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High Level Bridge Streetcar / ERRS

A while back, I mentioned that the ERRS museum displays colour footage shot in 1949-50 by Harvard Librarian Foster Palmer. I have a DVD copy now, and the Seashore Trolley Museum gave me permission to upload it for public view, on a personal basis (I didn't ask on behalf of the ERRS).

Here it is if you want to watch it:
 
BrettB said:
Anyone know where the Calder line ran?
Click to expand...
You can see it in the top left of this map showing the 1938 network:
Edmonton Streetcar Map 1938.png


Routes and tracks changed over time, but the ERRS museum states that in the 1930s, the Red/Green route served Calder as such: "From Calder, south on 127/124 Street, east on 107 Ave, south on 101 Street, west on Jasper Ave, south on 109 Street, east on 97 Ave, across the Low Level Bridge to Whyte Avenue and back via the High Level Bridge."

In 1948, the track on 124 Street, south of 118 Avenue, was removed. According to the book "Edmonton's Electric Transit", a small temporary yard was constructed at 118 Ave, along with a turning wye, to accommodate the remaining Calder service. Seven streetcars, a sweeper car, and the library car were placed at this yard before the track on 124 Street south of 118 Ave was paved over. Buses provided a connection between Calder and the new northern terminus of the Red/Green line, and a streetcar was always parked at the southern end of the Calder stub to provide heated shelter (with seats) for people waiting to transfer to/from the stub. The Calder stub line was abandoned completely in 1949.

Streetcar Map.png

Edmonton's streetcar system in 1949 (source)
B= Blue Route, BW = Blue-and-White Route

BrettB said:
I particularly like the blue 'library' train.
Click to expand...
You can learn about it, and some other special streetcars, here! You can also click here to learn about the passenger cars, here to learn about the work cars, and here to see a timeline of Edmonton's (and Strathcona's) streetcar system.
 
Last edited:
realkevbo said:
Streetcar Auction

Vancouver is auctioning off an old streetcar, it definitely needs some love and I hope it can be saved. @CplKlinger would the ERRS be able/be interested in restoring it?
Click to expand...
link is dead. you mean this streetcar, right? It looks to be in rough shape. The news articles online make it sound like a restoration gone sideways. I can't find an article confirming this, but it looks to be a European PCC, like this 1956 model. ERRS currently has 1 PCC in operation and 2 more in storage; all three are of the original North American body style. The PCC design was brought to Europe around WW2, where it long outlived the original model. Cars like the Brussels model I linked to use the same frame design and mechanicals (later models being more heavily modified, of course) with a different, squarer body. PCCs are pretty common in NA heritage railways. They are easy to operate, relatively easy to maintain, and parts are very easy to come by, as thousands were produced over the period of a couple decades. that being said, this Vancouver car is a European version, so that compatibility may be limited (the fact they rebuilt the controller rather than sourcing a replacement seems odd).
current bid price looks like $310, plus all the work to get it out of the shed it's currently in.
 
CplKlinger said:
A while back, I mentioned that the ERRS museum displays colour footage shot in 1949-50 by Harvard Librarian Foster Palmer. I have a DVD copy now, and the Seashore Trolley Museum gave me permission to upload it for public view, on a personal basis (I didn't ask on behalf of the ERRS).

Here it is if you want to watch it:
Click to expand...
In the archives, I found a newsletter article that Palmer co-authored after his visit. He has quite a lot of praise for the system, despite how much it had shrunk by the time he arrived. He also quotes ETS Superintendent Ferrier about why we most likely would not keep the system for much longer (we came closer to keeping it than you might think). I put the article here if you want to read it. Some of it is hard to read because the ink is faded, and I had to take pictures with my phone since we don't have a scanner there; let me know if you want me to clarify what something says. Another thing I found, and put online, is a rule book for ERR motormen and conductors that was published in July 1914. You can access it here.
 
The director of our museum had a couple neat documents on hand: A photocopy of the 1938 consultant's report that confirmed the findings of a 1937 Administration report recommending a transition to trolley buses, and a copy of a report on the impacts of the switch to trolley buses (I think Administration wrote it, but I'm waiting for confirmation from him).
 
Thanks for sharing those; incredibly interesting reads; there is a similar report for transitioning to LRT in the late 50s as well.
 
We found a very comprehensive history of ERR/ETS, including technical specs of each piece of equipment until 1981, in the ERRS archive. It's a Master's thesis, and the UofA is trying to get all of the theses published by students scanned and put online. They were kind enough to bump this thesis to the front of the line after I emailed them, and they made it searchable. Merry (early) Christmas! When looking at the table of contents: Volume one goes until page 419, and volume two picks up on page 420.

archive.org

A technological history of municipally owned public transportation in Edmonton, 1893-1981, vol. 1 : George H. Buck : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

2 v. : 29 cm
archive.org
^Volume one
archive.org

A technological history of municipally owned public transportation in Edmonton, 1893-1981, vol. 2 : George H. Buck : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

2 v. : 29 cm
archive.org
^Volume two
 
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Street Car Party!

Looking for the perfect opportunity to check out the street car? The Common’s Street Car parties are back with different breweries each Thursday! What could be a more Edmonton experience than sitting on the Street Car on the top of the High Level Bridge having a glass of cask beer while you watch the sunset over the river valley.
 
Has there ever been any thought to running the streetcars in the winter or are they not able to? I've often thought how cool it would be to have these run over the winter season with fire pits and vendors (food, coffee, hot chocolate) set up at either end of the line. The Government Centre stop is a short 15 mins. walk to Victoria Park for skating and 5 mins. to the Legislature to walk the grounds and check out all the Christmas lights. The Whyte Ave. stop is obviously perfect for shopping, food, Ice on Whyte, etc. I imagine there would be sufficient demand for this, especially over the holiday season when lots of families getting together and visiting from out of town.
 
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