British Columbia Electric Railway

The British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) was a historic railway which operated in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Originally the parent company for, and later a division of, BC Electric Company (now BC Hydro), the BCER assumed control of existing streetcar and interurban lines in southwestern British Columbia in 1897, and operated the electric railway systems in the region until the last interurban service was discontinued in 1958. During and after the streetcar era, BC Electric also ran bus and trolleybus systems in Greater Vancouver and bus service in Greater Victoria; these systems subsequently became part of BC Transit, and the routes in Greater Vancouver eventually came under the control of TransLink. Trolley buses still run in the City of Vancouver with one line extending into Burnaby.

Predecessors

Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company

File:The Vancouver Electric Railway and Light Company car barn and power house c. 1892.jpg

The Vancouver Electric Railway and Light Company car barn and power house c. 1892

In 1888, the Vancouver Street Railway company formed and was authorized by Vancouver City Council to construct and operate streetcars. The company began construction on the preliminary lines, which were planned to be horse-drawn. Pressure from city council and the public convinced the company to go with electric rail instead. The decision was announced on August 9, 1889, only six days before the system was set to launch, resulting in a ten month service delay. The electricity to power the system was generated at a local steam power plant beside the car barn.Template:Sfn

In May 1890, the Vancouver Street Railway company merged with the Vancouver Electric Light company to form the Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company. In June, 1890 the first six miles of the line were opened to the public.Template:Efn The service began in Vancouver's then-commercial district, linking the perimeters of the east and west residential districts. Residents along the route were among the first in the city to receive running water, sewage, and electricity.Template:Sfn At rush hour, six cars operated across the whole system. These cars had the capability to run at speeds up to , but due to an agreement with the city only operated at . The Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting company also gave the city of Vancouver the option to buy the streetcar system after 30 years.Template:Sfn By February 1891, Vancouver's six streetcars had carried nearly 340,000 total passengers.Template:Sfn

On October 22 1891, Vancouver's first streetcar line was opened in Fairview. The Vancouver Electric Railway and Lighting Company purchased 68 lots of land in the area from the Canadian Pacific Railway in exchange for streetcar service. The line was single-tracked and ran 4.4km at opening, crossing False Creek to Granville Street. People saw the line as a disappointment due to how few residents lived in the Fairview area at the time.Template:Sfn The construction of the Fairview line would exceed 5x its original estimate, with the line needed to cross seven streams, and seven wood bridges were constructed at a cost of $150,000. Template:Sfn

In 1892, a smallpox epidemic hit Vancouver and the entire transit system shutdown for nearly two months due to a lack of ridership.Template:Sfn At the end of 1892, the Vancouver Electric Street Railway and Lighting Company was losing almost $1,300 a month on both transit and lighting operations.Template:Sfn At this time, the Vancouver city council declined two separate offers to buy the company.Template:Sfn By February 1893, the company went into liquidation and was taken over by a board of trustees who hoped to make the system profitable by cutting service. They reduced service frequency in Mount Pleasant and completely closed the Fairview line as well as service east of Westminster Avenue.Template:Sfn From 1893 to April 1894 transit service was entirely suspended.Template:Sfn By 1895 the trustees were able to successfully borrow funds which allowed them to expand Vancouver's streetcar system, adding new lines and double-tracking existing ones. The system continued to expand until the company went into liquidation a few years later.Template:Sfn

National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company

File:National Electric Tramway and Lighting Co. no. 5 streetcar at the end of Store Street.jpg

National Electric Tramway and Lighting Co. no. 5 streetcar at the end of Store Street, 1890.

On February 22, 1890, National Electric Tramway and Lighting Company Limited launched streetcar service in Victoria.Template:Sfnp

Vancouver & Westminster Tramway Company

File:Central Park siding of Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Co.jpg

Two streetcars at the Central Park siding of Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Co. c. 1891-1894

On April 20, 1891 Vancouver mayor David Oppenheimer and other wealthy business partners created Vancouver & Westminster Tramway Company through an amalgamation with the existing existing Westminster Street Railway Company.Template:Sfn On October 8, 1891, the company launched New Westminster's streetcar system.

Also in 1891, they launched the Vancouver–New Westminster interurban line (via Central Park in Burnaby), which was the first electric interurban line in North America. Central Park, and thus, the Central Park Line, were named to honor Oppenheimer's wife, who was from New York City.Template:Sfn To connect the cities, trestles had to be constructed through swamps and forests, the longest trestle being 26 meters high and 36.5 meters long.Template:Sfn The company convinced land owners along the route to donate land to the company, and the BC government made a land granting match of 196 acres north of the interurban route. Two of the company's directors collectively owned thousands of acres of land along the route. In Vancouver, the Vancouver Electric Railway and Light Company agreed to build the portion of the line from Cedar Cottage to Carrol Street, which they could operate streetcars on.Template:Sfn At the launch of the line, there were two round-trip journeys per day at a cost of 50-cents for one-way tickets, or 75-cents for return. The 22.9KM line effectively doubled the total track mileage for public transit in Canada. The line was initially quite popular, with the News-Advertiser writing that the cars were "packed on every trip both ways to and from Vancouver".Template:Sfn

The interurban service had three-stops, and the trip took 50-minutes to travel between Vancouver and New Westminster. The first stop was on Venables Street and Glen Drive in Vancouver, the second at Central Park, and the final stop was at the Westminster and Vancouver Tramways power plant. The stop in Central Park provided Burnaby residents with public transit for the first time, as they previously relied entirely on horse-drawn stagecoaches. Near the power plant, the company built a boarding room which housed 30 engineers, brakemen, mechanics, and station staff. Cottages were available for married staff to live in with their families.Template:Sfn

File:Edison Road, Power House, Front View, Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company Limited.jpg

Power house of the Vancouver and Westminster Tramway Company Limited c. 1893.

The company suffered several blows during its operation. A smallpox epidemic arrived in Vancouver in 1892 which led to a steep drop-off in passengers. A recession in 1894, triggered by the Panic of 1893, stagnated settlement along the route, so the number of passengers the company hoped to draw ultimately did not arrive. Also in 1894, Car 15 derailed en-route to Vancouver, no casualties were suffered.Template:Sfn Major flooding of the Fraser River hit New Westminster in 1894, causing the Vancouver - New West line to have its timetable changed to avoid the shorter route that was underwater in New West.Template:Sfn Lightning also struck the power plant, damaging a dynamo. Due to bad finances, the company could not afford to repair it, nor could they afford to pay interest on company bonds. The Bank of British Columbia refused to cover their payments, forcing them into receivership. In 1895, Frank S. Barnard bought the company's assets on behalf of Consolidated Railway and Light Company for $280,000.Template:Sfn

Consolidated Railway and Light Company

File:Point Ellice Bridge disaster. Consolidated Railway and Lighting Company car no. 16 in the water.jpg

Consolidated Railway and Lighting Company car no. 16 in the water following the Point Ellice Bridge disaster on May 26, 1896.

With the global depression in the 1890s, all three existing transit companies went into receivership, and were amalgamated in 1895 into the Consolidated Railway and Light Company.Template:Sfnp Consolidated Rail offered reduced fares for settlers along train routes in an effort to increase ridership. The company also lobbied the provincial government to offer better terms to settlers buying crown land along the route.Template:Sfn By 1896, streetcars in Vancouver could travel at speeds up to 8mph on business streets and 10mph in residential areas.Template:Sfn

On November 22 1895, Consolidated Rail was purchased by British financier Robert Montgomery Horne-Payne, acting on behalf of The Railway Amalgamation Syndicate.Template:Sfn While he was visiting BC from London to examine the state of the company in May 1896, the Point Ellice Bridge Disaster occurred, leading to the deaths of 55 passengers in Victoria. This disaster forced the company into receivership again on October 13, 1896.Template:SfnpTemplate:Sfn

BC Electric Railway

Formation and early development (1897 - 1900)

File:BCER Conductors in front of Mount Pleasant open side streetcar with canvas flaps on side and Athlete Cigarettes advertisement on roof.jpg

BCER Conductors in front of Mount Pleasant open side streetcar, 1898.

Following the disaster in Victoria, Horne-Payne formed the British Columbia Electric Railway company on April 3, 1897. On April 15, the London-based organiazation purchased the entirety of Consolidated Rail's systems for $2.25 million.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The BCER created a new headquarters and depot in downtown Vancouver at the corner of Carrall and Hastings streets.Template:Sfn Horne-Payne became the first chairman of the BCER, a position he held until 1928.

In the early years of the transit in greater Vancouver, new lines were formed quickly due to heavy demand.Template:Sfn From the 1890s to the early 1900s, additional lines were built by the BCER and its predecessors. In 1895, the Robson Street tram line was built, and a line down Pender street to Stanley Park was constructed in 1897.Template:Sfn By 1897, 13 double-ended streetcars were operating in Vancouver. In 1900, the BCER completed various track improvement work, including improving the Powell St line, double-tracked and extending the Main St line.Template:Sfn A second interurban line opened in 1905 by leasing the Lulu Island line previously operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway. In 1909, a branch line was constructed on the Lulu Island line, linking Marpole to New Westminster.Template:Sfn The first 21 miles of the Fraser Valley line began operation in 1909, reaching as far as Cloverdale. By 1910, the line had reached Chilliwack.Template:Sfn At in length from New Westminster to Chilliwack, the Fraser Valley line remains the longest interurban line ever constructed in Canada.Template:Sfn

Like its predecessors, the BCER offered a variety of incentives to settlers. Starting September 1, 1897, BCER offered to ship supplies for settlers weighing under 50lbs for free when accompanied by a rider.Template:Sfn In 1900, BCER began to market Vancouver as a place to move to for potential settlers.Template:Sfn

The Vancouver city council ultimately decided where the BCER could run streetcar lines, as well as the maximum speed the cars could run at. In an effort to influence their decisions, the BCER provided most city officials with free transit passes. By 1900, most BC MLAs were also receiving free passes.Template:Sfn

In 1898, the BCER stopped using the Granville Bridge as it was "practically condemned", resulting in a loss of service for Fairview residents.Template:Sfn Also in 1898, the BCER received 68 lots originally promised to Vancouver Electric Rail and Lighting by the CPR. In exchange, BCER agreed to run 20-minute service from Fairview to downtown Vancouver. Additionally, the BCER introduced coloured lights on June 8, 1898 to help make identifying streetcars easier. Pender St used green lights, Fairview used white, and "main line" cars used red lights. The system was abandoned shortly after, as riders found it confusing.Template:Sfn In 1900, the BCER began running streetcar service to English Bay via Davie St, which was credited with popularizing the spot.Template:Sfn

On March 26 1900, a new depot opened in New Westminster featuring offices, a waiting room, and a covered bay for streetcars and interurbans. At this time, names began to be used instead of numbers for identifying interurban cars. BCER workers in New Westminster decided to unionize in 1900, forming local 134 of the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America. The thirty-seven members of the local negotiated a new contract with the BCER and won a 2 cent hourly wage increase, raising their pay to 22 cents an hour. At this time, motormen and conductors worked 10.5 hour days, seven days a week.Template:Sfn

Expansion (1901 - 1905)

File:BCER Street Car 1904 Model.jpg

BCER Mt. Pleasant streetcar, 1904.

By 1901 the BCER had 400 regular staff throughout Vancouver, New Westminster and Victoria. 1901 was also the first year staff were given Sundays off.Template:Sfn Also in 1901, a single-track streetcar line on Main St south from Ninth Ave (now called Broadway) to 16th Ave was created. At this time BCER and the city of Vancouver reached an agreement to consolidate all streetcar lines, in order to prevent the leases of the lines from expiring at different times. This agreement also gave the city the option to purchase BCER's Vancouver operations on February 11 1919, and every 5 years after. In return for the consolidated lines, BCER agreed to pay a higher percentage of its earnings to the city, extend the existing lines on Main and Powell streets, and follow the city's rules regarding maximum fares, minimum service, and speed limits.Template:Sfn Finally, BCER workers formed their first local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, organizing workers who operated and maintained overhead wires and electrical rail lines.Template:Sfn

In the early 1900s, the BCER announced that they would start manufacturing their own streetcars and interurbans at their manufacturing plant in New Westminster. Prior to this, the BCER was relying on manufacturers in the United States and eastern Canada. The first ever BC-made interurban cars were manufactured in New Westminster in 1903, where they continued manufacturing vehicles for over a decade.Template:Sfn The first two cars were built over a period of two months,Template:Sfn and were named "Delta" (later numbered 1203) and "Surrey" (later 1204). The finishing of the cars was built using Douglas fir and cedar wood.Template:Sfn

Due to a snow storm in the winter of 1902, no streetcars operated for six weeks.Template:Sfn In 1903, Vancouver residents pressured city council to extend the existing streetcar service that ran to the entrance of Stanley Park, through the park itself. Streetcar service began to the park's entrance in 1895. A plan was created to extend the line by 1.2km, which would necessitate a 244 meter bridge be created. The BCER further made a rough survey for the route, but it was ultimately cancelled in October 1903 due to the personal opposition of BCER general manager, Johannes Buntzen. In 1903 and 1904, Vancouver's first sightseeing streetcar operated in the city, traveling from Gastown to Stanley Park for 25 cents per ride using an ordinary streetcar.Template:Sfn

By 1905, South Vancouver (at the time it's own city) got it's first streetcar line, named the Cemetery Line.Template:Sfn

1906 - 1910

The BCER hired their first female employee in 1906, Ethel G. Golightly, who worked as a ticket and transfer clerk earning $40 a month. 1906 also saw the start of streetcar service to the Grandview neighbourhood of Vancouver, running from Hastings and Main streets to First and Commercial.Template:Sfn

File:North Vancouver's first streetcar.jpg

North Vancouver's first streetcar, 1907.

Following the installation of electrical poles, electricity was brought across the Second Narrows straight of the Burrard Inlet, electricity became more commonly available to residents of North Vancouver on August 15, 1906.Template:Sfn Power was generated and brought to the region via Lake Buntzen.Template:Sfn North Vancouver's first streetcar made a test run on August 29 1906, with city councilors and the BCER superintendent aboard for the ride.Template:Sfn Due to the steep grade of nearly 10% in some sections, the line required 800 fir poles to support the trolley wire.Template:Sfn Service officially launched on Labour Day that year.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 2,407 passengers rode the 2.1km track from Lonsdale to 21st street on the first trip, at the time North Vancouver only had a population of 1,000 residents.Template:Sfn The train suffered multiple derailments and a crash on the first day of service, but passengers and crew still ended the day by singing "The End of a Perfect Day".Template:Sfn Service on the line started at 36 trips per day, and were increased to 50 trips per day excluding Sundays a few weeks later. In the following years, streetcar service in North Vancouver expanded to three separate lines, including: Capilano, Lonsdale, and Grand Boulevard (later renamed to Lynn Valley). The Capilano line was expanded on May 1 1911, on the same day a ferry-service began from Lower Lonsdale.Template:Sfn

In 1907, the BCER stopped running streetcars in both directions from Broadway and Main, instead, implementing a belt line that allowed cars to operate continuously without switching ends. This change in technology improved service, with seven cars operating on each belt line with a headway of six minutes. During rush hour, cars would arrive every ten minutes on both the inner and outer belts.Template:Sfn By 1908, the BCER operated 48 streetcars across 8 lines in Vancouver.Template:Sfn

File:Group of men and women in B.C. Electric sightseeing streetcar with conductor Teddy Lyon.jpg

Passengers on a BCER observation car, 1912.

In 1909, the BCER debuted its first roofless observation streetcar. These cars were used for entertainment and sightseeing for tourists and locals.Template:Sfn The cars ran every summer starting on May 24 and running until Labour Day. The car had 2 arches of lights over tiered seats, and the car's whistle tooted at every block. Tours included dog tricks, vaudeville acts, and an optional souvenir photo.Template:Sfn Tours were two hours in length and made various stops in Vancouver, Point Grey, and South Vancouver (the latter two weren't integrated into Vancouver until 1929).Template:Sfn The optional photo available for purchase was a surprise to riders. The sightseeing car would stop a block from the Carroll St station, under the auspices of letting passengers admire the architecture of the New Dodson Hotel. Meanwhile, Harry Bullen, a photographer hired by the BCER who would book a second floor room at the hotel for the season, would take a photo of the car and its passengers. Bullen would count the number of families in the car and estimate how many photos he may sell. While the car continued its tour, Bullen would develop and print the pictures before riding his bicycle to Granville and Robson. There, he would deposit the pictures into a box at the back of the streetcar as it finished its trip. The conductor would take the photos out of the box to sell, and Bullen would bike back to the hotel to prepare for the next tour group.Template:Sfn

Vancouver's first pay-as-you-enter streetcar entered service on August 29, 1909.Template:Sfn In October, a new double-tracked streetcar line on Fourth Avenue between Granville and Alma streets opened.Template:Sfn In November, interurban service between Marpole and New Westminster launched.Template:Sfn From October to December 1909, new streetcar lines were launched in largely uninhabited areas of Vancouver with the goal of attracting settlers to the region.Template:Sfn

1910 - 1930

The year of 1910 saw huge demands on BCER's transit system. The company couldn't keep up with demand, and committed to acquiring 122 cars in the next year, 50 of which would be slated for Vancouver alone. Due to the sheer volume of cars needed, they weren't all able to be constructed in BCER's New Westminster depot, and cars had to be ordered from other manufacturers. On August 22 1910, Vancouver's single-day ridership record was broken when 122,455 passengers rode across the city's transit system. Transit ridership also spiked in Victoria in 1910, where the 200 streetcars and interurbans carried nearly 40 million riders in 1910 (up by 10 million over 1909) and hauled 41,142 tons of freight.Template:Sfn

On July 1 1910, the BCER started freight service from New Westminster to Cloverdale and Jardine.Template:Sfn On January 11 1911, four interurban cars were trapped in the snow on the Central Park interurban line and had to be abandoned.Template:Sfn Tracks were installed near the University Endowment Lands in 1910, with service beginning on the new line on February 25, 1911. The line was closed in 1912 due to a franchise disagreement between BCER and the municipality of Point Grey. The line re-opened in September 1912 after the dispute was resolved. Around this time, Point Grey gained new transit extensions, including the extension of the Shaughnessy Heights line in October 1911, the Oak St line in September 1913, and the Sasamat line in November 1913.Template:Sfn These streetcar lines in and around Point Grey helped bring settlers to the area.Template:Sfn

The year of 1910 saw In 1910, the debate over access to Stanley Park was reignited as more Vancouverites wanted access to the park, to the dismay of tourists and West End upper class residents. Working class residents argued that Vancouver's park board discriminated against transit modes, as they allowed wealthy residents to enter the park on horse-drawn carriages and cars, but denied the wider public access via public transit. The City Beautiful movement brought further attention to the debate, as they prioritized un-trammelled and natural park access. In August 1910 a private operator submitted a proposal to run streetcars around the circumference of the park. In January 1912, a plebiscite marginally approved a 1910 proposal for a city-owned streetcar service to operate in Stanley Park, but it was ultimately defeated due to the opposition of wealthy West End residents.Template:Sfn

By 1926, BCER was had an annual ridership of 72,000,000 passengers.Template:Sfn

Freight service

The BCER inherited freight service from the Westminster and Vancouver Tramway Company. Freight service was very popular, especially with farmers who shipped chickens, eggs, and crops to market.Template:Sfn In 1903 the BCER opened its first line dedicated solely to freight service.Template:Sfn Nicknamed the Strawberry Special, the freight trains were equipped with larger cars to handle the crop which was transferred from Burnaby along the Central Park interurban line.Template:Sfn Farmers on the Lulu Island line received reduced fare prices from the BCER. By spring 1911, the BCER was carrying over 23,000 liters of milk to Vancouver from the Fraser Valley daily, with empty cans being returned at night.Template:Sfn

On multi-car interurbans, express packages and letters were stored in the front most car. This car would also carry belongings and parcels for settlers. Freight service was also offered to people who bought goods in Vancouver but didn't want to carry them home. These customers could bring the item to a BCER office downtown and pay a small fee to have the item sent to a designated station on a night freight train.Template:Sfn The total tonnage of freight hauled by the BCER increased from 1911 to 1913 from 78,000 tons to 256,000 tons.Template:Sfn

Power supply

Power was supplied by then-innovative diversion projects at Buntzen Lake and on the Stave River system farther east, all of which were built primarily to supply power for the interurbans and street railway.

In 1920, BCER purchased the Western Power Company of Canada, who owned the Stave Falls power plant. The BCER expanded the existing power plant to become the largest of its kind west of Niagra, and it provided the majority of the BC Electric power on the mainland.Template:Sfn

Interurban rail lines

File:British Columbia Electric Railway train leaving Chilliwack for Vancouver, British Columbia, between 1910 and 1920 (AL+CA 1980).jpg

BCER train leaving Chilliwack for Vancouver, British Columbia,

Interurban rail lines were operated by the BCER throughout Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. The public viewed interurbans as a fast and safe method of transportation. Later models of cars had the capacity to seat 64 passengers and could travel at 80km/hr.Template:Sfn

Vancouver–Marpole

BCER began the Vancouver-Steveston interurban and freight service in 1905 after leasing the line from Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and electrifying it. The Vancouver-Marpole line's right-of-way (whose northern section runs beside Arbutus Street) remained under the ownership of the CPR, which continued running freight trains on the corridor until June 2001. With the end of freight operations on the line in sight, Vancouver City Council adopted the Arbutus Corridor Official Development Plan in 2000, designating the corridor as a transportation/greenway public thoroughfare to prevent other types of development from taking place along the right-of-way.

Marpole–Steveston (Lulu Island Branch)

The BCER formed their second interurban line between Marpole and Steveston through leasing the existing line from the CPR, who had previously operated twice-daily service from 1902-1905. The BCER electrified the existing line, and at the same time brought electricity to the residents of Steveston. Nicknamed the Sockeye Limited or Sockeye Special, due to Steveston's canning industry, service began in 1905 and ran hourly between Vancouver and Steveston.Template:Sfn

The Steveston line's alignment on Lulu Island can be traced by Railway Avenue, Granville Avenue, Garden City Road, and Great Canadian Way. After the end of passenger service in 1958 the Granville and Garden City section of the line was relocated largely parallel to River Road north of Westminster Highway. The interurban cars reflected the Edwardian style of the time. Each car had etched windows, decorated luggage racks, brass fixtures, and smoking compartments.Template:Sfn

Residents of Steveston and other suburbs often took interurbans to travel to popular attractions in Vancouver proper, such as theatres. Likewise, Vancouverites occasionally rode the line to watch performances at Steveston's opera house.Template:Sfn

Marpole–New Westminster

Interurban service between Marpole and New Westminster along the North Arm of the Fraser River was started on November 15, 1909.Template:Sfn Still in operation today, as part of the Southern Railway of British Columbia.Template:Sfnp

New Westminster–Chilliwack (Fraser Valley Branch)

File:B.C. Electric Railway Company Fraser Valley Railway line cars.jpg

Fraser Valley line interurbans in New Westminster, 1910.

BC premier Richard McBride drove the last spike into the BCER's Fraser Valley line on October 3, 1910. At 102.7km in length, the line remains the longest interurban line ever constructed in Canada.Template:Sfn Officially opened October 4, 1910 and still in operation today, as part of the Southern Railway of British Columbia.Template:Sfnp The launch of this interuban line brought an end to steamship service for Chilliwack, which resulted in the formation of the city of Langley.Template:Sfn This line made use of the New Westminster Bridge, opened in 1904. In larger centers on the Fraser Valley line there were proper stations complete with baggage rooms, waiting rooms, and an office where BCER agents would sell tickets, market home electricity, collect bills from electricity customers, and arrange for freight shipments. These more complete stations included Cloverdale, Milner, Jardine, Mt. Lehman, Clayburn, Abbotsford, Huntingdon, Sardis, and Chilliwack.Template:Sfn

The line itself was used by both passengers and as a freight line. Temporary service exclusively for use by dairy farmers to transport milk to the city started on May 4, 1910 and continued throughout the operation of the line.Template:Sfn On November 1, 1910 the BCER introduced the "Market Special" service which brought farmers from the valley to the New Westminster farmer's market. The service was deadheaded at Abbotsford and would pickup farmers, chickens, eggs, milk, and produce en route to New Westminster.Template:Sfn

By early 1911, the line averaged 900 passengers a week. Service ran twice daily, with a third train service added on April 1, 1911.Template:Sfn To prepare for the royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught and their daughter, Princess Patricia, car number 1304 was lavishly outfitted for a royal train ride. The exterior was repainted and the royal coat of arms was affixed to it, and the Connaught name was printed on the sides of the car. Seats and partitions were removed to instead house a living room with carpets, curtains, and chairs. After the royal visit, the car was reverted back to its original state for normal operations.Template:Sfn

In 1930, due to the Great Depression, several larger stations along the Fraser Valley line were closed and its agents were transferred to other stations. The closed stations became flag stops. By March 27, 1931 passenger counts had dropped from a peak of 1,200 per week to less than 400 a week. Due to the drop in ridership, the midday train service was cut and service reverted to two trains daily.Template:Sfn The midday train later resumed service on February 18, 1939, but milk trains number 500 and 501 were discontinued.Template:Sfn During World War II, worker shortages and the loss of milk trains caused more stations to close and become flag stops. Station attendants only worked in the Cloverdale, Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack stations.Template:Sfn

The final day of service for the Fraser Valley line was September 30, 1950. Trains were decorated and adorned with electricity mascot Reddy Kilowatt, and the last train to Chilliwack departed with dignitaries, the BCER president, and old conductors on board.Template:Sfn

File:Vorce Station, Burnaby, BC 01.jpg

Vorce Station is a modest utilitarian passenger tram shelter, originally constructed at the foot of Nursery Street in Burnaby BC as part of the British Columbia Electric Railway Company's Burnaby Lake Interurban Line. In 1977 it was relocated to the grounds of the Burnaby Village Museum.

Burnaby Lake Line

The Burnaby Lake line's right-of-way is largely taken up by the Trans-Canada Highway, but sections of it survive as walking and biking trails.Template:Sfnp

Central Park Line

Following the cessation of interurban services on the Central Park Line, the right-of-way remained under the control of BC Hydro. By 1975, the Greater Vancouver Regional District proposed incorporating the right-of-way into a light rail line linking Vancouver and New Westminster, thereby reinstating passenger rail service on the corridor. The provincial government eventually took over the project, which evolved into the Vancouver SkyTrain's Expo Line.

New Westminster–Queensborough

The tracks from New Westminster to Queensborough and the 'Railway Bridge' across the north arm of the Fraser River are still in operation today, as part of the Southern Railway of British Columbia.

New Westminster – Fraser Mills

Opened in 1912,Template:Sfnp construction of ramps leading to and from the new Pattullo Bridge resulted in the closure of the Queensborough and Fraser Mills lines in 1937, as well as the truncation of the Burnaby Lake line to Sapperton.Template:Sfnp

Victoria – Deep Bay

Now called Deep Cove, the Victoria to Deep Cove line (1913), was one of three passenger railways to serve the Saanich Peninsula, and was closed on November 1, 1924, due to low ridership.Template:Sfnp The Victoria-Deep Cove interurban's alignment can be traced by Burnside Road, Interurban Road and the Interurban Rail Trail, West Saanich Road, Wallace Drive, Aldous Terrace, Mainwaring Road, one of Victoria International Airport's runways, and Tatlow Road to Deep Cove.Template:Sfnp Besides the stretch through the airport, the stretch at the Experimental Farm (now called the Sidney/Centre for Plant Health) has also been blocked.

Stave Lake

A steam train branch line,Template:Sfnp the Stave Falls Branch, (constructed during the building of the original Stave Falls hydroelectric plant) was isolated from the main interurban network, and linked the power plant and community at Stave Falls to the Canadian Pacific Railway station at Ruskin.Template:Sfnp The route of the Stave Falls Branch along Hayward Lake is also now a walking trail managed by BC Hydro and the District of Mission, with sections of it south of Ruskin Dam used as local powerline and neighbourhood walking trails.

Port Moody–Coquitlam

The Port Moody-Coquitlam Railway connected the Port Moody – Ioco spur of the Canadian Pacific Railway to the Coquitlam Dam in order to haul supplies and materials to the dam.

Alouette Lake

Similar to the Stave Lake and Port Moody-Coquitlam lines, the Alouette Lake dam tracks connected power facilities to the CPR that ran on the north side of the Fraser River at Kanaka Creek in Haney.Template:Sfnp

Jordan River

This 5.3-mile railway connected the powerhouse and harbour at the mouth of the Jordan River to the Jordan River Dam.

"Rails-to-Rubber" transition

BCER ended streetcar service in New Westminster on December 5, 1938.Template:Sfnp The company then announced its "Rails-to-Rubber" conversion programme on September 30, 1944, with North Vancouver's last streetcar service and two of Vancouver's streetcar lines ending in April 1947, and Victoria's streetcar service ending on July 4, 1948.Template:Sfnp In Vancouver, many streetcar lines were converted to trolley buses, with the first route of BCER's Vancouver trolley bus system opening on August 16 1948.Template:Rp

File:Preserved Vancouver CCF-Brill T44 trolleybus 2040 at Nanaimo and Hastings in 2010.jpg

One of BCER's first trolleybuses, 1947-built No. 2040, has been preserved, and is shown operating in 2010

The Chilliwack line ceased service in 1950, followed by the Vancouver-Marpole line in 1952 and the Burnaby Lake line in 1953.Template:Sfnp The stretch of the Central Park line in Burnaby and New Westminster was closed on October 23, 1953, followed by the rest of the line through Vancouver on July 16, 1954.Template:Sfnp The last streetcar line in Vancouver, the 14 Hastings East, ran on April 22, 1955.Template:Sfnp The Marpole-New Westminster interurban line was closed in 1956, followed by the Marpole-Steveston line on February 28, 1958,Template:Sfnp marking the complete closure of the interurban system.

In 1961, the provincial government took over BC Electric, with the railway becoming a division of Crown corporation BC Hydro. In August 1988, BC Hydro sold their freight division which included rolling stock and rails and the rights to run freight trains through Fraser Valley Subdivision, not the corridor, to a company known as Itel of Chicago who resold it to a new shortline operator and the railway is now known as the Southern Railway of British Columbia and is exclusively a freight railway.

At the time, BC Hydro did not specifically reserve rights to operate passenger rail service using Southern Railway of British Columbia's facilities, but did retain the ability to grant operating rights to others, including to providers of passenger rail service, that do not materially interfere with Southern Railway of British Columbia's operations.

In addition, BC Hydro in 1988 also sold the track assets of a section between Cloverdale from Pratt Junction through Langley City and beyond to CP Rail, but retained ownership of the right-of-way. At the time, BC Hydro also granted CPR a statutory right-of-way to use this section of the corridor in perpetuity, but put agreements in place to retain partial running rights for passenger service, which were renewed in 2009.

While there has been a number proposals regarding the restart of a commuter passenger rail service along the line, a review was conducted by the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in 2010. The review noted issues around high cost per ride and low projected ridership relative to bus alternatives.

Subsequently, TransLink conducted a study as part of the 2010–2012 Surrey Rapid Transit Study to explore merits of utilizing the Interurban corridor for fast, frequent, and reliable rapid transit service. The interurban corridor was not selected, nor recommended for further consideration because the corridor does not directly connect relevant regional destinations of Surrey Central and Langley City, resulted in less attractive travel times between key destinations, and would require significant capital investments to meet safety requirements and reliability objectives compared to alternatives.

In particular, TransLink noted that the routing of the interurban line does not directly connect to the largest regional centre in the South of Fraser – Surrey Metro Centre – which is expected to be the focus of future population and employment growth, and the current alignment is indirect and through lower density and diverse areas, with a low ridership catchment near potential stations. Also, TransLink estimated that the interurban estimated travel times are not competitive with rapid transit along Fraser Highway or King George Boulevard, with transit times estimated to be around 63 minutes to travel between Langley and Surrey Central, which is double that of a possible bus rapid transit line or a Skytrain route along the Fraser Highway. Finally, TransLink has indicated that freight traffic along the line is expected to increase along the corridor, due to increased traffic at the Port of Metro Vancouver, in particular the Roberts Bank Superport.

Accidents and incidents

File:H. Cottrell standing beside an overturned B.C.E.R. streetcar at the foot of Main Street south.jpg

Overturned BCER streetcar at the foot of Main Street south, 1912.

Frequent accidents occurred in the early years of the BC Electric Railway. A report published by the Department of Railways in 1917 lists a total of 29 deaths throughout the BCER system in just five years, from 1911 to 1915 inclusive.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In September 1898, a woman suffered a broken arm after a streetcar was derailed after hitting a cow, she sued for $5,000.Template:Sfn

On December 6 1903, two men were injured following a collision between streetcars 34 and 38 due to thick fog.Template:Sfn

File:Newspaper Cartoon arguing in favor of installing fendors on BCER streetcars.png

Cartoon featured in the BC Saturday Sunset on November 9, 1907. The accompanying article argues in favour of installing fenders on streetcars to prevent deaths.

In 1909, the brakes failed on North Vancouver streetcar number 62, causing the vehicle to run off track at the end of Londsdale and crash into the Burrard Inlet. The motorman and two passengers jumped to safety before the car flew into the water at the edge of a warf. The vehicle's conductor urged the remaining passengers, including the wife of North Vancouver's mayor, to stay on board. Nobody was injured aside from the motorman who broke his leg.Template:Sfn

In September, 1945 car number 1304 caught fire due to a short circuit while in service toward Cloverdale station. The crews evacuated the car and sped it toward Cloverdale station where the fire was put out. The train was rebuilt and returned to regular service.Template:Sfn

The Lakeview Disaster

File:B.C. Electric Railway Company car "Sumas" at the Lakeview Station on the Central Park line, 1903.jpg

BCER car "Sumas" at the Lakeview Station on the Central Park line, 1903. This same car would be involved in the deadly Lakeview disaster 6 years later in 1909.

In the early morning of November 10, 1909, BCER interurban car "Sumas" collided with a runaway flatcar carrying lumber at Lakeview Train Station. Fourteen people were killed immediately and one died later of their injuries. The cars remaining nine passengers were gravely injured. The Lakeview Disaster remains the worst public transit disaster in Vancouver.Template:Sfn

File:People hanging on to back of BCER streetcar at Hastings and Carrall Streets.jpg

People hanging on to back of BCER streetcar, 1896. Laws introduced in 1911 aimed at preventing this kind of dangerous riding.

Criminal charges were brought against the crew of the BCER train but were ultimately dropped. BCER voluntarily gave $135,000 to the families of the deceased and injured. This incident motivated BC residents, led by the Trades and Labor Council, to seek greater oversight of interuban lines.Template:Sfn In 1910 the BC provincial legislature passed the Tramsways Inspection Act, the first regulation regarding transit service safety in BC. The act allowed BC's governor general to appoint an inspector who could reject any passenger or freight cars they deemed unsafe for service. The inspector was also to monitor overcrowding on streetcars.Template:Sfn In 1911, the BC Attorney General ordered several regulatory changes to end overcrowding. These changes included outlawing standing on Fraser Valley line interurbans, resulting in necessary use of multi-car trains to provide more room for seated passengers. Interurbans were also required to have a separate compartment for mail and parcels. Passengers would also be barred from riding on the bumpers and outside steps of streetcars or interurbans. Streetcars were fitted with wooden exterior ledges and sloped beveled tin bumpers to prevent passengers from standing in the unsafe areas. New rules were also aimed at BCER staff. Streetcar operators were now required to take a sight and hearing test. Furthermore, cars had to display a "car full" sign before becoming overcrowded, and a gate would be used to make the platform inaccessible when there was no room for additional passengers. A car was determined as being "full" when all seats were taken and one person was standing four every four square feet of standing room.Template:Sfn

Remaining cars

File:Interurban and 'pusher' cart.jpg

Restored BCER Interurban car at The Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Surrey, BC. This restored car does not use a trolley-pole, instead it is powered by a generator towed on a small flatcar.

After the decommission of the BCER streetcar and interurban system, most of the cars were either scrapped or burned underneath the Burrard Bridge, but some cars were sold for various other uses such as becoming bunkhouses, storage sheds and in some cases decor. A handful of cars were also donated to various museums mostly in the U.S. Since then however, many preservation societies have bought back the cars and begun restoring them. The following is a list of the known BCER cars in existence and their current locations (as of January 2016).

Streetcars

• #53 Built in 1904, operated in Vancouver, on permanent static display inside The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown, Vancouver, BC.
• #153 Built in 1908, operated in North Vancouver, currently on display at the Museum of North Vancouver (MoNoVa), North Vancouver, BC.
• #400 Built in 1922, operated in Victoria, now located at the Nelson Electric Tramway Society in Nelson, BC.

Interurban cars

• #1207 Built in 1905, operated on the Marpole–Steveston Line, was located at the Downtown Historic Railway in Vancouver, BC. As of January 2016, it has been relocated to the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, Cloverdale, BC.
• #1220 Built in 1913, operated on the Marpole–Steveston Line, currently being restored at the Steveston Tram Museum, Richmond, BC.
• #1223 Built in 1913, operated on the Burnaby Lake Line, on static display at the Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby, BC.
• #1225 Built in 1913, operated on the Marpole–Steveston and Burnaby Lake Lines, currently in operation at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, Cloverdale, BC.
• #1231 Built in 1913, operated on the Marpole–Steveston and Burnaby Lake Lines, currently under restoration at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, Cloverdale, BC.
• #1235 Built in 1913, operated on the Marpole–Steveston Line, located at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa, ON
• #1304 Built in 1911, operated on the Fraser Valley – Chilliwack Line, currently in operation at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, Cloverdale, BC.

See also

• Trolleybuses in Vancouver
• Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society (Non-profit that restores and operates BCER interurban cars)
• Nelson Electric Tramway (restoration/operation of a former BCER tram)

References

• Template:If all (Court of Appeal for British Columbia 2004-04-07), [ Text].
• (Also includes pictures of BCER railcars on this run from the Royal BC Museum collection)
• Template:Cite thesis

External links

• History of the BC Electric Railway
• Preserving BC Hydro's History (defunct link now visible on the Wayback Machine)
• Template:Webarchive