Hamilton Radial Electric Railway

Last updated
Hamilton Radial Electric Railway
The bob-tailed swing bridge with a car of the Hamilton Radial Electric Ry. crossing to Burlington.jpg
A Hamilton Radial Electric Railway vehicle crosses the Hamilton Harbour swing bridge in 1907.
Overview
Parent companyDominion Power and Transmission Company
Headquarters Hamilton, Ontario
Locale Southern Ontario
Dates of operationSeptember 7, 1896 (1896-09-07Tdf)January 5, 1929 (1929-01-05Tdf)
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification 600 V overhead

The Hamilton Radial Electric Railway (HRER) was an interurban electric railway which at its maximum extent operated between Hamilton and Oakville in Ontario, Canada.

Contents

HRER carhouse along James Street, Burlington The Hamilton Radial Electric Railway's Burlington Carhouse.JPG
HRER carhouse along James Street, Burlington
HRER 125 beside the Queen's Hotel at Elgin and John Streets, Burlington, circa 1905 HRER 125 at the Queen's Hotel in Burlington, circa 1905..jpg
HRER 125 beside the Queen's Hotel at Elgin and John Streets, Burlington, circa 1905
HRER's Oakville Station at Randall and Thomas Streets Streetcar in front of the Hamilton Radial Railway's Oakville Station.jpg
HRER's Oakville Station at Randall and Thomas Streets

Route

Between March 3, 1906, and August 3, 1925, the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway was at its maximum length of 34.6 kilometres (21.5 mi), extending from Hamilton Terminal Station to Randall Street in Oakville. [1]

From Hamilton Terminal at King and Catherine Streets, the line went via street trackage east along King Street East, north on Sanford Street and east on Wilson Street to Birch Avenue. On a private right-of-way, the line continued north on Birch Avenue and west Burlington Street to Kennilworth Avenue. At this point, the HRER left the tracks it shared with the Hamilton Street Railway. [1] :90–91 [2]

After crossing Kennilworth Avenue, the HRER curved north on a double-track private right-of-way to cross the isthmus that separates Hamilton Harbour from Lake Ontario. The Burlington Canal Bridge crosses its namesake canal which splits the isthmus into two sections: Hamilton Beach south of the canal and Burlington Beach to its north. In Hamilton Beach, the HRER line ran along the east side of what is today Beach Boulevard. The double track ended at the canal bridge, where a single track line crossed the road/rail bridge and continued into Burlington Beach, [1] :50–51 where at its northern, the line passed the HRER powerhouse. [2] A Grand Trunk Railway line also crossed the isthmus parallel to the HRER line but closer to the beach, crossing the canal on its own bridge. [3]

Leaving Burlington Beach, the HRER passed the Brant Hotel on the site of today's Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital. Leaving the private right-of-way, the line passed through various streets in Burlington. It went north along Maple Avenue, east along Elgin Street crossing the GTR line west of Brant Street. At Elgin and John Streets, there were a passenger station and a freight station. There was a branch line for freight trains running south on John Street. Passenger trains turned north on John Street then east on James Street, and further east along New Street to the community of Port Nelson (near today's Guelph Line). After passing Port Nelson, the line followed the north side of New Street, and at Bronte switched to the south side of Rebecca Street. [1] {rp|50–51} [2] Continuing further east, the line crossed Sixteen Mile Creek on a high bridge, and entered Randall Street where Oakville station was located at Thomas Street. [2]

There was hourly service between Hamilton and Oakville. The scheduled trip durations from Hamilton were 35 minutes to the canal on the beach strip, 40 minutes to Burlington and 70 minutes to Oakville. [1] :58

Freight

The HRER had carload freight operations along Hamilton Harbour and to a lesser extent in Burlington, where there was a branch line south on John Street serving two canneries. The HRER interchanged carload freight with the GTR in Hamilton and Burlington. It also handled express and package freight. The City of Hamilton would not permit the HRER to run freight cars along Sanford Avenue and King Street; combines with passenger seating were permitted on these streets but express cars for freight only were not. [1] :47,55,57

History

The Hamilton Radial Electric Railway received its provincial charter on March 24, 1893. Construction started on March 27, 1896. In August, 1896 two carhouses were built, one at Gore & Mary Streets in Hamilton, and a second on Burlington Beach beside the HRER powerhouse. Trackwork was completed on September 4, 1896, to the end of the beach strip, and a first run for railway directors occurred on September 7. By November 7, service was extended to the Brant Hotel in Burlington. In early January 1898, service was further extended through the streets of Burlington along Maple Avenue, Elgin Street, John Street and James Street. [2]

In February 1901, the Dominion Power and Transmission Company took over the HRER. [1] :47

In 1904, the Hamilton Street Railway made a deal with the HRER to double-track the HRER line along Birch and Birlington Streets. This allowed the HRER to increase service and the HSR to serve riders at waterfront industries. [2]

On March 3, 1906, service was extended east to Randall and Thomas Streets in Oakville. The HRER hoped that the Toronto and York Radial Railway would extend its Mimico line west from Port Credit to Oakville, but this never came to pass. [2]

In 1907, the HRER moved out of its original Hamilton terminal at James and Gore Streets into the new Hamilton Terminal Station at King and Catherine Streets. [2]

In 1917, the HRER built a larger carhouse in Burlington to replace the smaller carhouse on Burlington Beach. [1] :46 It was located on the north side of James Street between Pearl and Martha Streets. [2]

During the winter of 1921–1922, the swing bridge over the Burlington Ship Canal was replaced with a bascule bridge. In May 1924, the HRER tracks on Birch Avenue in Hamilton were moved to a new private right of way on the west side of Birch Ave. [2]

On August 3, 1925, the HRER line between Oakville and Port Nelson (at today's Guelph Line) was abandoned. In October 2025, the HRER was interlined with the Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway so that riders could ride between Burlington and Brantford on a single ticket. In 1927, the line between Port Nelson and Burlington was abandoned. The remainder of the HRER ceased operation on January 5, 1929. HRER tracks west of Kenilworth Avenue in Hamilton were taken over by the Hamilton Street Railway. [2]

Postscript

After the HRER's abandonment, track was removed over the next 15 years. The last track removed was over the Burlington Canal Bridge in 1946 after which the bascule bridge became so light that it was stuck in the up-position until it could be manually lowered and rebalanced. [2]

Most of its carload freight business was transferred to the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway and Canadian National Railway, which operated over 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) of former HRER track. [1] :55 A small section of the HRER right-of-way remains in use for freight traffic in Hamilton's north industrial area, between Gage Avenue North and Parkdale Avenue North roughly parallel to Burlington Street East and Nikola Tesla Boulevard. [3]

In 1982, Canadian National Railway abandoned the former Grand Trunk Railway line that paralleled the HRER along Hamilton and Burlington Beach. This right-of-way is now a rail trail for cyclists and walkers. [3]

On some sections of Beach Avenue in Hamilton Beach, the boulevard is wider on the east side of the street than on the west side; the east side is where the double-track HRER line ran. [1] :57

The HRER's Oakville Station still exists at the southeast corner of Randall and Thomas Streets. An extra storey has been added to the building, but the front of the building still retains its radial railway look. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington, Ontario</span> City in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada

Burlington is a city in the Regional Municipality of Halton at the west end of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Canada. Located approximately halfway between Toronto and Niagara Falls, it is part of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Hamilton metropolitan census area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Street Railway</span> Public transit agency in Ontario, Canada

The Hamilton Street Railway commonly known as the HSR is a public transport agency in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The name is a legacy of the company's early period, when public transit in Hamilton was primarily served by streetcars. Although streetcars are no longer used in the city today, the HSR operates bus and paratransit services, with a ridership of 21 million passengers a year. The HSR uses the Presto card as its method of fare payment, allowing for connections with GO Transit and other transit systems in the Greater Toronto area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Railway Company</span> Streetcar operator in Toronto, Canada, between 1891 and 1921

The Toronto Railway Company (TRC) was the operator of the streetcar system in Toronto between 1891 and 1921. It electrified the horsecar system it inherited from the Toronto Street Railway, the previous operator of streetcar service in Toronto. The TRC was also a manufacturer of streetcars and rail work vehicles, a few of which were built for other streetcar and radial operators.

The Toronto Suburban Railway was a Canadian electric railway operator with local routes in west Toronto, and a radial (interurban) route to Guelph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Civic Railways</span> Streetcar operator in Toronto, Canada, from 1912 to 1921

Toronto Civic Railways (TCR) was a streetcar operator created and owned by the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to serve newly annexed areas of the city that the private operator Toronto Railway Company refused to serve. When the Toronto Railway Company's franchise expired in 1921, its services were combined with those of the Toronto Civic Railways, and are now assumed by the new Toronto Transportation Commission (TTC). The first route of the TCR started operation on December 18, 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan line (Toronto)</span> Toronto railway electric radial line

The Metropolitan line in the Toronto area, operated by the Metropolitan Street Railway, started out as a local horsecar line and transformed itself into an electric radial line extending to Lake Simcoe, following an old stage coach route. In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Metropolitan Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Metropolitan. In 1927, the TTC took over the operation of the Metropolitan Line to Sutton, and renamed it the Lake Simcoe line. In 1930, the TTC closed the Metropolitan Line but shortly reopened the portion between Glen Echo and Richmond Hill operating it as the North Yonge Railways until 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yonge Railways</span>

The North Yonge Railways was a radial railway line operated by the Toronto Transportation Commission from 1930 to 1948 between Glen Echo (Toronto) and Richmond Hill. The line was created by reopening the southern portion of the TTC's Lake Simcoe radial line that had closed in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayview Junction</span>

Bayview Junction is a major railway junction in southern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the intersection of three of the nation's busiest rail lines and is a popular location for railfans and trainspotters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company</span>

Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company was established in August 1892 to provide street railway service to the Upper Beaches district within the City of Toronto, Ontario and to the neighbouring Township of Scarborough. Except for two branches, the line ran as a radial along Kingston Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company</span> Former operator of the Mimico radial line in Toronto

The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company was incorporated in 1890, and operated the Mimico radial line in the Toronto area. The line started operation in 1892 as a short suburban line that later was extended to Port Credit. In 1904, the railway was acquired by the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) and became the T&YRR Mimico Division. In 1922, the City of Toronto acquired the T&YRR and contracted Ontario Hydro to manage the four T&YRR lines including the Mimico line. In 1927, the TTC took over the operation of the Mimico line and extended its service eastward to Roncesvalles Avenue. In 1928, the TTC double-tracked the line from Humber to Long Branch and made that portion part of the Lake Shore streetcar line. The portion beyond Long Branch to Port Credit became the Port Credit line, and continued operation as a single-track radial line until its closure on February 9, 1935.

The Hamilton and Dundas Street Railway was an interurban railway operator which ran between Hamilton and Dundas in Southern Ontario, Canada.

The Hamilton, Grimsby and Beamsville Electric Railway (HG&B) was an interurban railway that operated between Hamilton and Vineland in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada. It was incorporated in 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway</span>

The Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway (B&H) was an interurban electric railway which operated between Hamilton and Brantford in Ontario, Canada. According to Hilton & Due, this was the last radial (interurban) railway constructed in the Hamilton area and the only one built to a high standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach Boulevard (Hamilton, Ontario)</span>

Beach Boulevard is a Lower city street in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, east of the Hamilton Harbour on a thin piece of land that crosses over Lake Ontario and stretches from where Woodward Avenue becomes Eastport Drive in the south to near the Lift Bridge in the north at Eastport Drive (again). It runs parallel with the QEW and the Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway Bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roncesvalles Carhouse</span> Storage and maintenance facility for streetcars in Toronto, Canada

The Roncesvalles Carhouse is a storage and maintenance facility for the streetcar network of the Toronto Transit Commission. Located at the northwest corner of the Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, west of its downtown core, it is the oldest of the TTC's three active carhouses. The carhouse serves vehicles on routes 501 Queen, 504 King, 505 Dundas, 506 Carlton, 511 Bathurst, and 512 St. Clair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New London and East Lyme Street Railway</span>

The New London and East Lyme Street Railway was a streetcar line that operated in southeastern Connecticut. Its main line ran from New London to Niantic with a later extension to Crescent Beach and a branch to Old Saybrook. The main portion of the line opened on October 5, 1905. The line was extended to Crescent Beach in 1912. In 1913, it was acquired by the Shore Line Electric Railway and extended to Old Lyme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yonge streetcar line</span>

Beginning operation in 1861, the Yonge streetcar line was the first streetcar line in Toronto and the first in Canada. It started off as a horsecar line and closed in 1954 operating two-unit trains of Peter Witt motors pulling a trailer. Under the Toronto Transportation Commission, the Yonge line was the busiest and most congested streetcar line in the city leading to its replacement in 1954 by the Yonge Subway line, also Toronto's first and the first in Canada.

The Hamilton and North-Western Railway (H&NW) is a former railway in Ontario, Canada. It ran north from Hamilton on the western end of Lake Ontario to Collingwood on Georgian Bay and Barrie on Lake Simcoe. Through the purchase of the Hamilton and Lake Erie Railway, the route continued south from Hamilton to Port Dover on Lake Erie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeshore Road</span> Road in Ontario, Canada

Lakeshore Road is a historic roadway in the Canadian province of Ontario, running through the city of Burlington and the town of Oakville in Halton Region, as well as the city of Mississauga in Peel Region. As its name implies, the road closely follows the shoreline of Lake Ontario, although the lake itself is not visible from the road in most areas. Lakeshore Road was once a key section of the historic Highway 2, which traversed the province, but has since been downloaded to local municipalities. Despite this historical role as a major route, however, most of the road is a lower-capacity picturesque residential and historic commercial street with only two through lanes until it becomes a four-lane, higher-volume artery after it enters Mississauga and jogs to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto-gauge railways</span> Railway track gauge (1495 mm)

Toronto-gauge railways are tram and rapid transit lines built to Toronto gauge, a broad gauge of 4 ft 10+78 in. This is 2+38 in (60 mm) wider than standard gauge of 4 ft 8+12 in which is by far the most common track gauge in Canada. The gauge is unique to the Greater Toronto Area and is currently used on the Toronto streetcar system and the Toronto subway, both operated by the Toronto Transit Commission. As well, the Halton County Radial Railway, a transport museum, uses the Toronto gauge so its rail line can accommodate its collection of Toronto streetcars and subway trains. Several now-defunct interurban rail systems also once used this gauge.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 John M. Mills (1971). Cataract Traction The Railways of Hamilton. Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association. pp. 43–58.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Luton, Tom (August 1, 2022). "The Hamilton Radial Electric Railway (HRER)". Hamilton Transit History.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Old station is one of the few remnants of the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway". Canadian Military Historyby Bruce Forsyth. March 2020. Archived from the original on September 28, 2020.