Edmonton Radial Railway

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Not to be confused with Edmonton Radial Railway Society.
Edmonton Radial Railway
Streetcars on Jasper Ave, Edmonton.jpg
Edmonton Radial Railway streetcars at the intersection of Jasper Avenue and First (101) street in 1911
Overview
OwnerThe City of Edmonton
LocaleEdmonton, Alberta, Canada
Transit typeTram
Number of lines8 (peak)
Daily ridershipOver 93,000 (1945)
Annual ridershipOver 14.1 million (1929)
HeadquartersCromdale Carbarns
11631 80 Street
53°34′4″N 113°27′49″W / 53.56778°N 113.46361°W / 53.56778; -113.46361 (Cromdale Carbarns)Coordinates: 53°34′4″N 113°27′49″W / 53.56778°N 113.46361°W / 53.56778; -113.46361 (Cromdale Carbarns)
Operation
Began operationNovember 9, 1908 (1908-11-09)
Ended operationSeptember 1, 1951 (1951-09-01)
Number of vehicles87
Technical
System length56.2 miles (90.4 km)
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
ElectrificationOverhead line

The Edmonton Radial Railway (ERR) was a streetcar service that operated in Edmonton, Alberta from 1908 to 1951, being Edmonton's first public transit service, and evolving into the Edmonton Transit Service. At its peak in 1929, the ERR served more than 14.1 million passengers.

History[]

In 1893, an ordinance permitting Edmonton to construct and operate a tramway was passed.[1] The concept remained stagnant for the next decade, and Edmonton city council approved the borrowing of $224,000 for the creation of a streetcar system in 1907.[2] Construction of the initial trackway and related infrastructure commenced soon after.[2] The Government of Alberta passed the Edmonton Radial Tramway Act in 1908, permitting the city to provide tramway service to communities located within 80 miles (130 km) of the city.[1] The ERR started service in that same year, with a fleet of four streetcars servicing 21 kilometres (13 mi) of track.[3] Shortly prior to the start of service, Edmonton purchased the Strathcona Radial Tramway Company Ltd. for $135,000, thus gaining the ability to provide streetcar service to the City of Strathcona as well.[1]

On its first day of operations, the ERR served approximately 3000 riders.[4] The service quickly grew in popularity as a mode of transportation, and it became known as "the pride of Edmonton".[2] By 1911, daily ridership increased to around 4784 passengers.[3] Motormen, conductors, and other streetcar workers unionized in 1911, under the banner of the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America Local Division No. 569.[1] The ERR served more than 10 million passengers in 1912, and Edmonton purchased 47 new streetcars.[3] The original streetcar barn was replaced with a new barn in 1913, which would be in use until the system ceased operations in 1951.[1]

Edmonton streetcar number 40 going northbound across the High Level Bridge. It went on the "wrong side" of the bridge as a safety precaution; if anyone had to exit the streetcar, the doors would be facing the bridge deck instead of the narrow side beams.

Streetcar workers went on strike in 1917, from September 1–11, leading to a new labour agreement being signed with Edmonton in 1918.[1] The ERR saw further increases in ridership after the First World War, when veterans began returning home.[3] Its busiest confirmed year of service was in 1929, during-which it served approximately 14.1 million passengers; Edmonton had approximately 74,000 residents at the time.[5][6] In subsequent years, transit officials did not distinguish between streetcar and bus passengers when tallying ridership figures.[1] The radial railway reached its greatest extent in 1930, with six lines serving almost all sections of the city, and totaling 77 kilometres (48 mi) in length.[4] Two years later, in 1932, bus service replaced streetcar service on the 102 Avenue line.[1] The ERR saw a large increase in use during the Second World War, but more streetcar routes were replaced with bus service.[2][1] The system began to show signs of disrepair during the Great Depression, and the influx of riders during the 1940s hastened this deterioration.[7]

In the postwar years, if Edmonton were to maintain its streetcar service, it would need to invest a significant amount of money into ordering new streetcars, and replacing or repairing its tracks and other infrastructure.[2] Rather than making these investments, it opted to continue the transition to bus service.[2] The Edmonton trolley bus system gradually replaced streetcar service on most Edmonton Radial Railway routes.[1] The transit service's name was changed to Edmonton Transportation Service in July 1946, and just one year later it was renamed to Edmonton Transit System.[8] By 1949, only the Blue Route and the Blue & White Route, totaling 17 miles (27 km) in length, remained in service.[5]

On September 1, 1951, Edmonton streetcar no. 1 – the first streetcar ordered by Edmonton – performed a ceremonial 'last run' across the High Level Bridge.[1] It carried Mayor Sidney Parsons and other invited guests from Jasper Avenue and 97 Street, to a loop at 84 Avenue and 109 Street.[1] Around 1,000 people watched this event, which marked the final closure of the Edmonton's streetcar system.[2]

Lines[]

Rather than being numbered, ERR lines were colour-coded.[5] The following list shows the routes in service during the ERR's peak in the early 1930s:[5]

Line Route description Notes
Red Ring route north on 95th Street to 111 Ave, south on 101 Street, east on Jasper Ave.
Red & White From 115 Ave & 82 Street via 101 Street, Jasper Ave, High Level Bridge, east on Whyte Ave and back via Low Level Bridge and 97 Ave.
Red & Green 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 Low Level Bridge to Whyte Avenue and back via High Level Bridge.
Blue From 112 Ave south on 124 Street, east on Jasper Ave, north on 97 and 95 Street, east on 118 Ave, north on 66 Street to North Edmonton (124 Ave).
Blue & White From 112 Ave south on 124 Street, east on Jasper Ave, north on 97 and 95 Street, east on 118 Ave to 80 Street.
White From Highlands (61 Street & 112 Ave) west to 82 Street, south to Jasper Ave, west to 109 Street, south via High Level Bridge to Whyte Ave, east to 91 Street and north to 88 Ave (Bonnie Doon).
Green & White From Whyte Ave south on 104 Street to 76 Ave and west to 116 Street (McKernan Lake). This line was coined the 'Toonerville Trolley' by local residents, in reference to the Toonerville Folks cartoons.[9]
Green From 124 Street west on 102 Ave to 142 Street. This route was abandoned in 1932.

Rolling stock[]

The ERR purchased streetcars from three manufacturers over the years, with the final batch arriving in 1930.[1] The ERR also owned a number of specialty cars, such as line maintenance cars, sweeper cars, a track grinding car, and a library car which served residents in remote neighbourhoods.[10]

Manufacturer Car numbers Quantity Built Notes References
Ottawa Car Company 1-6 6 1908 Converted from double-ended operation to single-ended operation in 1912. Car number one was restored by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society (ERRS), who currently operates it. [11]
Ottawa Car Company 7 1 1908 The only single-truck streetcar used for passenger service in Edmonton. [11]
Preston Car Company 10, 12, 14, 16 4 1909 Car number 14 was converted to a library car in 1941. [11]
Ottawa Car Company 15, 17, 18-21 6 1910 [11]
Ottawa Car Company 8, 9, 11, 13, 22, 23 6 1911 These cars were similar to the ones ordered in 1910, but had more seats and only one driver's end. [11]
Preston Car Company 28-31 4 1911 The body of car number 31 is owned by the ERRS, which plans to restore it. [11]
St. Louis Car Company 32-46 15 1912 These were the only streetcars purchased by the ERR which were built outside of Canada. The ERRS has restored streetcars 33 and 42. They also own car number 38, and plan to restore it. [11]
Preston Car Company 47-74 28 1913 This was the largest order made by the ERR. Cars 53, 65, and 73 are in the possession of the ERRS, which intends to restore them. [11]
Preston Car Company 75-81 7 1914 These cars were similar to the batch ordered in 1913. [11]
Ottawa Car Company 80-84 5 1930 The last streetcars ordered by Edmonton. Car number 80 was restored by the ERRS, which now operates it. [11]

Modern operations[]

Streetcar number 42 in operation at Fort Edmonton Park. It is operated by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society.

Although Edmonton does not operate streetcars as part of its public transit network, some streetcars have been restored and put back into operation by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society, and others are awaiting restoration.[12] It operates historic streetcars on Edmonton's High Level Bridge and in Fort Edmonton Park.[12]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Edmonton Streetcar System". ERRS. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "40 Years of Service Aboard the Edmonton Radial Railway | SkyriseEdmonton". edmonton.skyrisecities.com. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  3. ^ a b c d "History of ETS | City of Edmonton". www.edmonton.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  4. ^ a b "Tracks Through Time". Edmonton Community Foundation. 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  5. ^ a b c d "Edmonton Radial Railway Society". www.edmonton-radial-railway.ab.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  6. ^ "Population History | City of Edmonton". www.edmonton.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  7. ^ "Streetcar". Strathcona Community League. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  8. ^ Wyatt, David A. (13 December 207). "Edmonton, Alberta". All-Time List of Canadian Transit Systems. Archived from the original on 2000-01-16. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  9. ^ "McKernan's Lost Lake". Edmonton City as Museum Project ECAMP. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  10. ^ "Edmonton Radial Railway Society". www.edmonton-radial-railway.ab.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Edmonton Radial Railway Society". www.edmonton-radial-railway.ab.ca. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  12. ^ a b CBC News (July 9, 2021). "High Level Bridge streetcar back on track and coming to Whyte Avenue". CBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-07-10. Retrieved August 21, 2021.

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