One hundred years ago, October 30, 1908, the Edmonton Radial Railway commenced operations with a modest fleet of two electrically-powered streetcars built by the Ottawa Car Company Ltd. Passenger fare was a nickel and tram operators started work at 25 cents an hour.

The cars trundled along 21-kilometres of track and trolley lines that ran down the middle of the road from 111th Avenue south along 95th Street to 106th Avenue, west to 97th Street, south to Jasper Avenue and then west to 121st Street. The cars were double-ended, meaning they never had to turn around.

It was certainly an idea right for the times, but it took awhile getting rolling. The Edmonton Street Railway Company had incorporated in 1894, and a franchise was secured from the Town of Edmonton in 1903. However, the private venture never got off the ground, and a $10,000 performance bond was forfeited in 1905.

The municipally-owned system, under the guidance of tenacious superintendent Charles E. Taylor, fared much better. The entire system cost the city $323,505 and, in its first week of operation, rider revenue averaged $4 per car per hour run.

In 1911, 4,784 passengers paid fare, generating revenues of $1,270. The city was booming and the following year, the rails were extended into several new districts, including The Highlands, Glenora and Norwood. The city purchased 47 new cars and, with the new routes and greater frequency, ridership soared.

Service across the High Level Bridge began in 1913, making it the highest river crossing by a streetcar in the world. The top deck of the bridge was wide enough for three sets of tracks; the centre track carried the Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR) steam trains, while the outer tracks were used by the Edmonton Radial Railway streetcars.

In the early days of the service, there were no crossovers at either end of the bridge and that meant the cars had to run on the right-hand tracks. As the entrances were on the right side of the cars, that meant that, if a car became disabled, passengers would have been faced with either remaining in the car or alighting into space.

Crossovers were at last introduced around 1918, meaning that the passengers could disembark into the centre of the bridge if need be. By 1935, ridership levels had increased to 13.2 million a year, and the city had the lowest fares in North America, at a nickel a trip.

But increasing motor traffic levels were taking their toll on the streetcar tracks, and the cars were also getting tired, with many at more than a million-miles on the tracks. Electric trolley buses were introduced in 1939 and streetcars began to be phased out.

On the morning of September 2nd, 1951, Edmonton streetcar #52 made its final trip across the upper deck of the High Level Bridge, bringing to an end a glorious chapter in the city’s transportation history. The city’s transit system went entirely to electric trolleys and diesel buses.

Some of the tracks were removed but many kilometres, such as those along 97th Street and 118th Avenue, were just paved over. Despite their contribution to Edmonton’s growth, all but one of the cars were broken up or sold off around the province to serve as chicken coops, storage sheds, or summer cottages.

Only car #1 survived, at the insistence of Edmonton’s Archives and Landmarks Committee. The members asked that at least one of the streetcars be preserved, and #1 was set aside for this purpose.

Unfortunately, “set aside” was all that was done, and the car sat in the open for many years at Cromdale barns. After enduring the combined ravages of weather and vandalism, it was rescued, and restoration work was started by local members of the Canadian Railroad Historical Association. Enough progress was made that #1 could be displayed in the city’s 1967 Canadian Centennial parade.

That could have been the end of the matter as far as streetcars on the High Level Bridge were concerned except for the tenacity and vision of a group of Edmonton streetcar enthusiasts. In early 1979 a group of them resumed the work on the city’s only surviving streetcar, intending to run it over the High Level Bridge during the Thanksgiving weekend as a contribution to the city’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

The car ran for three days in October 1979 across the surviving centre track, towing a generator car for power. The venture was such a rousing success the volunteers formed the Edmonton Radial Railway Society in 1980 and built a streetcar line at Fort Edmonton Park, which began operation in 1984.

They’ve restored nine cars and have four more under restoration and another dozen awaiting work. Among the Society’s vintage streetcars, acquired from Edmonton, Toronto, Germany and Japan, is Number 33, which plied the streets in Edmonton from 1912 until 1951.

For many of the members, the ultimate dream was to once again have a streetcar service across the High Level Bridge as a heritage line. Work began in 1989 on making the dream a reality. Wrangles between the City and Canadian Pacific over use of the line and other haggles for money to rehabilitate the upper bridge deck delayed the project several times but the Radial Railway Society members refused to give up.

During the 1995 Fringe Festival, the Society was approached to see if it would be possible to operate a streetcar on the old railway right of way between 104th and 109th Street as part of one of the productions. Because there were no turning loops on the stretch of track to be used, a double-ended car was needed, and the Society just happened to have one – Car 247, acquired Japan in 1990.

The car performed very well during its Fringe run and thousands of riders enjoyed a leisurely ride on the streetcar as part of their Fringe activities. Given the success of the venture, the members decided they needed to retire the noisy and smelly generator and install an overhead wire system.

Despite a prohibitive cost, they set to work fundraising and installing the infrastructure, which was ready for operation in September 1996. Every year, the venture has attracted thousands of riders, generating revenue for the society that helps pay for maintenance and improvements, like changing 200 ties on the bridge and building a service centre in Strathcona.

The service offers a precious glimpse into a glorious Edmonton tradition that sadly came to a screeching halt 57 years ago. The cities that have retained their streetcars, like Toronto, New Orleans, San Francisco and many centres in Europe, continue to enjoy a mode of public transport that boasts lower emissions, less noise, and a positive image.