I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Over the long weekend I had a chance to take a trip with John & Bernie up to the Halton Radial Railway Streetcar Museum.
A vast majority of the cars came from the TTC, but many were similar to the cars used in Windsor and Detroit and countless other cities across North America.
First up was this 1951 vintage car from Toronto.
Built in Montreal by the Canadian Car & Foundry, it was acquired by the museum in 1996, upon its retirement.
Watch your step…
Sadly the interior was modernized in the 1970’s or so.
But still a very cool car, the PCC Car is a classic in the world of streetcars.
This vintage 1921 Peter Witt car, is still not completely repainted. It was an extra in the movie “Cinderella Man” a few years back.
An interior view of this classic.
A shot of the car on the circuit.
Replica of original car 327 built by the TTC for Toronto’s centennial in 1934. Truck & components salvaged from original #327, built in 1892.
This Peter Witt car was built in 1923 and retired by the TTC from regular service in 1963.
A view of the Rockwood train station. Built in 1912 for the Grand Truck Railroad. It was moved to the museum in 1971.
An interior view of the station.
There are many cars in the collection, several awaiting restoration.
Remember this one from a few weeks ago? S.W. & A. car # 212
Yup… That’s her, # 212 today, acquired by the museum in 1990 after spending better than 50 years as a cottage…
A shot of the former Montreal & Southern Counties Railway interurban car.
An interior view of the 1912 car.
This Toronto Civic Railway car was built in 1915 by the Preston Car Company.
An interior view. This is one of the few remaining Preston built cars.
Looking up in the car barn there are all kinds of historical plates and signs from other rail systems, even an old plate from our S.W. & A.
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Amazing collection of cars. Talk about getting your imagination running! Now, I wish I would have gone with you.
Amazing finding that S.W. & A car there.
You guys would probably be interested in the new Guelph Junction Express. It's slated to start running later in May. They're using 1950's vintage cars for a 2 hour tour, with dinner, on the Guleph Junction Railway. Runs from Guelph to Campbellville and back.
http://www.destinytours.com/gje/
Great pictures! I didn't realize they moved the cars around at all. Thanks for sharing. Isn't it something to see that other cities have such great places while Windsor still doesn't have an automotive museum let alone a complete historical museum. I konw heritage village exists but it isn't in Windsor proper and it is in the middle of no where.
Thanks for the pictures... I have been meaning to go up there for some time... I will have to look in 1 of my books at home, and see where some other SW&A stuff is, but I believe 1 of the cars, is in the Museum of Science & Technolgy in Ottawa...
Ian, it's well worth the drive to get a ride on these beauties.
I want to buy one. I know the museum wouldn't sell any. I wonder how many are left out there in good enough shape to restore.
Actually, if you look at the museum's website, they aparently have a PCC car they'd like to sell.
The only sad part about railway/transit museums to me is the back lot, the one full of items either waiting for a restoration that may never come, or are too far gone to restore. That one picture almost made me cry. Driving past the 3/4 mile long Northwest Railroad Museum's dead line has the same effect on me.
A quick question, though. In the mid '60's, while on a Canadian National steam excursion, we stumbled upon the London shops of the London and Port Stanley. In the carbarn, they had what appeared to be an electric parlor car in pristine condition. Anyone know if that was preserved?
BTW, beautiful pictures, Andrew. Wiish I could have been there......
Nice shots Andrew and very nostalgic. A friend of my mother's in Holland Landing, just north of Newmarket had a house built around an old streetcar, like the one in the first shot. The main part of the house was the streetcar. A most interesting house and interesting old lady.
When I first came to Canada in 1957 a ride on the steetcar was .05cents and my brother and I used to ride them endlessley along St.Clair on a Saturday to the subway, around the loop at Union Stationand, back to St. Clair and then streetcar back home. No return fare necesary as St.Clair station was an enclosed stop. Hours of fun. Thanks for the memory.
Just an aside- Cairo, Egypt bought many of the old Toronto streetcars in the 1970's. I understand that there are quite a few still running. I guess the climate may be a little kinder to them.
The only other Windsor reference I found in the book Canadian Trackside Guide, was this reference.
Windsor, Essex, & Lake Shore # 501, built by Ottawa Car Company is in, Kennebunkport, Maine.
I know there is more out there... i just cant locate them, but who knows... There is lots of London & Detroit stuff out there, and the biggest ones for Local would be the London & Port Stanley, which had lots of nice equipment that was saved.