A vendor on Ebay recently posted these outstanding photos of Montreal & Southern Counties trolleys. We encourage people to reward his work by purchasing them.
Please feel free to provide more info in the comments and I will add it.
The top photo is shows how Montreal streetcar, road and the Canadian National Railway tracks met at the Victoria Bridge, which was still a toll bridge in 1954.
The MSC was on the downstream side and there was a passing track at each end. The car shown is heading towards the bridge and St Lambert. Bridge Street is to the right, and both lanes of traffic were on the upstream side.There was a walkway on downstream side of Bridge and the woman shown may have walked over, or may has just descended from the streetcar, which is going to the terminus at the bottom of McGill.
The catenary (a U-shaped curved wire) for electric locomotives from Central Station to PSC Shops and coach yard sits out of frame to the right. It's still there today at the entry to the Victoria Bridge. The locomotive shown is a Montreal Locomotive Works diesel. - description by Coolopolis reader M.P. & I
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Are these trolley cars or tram cars? I always thought trolley cars had rubber wheels and did not require tracks....
ReplyDeleteAre there any of them left anywhere?
ReplyDeleteWOW! Thanks for the pictures! I’ve never seen those before!
ReplyDelete“Trolley” actually means the way of collecting electricity. It cames from “troller”, for the very first electric streetcar has a little chariot running on top of two overhead wires, which was “trolled” (pulled-along) with a cable. Of course, that contraption did not work well, but the name stuck, and it was soon replaced by the “trolley pole” as soon as it was discovered that you could use the track as the second electric (ground) wire.
For those with rubber tires, you’re talking about “trolleybuses” (they were also called “trackless trolleys” in the US)…
There are some M&SC cars at the St-Constant museum, but they do not work. If you want to ride some, you can go to the Kennebunkport museum, in Maine, or to the Halton County museum in Guelph, Ontario.
My grandfather used to ride the M&SC to get from St-Lambert to Montreal to go to McGill. Here is a shot I took of one of the preserved M&SC cars at Exporail.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=472203&nseq=335
Quite a history about that M&SC line and its rolling stock.
ReplyDeleteSee Part One: http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no353_1981.pdf
and Part Two: http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no354_1981.pdf
In the U.S.A. such lines connecting cities with surrounding towns were called "Interurbans".
Can you imagine ordering two and a fry from one of those.
ReplyDeleteHere is a list of locations of SOME of the M&SC Photos.
ReplyDeleteNo 2. McKayville??, Car proceeding toward Marieville from St Lambert. Switch stand for Wye visible ahead of car.
No 3. St Lambert. MSC Car Barn. lead car heading towards Victoria Bridge out of frame to right.
Caboose on freight train heading East, Right to Left,having just come off V. B. from Montreal Side, approaching CNR St. Lambert Station on far side of tracks.
No 4. MSC Train facing East in front of MSC Station on now Marguerite D'Youville and Mc Gill SW Corner.
On other side of Intersection is a Montreal Tramways 2-Man car ( Green ) preparing to turn to it's Right/North onto Mc Gill. This loop is end of the line for Tramways Routes using it.
No. 5 MSC Express Motor 502 prepares to turn Right/West to travel via Blacks Bridge/Mill/Coal Yards over V. Bridge to South Shore. Express would be loaded unloaded at Mc Gill Terminus from/to Trucks to/from Express Agencies in stations along M&SC Route.
White stripe on pole to right = streetcar stop for Montreal Tramway. Long box on pole is relay operated off trolley wires to throw electric track switch Out of Frame to left. White curved stripe on pavement is to show motorists where streetcar ends would swing out turning left.
The Grain Silos rear of photo were extended East/downstream c. 1957?? Beyond silos in this view is piled coal in Coal Yards East of Bridge St. at V. Bridge.
Not visible are parallel locks at downstream end of Lachine Canal.
To right of 502 beyond black auto, is end of Ice Wall. At this location was a large swinging gate which could be closed by a Windlass ( similar to a Lock Gate ) and sand bagged at bottom to keep water from flooding this part of downtown.
I used to climb up iron steps set in stonework and over look the Harbour and Canal beyond.
No. 6. MSC train spotted in spur parallel to Soeurs Grise, looking South to Harbour. Two Marker Lamps indicate 'Rear of Train' in Train Order Operation.
MSC Trains operated on Schedules and Train Orders as 'Real' Trains did, unlike most Tramways cars in City operations.
No. 7. MacKayville. Car 8 leaves Wye facing towards St Lambert. Note brass whistle above front windows.
No. 8. MSC car heads South on Mc Gill to turn to it's Right and towards V. B and South Shore.
This piece of track was shared by M&SC and Montreal Tramways. As both had different operating voltages, there were two trolley wires on this block, the MSC wire to West of MSC car.
No. 10. MSC car traveling East on De la Commune slows to turn North on Soeurs Grise and around to MSC Station @ Mc Gill.
No. 12. MSC train heading West on De la Commune heading for V.B. and South Shore. Note Farine Flour Five Roses sign on mill in distance above first MSC car.
No. 13. MSC car turning East from Soeurs Grise going to front of MSC Depot on Mc Gill. Straight Track is abandoned Wye to North/Left.
No. 14. Another view of train in No. 9.
No. 15. MacKayville Same view as No. 7, looking towards Montreal.
No. 16. Eastbound train about to turn North into S.G. Note Arc Style streetlight to right. In their day, lamp was lowered/raised on rope and pulley so lamp tender could dress and replace carbon rods used to produce 'Arc'.
A Similar Arc Lamp.
http://www.shorpy.com/node/10312?size=_original#caption
No. 18. I do NOT know where this is. Possibly on MSC line to South end of Harbour/Jacques Cartier Bridge??
Thank You.