one of the Barlow family members. Tracy opens his will whilst he is in hospital and finds out that she has been left nothing by him, but unknown to her, Ken changed it and was given everything to her. In April 2017, after Luke breaks up with her due to suspicion, he believes something is going on with her, Tracy meets with Rob who is out of prison somehow and it becomes apparent she was with him the night Ken was pushed. In a conversation between them both, it is revealed Rob has been in contact with Tracy and that she has been helping him as he has escaped from prison after being transferred and the car he was in crashed. A few days later, they have sex after Rob tells her he will move away and Tracy says she wants to live with him. In May 2017, after Tracy goes on the run with Rob taking Amy, who is unaware Rob is with them, with her to a Peak District cottage, they are reported as missing people after Adam finds Tracy has taken Amy's passport and tells Steve. The next day, Amy runs away and rings Steve, letting the police track down where she phoned. When she comes back from the call, she walks in on Tracy and Rob kissing, just before he sees the police coming up to the cottage. Tracy pleads with Amy not to tell anyone they have been with Rob and sends her with him so he can take her home before he continues his journey on the run. Tracy tells Rob she is covering for Amy, who she believes pushed Ken and they share a goodbye. When the armed police arrive she tells them she had pushed him and they arrest her for attempted murder. In court, Rob storms in and tells Tracy and the courtroom, that it wasn't Amy who pushed Ken so she retracts her statement and pleads not guilty after Rob gives her an alibi, saying she was with him the night Ken was pushed. She then meets with Rob in her cell for the last time before he is moved to solitary, and they have to say goodbye before having sex. She is released from prison a few days later. In June 2017, she later discovers Ken's son Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) was the culprit who pushed Ken, and she is furious and she disowns him. Over Christmas, she rekindles her relationship with Steve. In January 2018, Tracy is left distraught when ex-boyfriend Luke Britton is murdered by Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre).

Steve proposes to Tracy and she accepts, and she also becomes close with Abi Franklin (Sally Carman). On the wedding day, Tracy suspects Steve of having an affair with Abi, which she denies, but Tracy tampers with a car Abi is meant to be fixing. She later finds out Steve did not sleep with Abi and asks her to be a maid of honour again. As Tracy walks down the aisle she threatens Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), unaware that Leanne has recently slept with Steve. After remarrying Steve, Leanne tries to apologize for sleeping with Steve, when Tracy was actually just mad at her for not letting Leanne and Steve's son Oliver Battersby wear a kilt. Tracy and Leanne have a fight after she punches Steve, who she tells she wants a divorce, however after getting drunk, Tracy goes on her honeymoon to Morocco with him. She returns over a week later, telling everyone that she has left Steve in the desert and took his passport with her. She finds out that the car she tampered with was involved in an accident, which left Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) in a coma and Leanne badly injured. Abi is blamed for not fixing the car properly and when the police want to look at Kevin Webster's (Michael Le Vell) laptop for CCTV, Tracy steals Abi's keys for the garage and the laptop.

Amy tells Tracy and Steve that she is pregnant at the age of 14 and when Tracy learns that the father is at the legal age of consent, she pressures Amy to have an abortion. When Amy refuses, Tracy and Steve plan to adopt the baby and raise it as their own. Amy later feels emotionally neglected by Tracy and Steve and has a secret abortion. Tracy later learns about this and admits that she has neglected Amy's emotional wellbeing over the baby.

Reception
When Tracy was blackmailed by David, Steven Perkins of Lowculture commented: "It's very incredibly wrong, and yet they're both so vile that it goes right around the loop and goes back to being a thoroughly great idea." Fellow Lowculture contributor Nick Linsdell praised Tracy as "one of the all-time great, completely horrific, self-absorbed soap monsters." He deemed her trial testament to the show's writers, as, even with a character who has been part of Coronation Street since birth: "they've come up with an exit storyline that outdoes all her previous exploits and dragged in half the cast to enjoy the fun." Perkins also praised the trial storyline, commenting: "It makes for quite a nice change to have sat through a soap trial, knowing for once that The Accused was (a) guilty as sin, (b) acting in a deliberate, calculated and premeditated fashion and (c) not trying to frame someone else." Alongside this unusual premise, he noted: "there are probably quite a few people who secretly want to see That Bitch Tracy Barlow finally get hers."

Radio Times included Tracy in their feature profiling 'bunny boilers' of soap opera. Discussing her they stated: "Qualifying as much as a soap villain as a bunny-boiler, grown-up Tracy in her final incarnation displayed enough deranged behaviour to have Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail bounding for the hills." Opining on her temper they added: "Tracy was capable of a rage so hot that, by comparison, the fires of hell were chilly." They also offered their opinion on what could have made her this way, blaming Ken's and Deirdre's behaviour. The character has been dubbed by the media and viewers as, "Toxic Tracy".

A reporter writing for the Inside Soap Yearbook 2017 named Tracy and Carla's feud as one of the "best bits of February", describing the pair as "sworn enemies". They described Tracy confronting Carla as "the big moment" in the episodes.

In February 2011, Ford was nominated for Best Comeback in the Soap Bubble Awards for her portrayal of Tracy. Tracy was nominated in the category of "Villain of the Year" at the 2011 Inside Soap Awards. In January 2020, following Tracy's one-night stand with Paula, Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap wrote "Say what you like about Tracy Barlow. She's never lost her ability to surprise."

title: Tracy Barlow