Continuing our fine sometime tradition of “Streetcar Friday”, I present this ad than ran for the Hydro Electric Railways, June 23, 1928.
Interurban service to Amherstburg. When streetcar service was ended, this line to Amherstburg became a bus line. Now, public transit service to the county is non-existent.
It’s funny how far society has both advanced and retreated in the last 80 years…
It’s funny that, in this day and age when we are more wealthy than anyone could ever dream, running an interurban between Amherstburg and Windsor seems like an over-the-top pipe dream. But they made it happen in the ’20’s. Priorities…
It’s funny how far society has both advanced and retreated in the last 80 years…
Your above paragraph says it all! The difference today is the “me, me, me” attitude is more prevalent where back then the whole society came first.
That’s the way I’ve always felt, Chris. We are richer and more technologicaly advanced than ever before, and yet… it’s too expensive, can’t be done, yada yada.
By the way, those interurban lines started even before the 1920s, going back to the early 1900s, with Windsor’s own city streetcars leading the whole country in 1886. Now it’s 2009 and all we do is sit on our thumbs and spin. 🙁
And.. in the paper today, they’re rationing the salt for the almighty road and highway networks…. These streetcars likely wouldn’t have interupted their schedule for even a second due to snow, let alone require millions of dollars in salt!
A year or so I got a tool tag from H.E.R.Y. and was told by the seller that it could have come from Windsor or Branford ? I think both had the same tool tags I use mine as a key chain…
Those tags are sold frequently on eBay. Don’t know how to tell which division each tag is from, so I never really bid on them. But they are neat memorabilia to collect just the same.
I`ve written extensively and researched this subject over at Scaledown, and I have yet to hear a compelling arguement as to why we shouldnt have a streetcar-light rail system in Windsor-Essex County.
The initial cost is high, but we save in the long run by the lower operating costs of streetcars as opposed to buses.`It would also be a catalyst for positive change in this city, and it would help the city`s much-maligned image and the businesses along its route, and those are just the initial benefits.
Well, in the mean time I guess we will continue to ration salt and the never ending quest for good roads.
As John Stefani mentioned, Windsor was one of the first cities in this country to implement a streetcar system. With the growing popularity of automobiles and business predator interests of auto and oil interests an efficient system of mass transit was removed. Ottawa at one time also had an efficient streetcar system but it was also removed in favour of buses. Perhaps the difference was not perceptible at the time but now Ottawa streets are overly populated by streams of buses (when not on strike) spewing tons of malodorous fumes. It is congestion and chaos. Ottawa has been working on solutions which include light rail.
There is no reason why Windsor cannot gradually reintroduce a form of streetcar system, especially on the busy routes and use these to not only enhance mass transportation but to also contribute to enhance tourism.
Windsor’s rail history is vast but it is all but forgotten. It is time to reinvent some aspects.
For all of the millions spent on road salk (plus the damage to the environment and to our own vehicles) it would make sense that we initially spend large sums of money on light rail because in the end we will spend much less on a more efficient system. But since it makes sense it will never come to fruition.
But hey folks! We can spend over $70 million on an arena that gives little to the overall community of Windsor. As someone above stated…priorities!
Great article today and always seems timely too. I dont know how many times I’ve griped to my family and friends about not having light rail or even county bus service. Just had a friend from Toronto/Mississauga visit last weekend and it blew her mind that there is no regional transit down here. Also on the plus of not needing salt for street cars some kind of county wide service could be cause for less stress. Case in point my sister who lives in Windsor now. My parents had their 25th anniversary party last weekend. Her roommate/boyfriend/whatever, was her ride down but since he had other plans couldnt drive her home, she somehow took that as “I’m not taking you at all” and led to a darn near domestic disturbance and nearly got me and my Torontonian friend involved. Just think if we had county rail/bus service and this went on. No arguments, no stress, no near 911 calls and no waiting for 45 minutes at the train station. Of course this all makes perfect sence which is never good enough for this region it seems now a days. Shame really.
I hear ya A’burg Dave! I missed work on the friday before christmas with all the snow only because i couldn’t get beyond the neighbours house through the slush and ruts with the car.. I’m only 50 metres from what was once the SW&A Rail and had it still been running today, I wouldn’t have lost a days wage!
If the provincial gov’t pumped as much money into the rest of Ontario for public transport as they do for Toronto , or the federal gov’t for Ottawa, then maybe communities like ours could have a decent transport system. People in GTA receive so much Prov subsidies for being the Prov capital, they take that as their entitlement and assume every one gets it too. As long as the people in Windsor are so attached to the idea of owning their own car, we will not have the will as a group to rally and promote public transit.
How many 3 and 4 car families do you know? How many city high school students take city buses to school? How many drive themselves or are driven , or heaven forbid, walk the 4 blocks?
When you answer that, answer this — where is the need for more improved public transport?