L&PS cars at St. Thomas Depot, July 1915, with #8 on the left. These electric interurbans were built by Jewett Car Co. earlier that year for the newly electrified London & Port Stanley Railway.

Inside the L&PS shops in London, Ontario, circa 1915. #8 is on the far right side. This photo is from the Komoka Railway Museum‘s collection and was on display on the wall inside the Elgin County Railway Museum.

Exterior of the L&PS shops in London, ON at the southeast corner of Philip St. and Maitland St., 1915.

L&PS shops at Philip St. and Maitland St. in 2020, taken by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras. The old building had a 3rd floor added shortly after opening and is now occupied by fruit & vegetable wholesalers.

Locations of the L&PS Station, yard and shops in London, Ontario from Google Earth.

L&PS #8 after a fire in the 1926, which was apparently started by a short circuit in the wiring. The car was restored by Canada Car & Foundry and this photo is from the Elgin County Archives.

The interior of #8 in 1926 shortly after the fire damage had been fixed. Photo is from the Elgin County Archives.

Passengers on the L&PS in the 1920s. Photo is from the Western University Archives: Hines Collection.

L&PS #8 hauling a train near St. Thomas on July 7th, 1946.

New York Central Station in St. Thomas, Ontario in 1954. Photo from the collection of Larry Broadbent.

#8 crossing Ross Street, St. Thomas, ON. #8 still had it’s stained glass windows in this photo, but they were removed shortly after. 1954 photo is from Larry Broadbent’s collection.

Locations of Talbot St. Station, NYC Railway Station and Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario. Screenshot from Google Earth.

Cars #12 and #8 crossing Thames River Bridge in London, 1955. Note that #12 still had it’s stained glass windows while #8 didn’t have them anymore.

#8 and #14 heading northbound across Bridge Street towards Port Stanley Station, ca. 1956. L&PS #14 is now preserved at the Elgin County Railway Museum.

Google Earth view of Port Stanley, showing the location of the Bridge Street Station and Beach Terminal. The tracks south of Bridge Street are all long gone, with many houses having been built on the old right-of-way.

Cab view from #8 at Bathurst St. in London, ON, May 1962. Despite L&PS passenger service ending in 1957, #8 continued in freight service for a few more years before finally being retired.

#8 in storage at the TTC’s Hillcrest Yard in June 21st, 1967. The Ontario Government had preserve #8 for a proposed transit exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre, but this plan fell through and #8 was put up for sale before our Association purchased the car in 1968. Photo was taken by Howard Wayt, and is now in the Transit Toronto Collection.

In 1971 #8 was finally picked up Charles Matthews Building Movers and trucked to our museum. Here it is about to leave Hillcrest Yard in this Richard Glaze photo from 1971.

The truck carrying #8 about to turn onto Town Line. Richard Glaze photo 1971.

Turning into the museum’s old entrance on 4th Line. Richard Glaze photo 1971.

Unloading #8 next to Barn #1 at our museum. Richard Glaze photo 1971.

#8 sitting on wood ties at our museum in this Richard Glaze photo. The car was delivered without it’s trucks, since they would have made the car sit too high to pass under bridges on it’s way to our museum. #8’s trucks were sent to National Steel Car in Hamilton for re-gauging to TTC streetcar gauge, which is what our museum operates on, and the trucks were delivered in 1972.

By the time this shot was taken by Richard Glaze in 1974, #8 had been repainted and was operating at our museum. The car was powered by 1500 volts on the L&PS line and had to be converted to the museum’s 600 volt operation by volunteers Tony Barnshaw and Bob Veitch, who were also Electrical Engineers at Canadian Westinghouse.

Richard Glaze’s shot from 1982, showing #8 with a much brighter Tremclad green paint scheme. This was only meant to be temporary until the car could be given a proper restoration. Shortly after this photo was taken, work began on fully restoring the car which was led by the late Bob Johnson, who had assistance from other museum members including Brian Hume, Jim Borland, Dave Andrew and the McOuat brothers. Bob did the restoration as a tribute to his late wife, and wouldn’t accept any shortcuts or shoddy workmanship under his watch. As restoration progressed it became apparent that back in 1955 the L&PS had given #8’s stained glass windows out to anyone who wanted them, and most of the windows were gradually donated back to the museum during the late 80s/early 90s.

In 1998 the freshly restored #8 was unveiled at our museum, with many people turning out for the special occasion. The car had been restored to it’s 1915 “as-built” paint scheme. These photos were taken by HCRR volunteer Dave Reigate.

Phil Vanderpost’s shot from 1998, showing #8 driving out of our Restoration/Maintenance barn.

Phil Vanderpost’s shot of #8 in Yard #2 from 1998.

Museum members working on the roof of #8 in 2006.

L&PS #8  on June 4th, 2019. This photograph was taken by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

The interior of #8 in 2019, photographed by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

Pete Byerlay’s shot of one of L&PS #8’s stained glass windows.

Pete Byerlay’s shot of one of our museum’s volunteers, Kevin Brown, operating #8.

Our museum’s Master Mechanic Gord McOuat has put in a lot of work on #8 in the past decades at the museum. Photo by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

Maintaining these old cars is hard work, but it has to be done if we want them to be operational!

#8 next to the “new cars” at our museum in 2020, photographed by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

Photo by HCRR volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras, 2020.

L&PS #8 with our artsy streetcar CLRV #4178 and CNR caboose on September 12th, 2021.