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| Established | May 3, 2013 |
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| Location | Richmond, BC, Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°07′31.8″N 123°10′50.8″W / 49.125500°N 123.180778°W / 49.125500; -123.180778 |
| Type | Railway Museum |
| Website | https://stevestonheritage.ca/visit/steveston-tram/ |
The Steveston Tram Museum is a rail museum in Steveston, BC. The museum houses one of seven remaining interurban streetcars that previously operated as part of the BC Electric Railway.
History
In the 1890s, the Canadian Pacific Railway sought to create a company to serve Lulu Island. In 1902 a light-rail line was created that ran from Vancouver to Steveston. The route proved to be unprofitable for CPR, as it was cheaper for the canneries of Steveston to ship directly via the ocean rather than moving them to and shipping from Vancouver. Thus, the line was leased to the B.C. Electric Railway in 1905. The BCER created a substation at Marpole to power the new electric line. Passenger service launched on July 4, 1905 and ran until February 28, 1958.
Tram car 1220 was built in 1912 by the St. Louis Car Company. The train was brought to BC and used in the Marpole to Steveston line of the BCER.
Of the 28 1200-class trams created for the BCER by the St. Louis Car Company, 7 exist in various states of repair. Car number 1225 is operating as a heritage streetcar at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Surrey, BC, and car number 1223 is on display at the Burnaby Village Museum.
The museum opened on May 3, 2013. The museum was built around original tracks of the BCER, and stands across the street from the now gone Steveston station. After three years of restoration, costing $400,000 and funded by the city of Richmond, the restored tram was put on display in 2018.
References
- Timms, Philip T.; Thirkell, Fred; Scullion, Robert (2006). Philip Timms' Vancouver, 1900-1910. Surrey, B.C: Heritage House Pub. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-894974-18-9.
- ^ "About - Steveston Tram - Richmond, BC". Steveston Heritage Sites. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- Wood, Graeme (2017-03-23). "Feature: Steveston's Interurban Tram is a glimpse into the past and, maybe, the future". Richmond News. Retrieved 2024-07-29.