August 30 th will mark the end of tramways in Montreal
by Andre de la Chevrotiere
Seaports and the Transport World August 1959
On August 30 th, 1959, the face of Montreal w3ill be submitted to a radical transportation change when all tramcars will disappear from the metropolis.
The $62,000,000 changeover will end on August 30 th at 4 a.m. when the last streetcar will retire to the shed and de Lorimier, Papineau and Rosemount Avenues will see autobuses in the morning for the first time - finis for the tramcars in Montreal.
On September 19 th, 1892, the electric tramways were inaugurated on Bleury and Craig streets. Exactly 65 yeras ago, last September.
On this occasion I am particularly privileged to publish here na interview granted me by Mr. Honore Guay, old-time conductor on horse-drawn trams from 1889 to 1892, and I quote:
The man who drove Montreal's first electric streetcar recalls how courtesy graced the horse cars before noisy trams and fume trailing buses.
Incredible as it may seem to Montrealers who have sprinted to catch a bus only to have a door slammed in their faces when one stride short of victory, there actually was a time when such public servants who were masters of your immediate destination would not only wait for you but would have the patience to let you finish a curbside conversation.
The drivers didn't mind at all in those leisurely days and, besides, it rested the horses. There were no queues at tramway stops, for passengers could raise a hand anywhere along the street, even in the middle of a block, and the horse cars would obligingly pull to the curb. When a passenger got on, he or she just had to mention the right horse number along the route and the driver would pull up at the proper door. Furthermore, if you spotted a friend out for a stroll along the way, the horse car would gladly stop to let you get out and chat. When you were good and ready, you climbed back on and the horse car rumbled on. Similarly, the car would wait for you while you went into a store to do a little shopping. However, like most good things, this charming custom soon came to an end. It was considered shockingly bad business. But for four good years, Montreal tram system patrons really lived it up. In 1862, when the tramways company received its initial charter, Montreal was a growing community of 101,430 persons. By 1865, the tramways board of directors had decided that this courtesy nonsense had to stop and so the horse cars paused only at designated tram stops and only long enough to embark and disembark passengers.
By 1891, the population had more than doubled to an impressive 261,302 persons, and the street transportation business was so brisk that the horses had to take turns munching their noonday oats. Electric streetcars were introduced in Montreal in September 1892 and to help popularize the new but somewhat fearsome electric trams there was a brief return to the pleasant way of picking up passengers anywhere along the street and letting them off at their own door when the time schedule did not take too much of a beating. ...etc...
by Andre de la Chevrotiere
Seaports and the Transport World August 1959
On August 30 th, 1959, the face of Montreal w3ill be submitted to a radical transportation change when all tramcars will disappear from the metropolis.
The $62,000,000 changeover will end on August 30 th at 4 a.m. when the last streetcar will retire to the shed and de Lorimier, Papineau and Rosemount Avenues will see autobuses in the morning for the first time - finis for the tramcars in Montreal.
On September 19 th, 1892, the electric tramways were inaugurated on Bleury and Craig streets. Exactly 65 yeras ago, last September.
On this occasion I am particularly privileged to publish here na interview granted me by Mr. Honore Guay, old-time conductor on horse-drawn trams from 1889 to 1892, and I quote:
The man who drove Montreal's first electric streetcar recalls how courtesy graced the horse cars before noisy trams and fume trailing buses.
Incredible as it may seem to Montrealers who have sprinted to catch a bus only to have a door slammed in their faces when one stride short of victory, there actually was a time when such public servants who were masters of your immediate destination would not only wait for you but would have the patience to let you finish a curbside conversation.
The drivers didn't mind at all in those leisurely days and, besides, it rested the horses. There were no queues at tramway stops, for passengers could raise a hand anywhere along the street, even in the middle of a block, and the horse cars would obligingly pull to the curb. When a passenger got on, he or she just had to mention the right horse number along the route and the driver would pull up at the proper door. Furthermore, if you spotted a friend out for a stroll along the way, the horse car would gladly stop to let you get out and chat. When you were good and ready, you climbed back on and the horse car rumbled on. Similarly, the car would wait for you while you went into a store to do a little shopping. However, like most good things, this charming custom soon came to an end. It was considered shockingly bad business. But for four good years, Montreal tram system patrons really lived it up. In 1862, when the tramways company received its initial charter, Montreal was a growing community of 101,430 persons. By 1865, the tramways board of directors had decided that this courtesy nonsense had to stop and so the horse cars paused only at designated tram stops and only long enough to embark and disembark passengers.
By 1891, the population had more than doubled to an impressive 261,302 persons, and the street transportation business was so brisk that the horses had to take turns munching their noonday oats. Electric streetcars were introduced in Montreal in September 1892 and to help popularize the new but somewhat fearsome electric trams there was a brief return to the pleasant way of picking up passengers anywhere along the street and letting them off at their own door when the time schedule did not take too much of a beating. ...etc...