INTRODUCTION

Brantford is part 2 of our series of history articles titled “Lost Electric Railways of Ontario.” If you haven’t seen it yet, please click here for part 1: Simcoe, Ontario (which was south of Brantford on the Lake Erie & Northern Railway.) This article will focus on archival photos taken in Brantford of electric railways including Brantford’s streetcars, the Grand Valley Railway, the Brantford & Hamilton Electric Railway and the Lake Erie & Northern Railway.

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Map of Brantford’s electric railways scanned from John Mill’s book “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways.”

BRANTFORD’S STREETCARS: 1886 to 1940

Brantford Street Railway (BSR)

Original horsecar barns and offices of the BSR on Oxford St. (now Colborne St. West) at Oak St., circa 1886. Photo scanned from John Mill’s book “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways.”

The BSR began operating horse-drawn streetcars (horsecars) on September 9th, 1886. Free rides were available for all, and while the horsecars derailed “rather frequently”, they were light and easy to lift back onto the tracks. Stables and car sheds were at Gilkison and Oxford (now West Colborne) streets.

Rails were laid on three routes: to the GTR station on Colborne St. at Clarence (later extended to Park Ave.), to the GTR main line station at the north end of Market St., and via King, Darling, William, Richmond, and Brant Ave. to the School for the Blind.

 The streetcars were electrified in 1893.

Early electric streetcar operated by the Brantford Street Railway.

An old postcard showing Colborne St. facing east from King St. in downtown Brantford.

In 1902 the BSR was purchased by Doctor Ritter Ickes and his Von Echa Company who would combine it with his unbuilt “Port Dover, Brantford, Berlin, & Goderick Railway.” The company was then renamed the Grand Valley Railway (GVR) in 1904. In 1906 Dr. Ickes disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared years earlier, and left behind unpaid bills and creditors. He couldn’t be found for some time, but in April of 1906 word was received that he had died in April 1906 in Seattle, Washington, leaving behind a tangle of legal and financial problems. The Von Echa Company sold its railway assets in May of 1906 and it was reported that the company was practically out of business without Dr. Ickes in charge.

In 1905 the system was purchased by a Toronto group headed by A.J. Pattison but sold to M.A. Vernor of Pittsburgh. The new owner formally amalgamated the BSR, the GVR and Woodstock, Thames & Ingersoll under the Grand Valley Railway (GVR) name in 1907.

Colborne St. & Echo Place district, 1908. Al Patterson Collection.

Oxford Street and Mount Pleasant, West Brantford 1909. This streetcar was a part of the first electric group introduced to Brantford in 1893.

GRAND VALLEY RAILWAY (GVR)

1904-1930

This interurban railway was built by the Von Echa Company, under the charter rights of the “Port Dover, Brantford, Berlin & Goderich Railway.” The interurban company was legally separate from the Brantford Street Railway, which was also owned by the Von Echa Company at the time. Service began on the GVR from Brantford to Paris in 1903, with the line reaching downtown Galt in 1905.

Grand Valley Railway open car #53 at Grand Valley Park circa 1904. The railway-owned park was located between what is now Hardy Road and the Alexander Graham Bell Parkway on the west side of Golf Rd.

When the GVR controlled the Brantford Street Railway between 1904 and 1914 the rolling stock for both systems was pooled.

Grand Valley Railway (GVR) car #50 at the Brantford terminus on Colborne St. at George St., in front of the Kerby House Hotel, circa 1910. This photo is from the R.F. Corley Fonds at Exporail’s archives.

In 1916 the GVR company was closed and service on the interurban line was operated by the Brantford Municipal Railway. In 1929 the GVR line from Brantford to Paris was discontinued, with limited service continuing as far as Ava Golf Club, near then closed Grand Valley Park.

BRANTFORD MUNICIPAL RAILWAY

1914-1935

In 1912 the company went into receivership and the interurban line was deemed in too bad of shape for safe operations. The City of Brantford assumed ownership of the system in 1914 and 9 new cars and a snow sweeper were ordered from Preston.

BMR open car #82 with a large freight motor behind it in Grand Valley Park, 1917. This photo was scanned from John Mill’s book “Traction on the Grand.” His newer version of this book, “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways” has this photo incorrectly labeled as “Mohawk Park circa 1902.”

1928 – Large Preston car #204 on Colborne St. at Market St. in Brantford and on route to Paris (ON.) Brant Museum.

Colborne St. facing west towards Market St. on Google Streetview. All of the buildings in the 1928 view have long since been demolished.

Brantford Municipal Railway streetcar #137 in 1935.

BRANTFORD PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION

In 1935 the Brantford Municipal Railway (BMR) was replaced by Brantford Public Utility Commission, as the local hydro distribution system and railway were amalgamated.

Brantford streetcar #131 at Market St. at Colborne St., 1937. Photo credit: Frank E. Butts and scanned from John Mill’s book “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways.” There is a pedestrian walkway on Market St. now on the north side of the intersection.

Sweeper on Market St. near Colborne, in January of 1938. Photo taken by O.P. Maus, now in the collection of Brant Museum.

Brantford Carhouse April 1939 O.P.Maus J.W.Hood Collection

1939 Murray Street, CNR’s Brantford to Fort Erie Dunnville subdivision Al Patterson Collection

The last of Brantford’s streetcars were retired and replaced by buses on January 31st, 1940.

BRANTFORD & HAMILTON ELECTRIC RAILWAY (B&H)

1908-1931

The B&H was one of Hamilton’s radial railways, that would eventually be owned by Cataract Co. Passenger service began between Brantford and Hamilton on May 23rd, 1908. A small wooden station was built on Market St. in Brantford and used until the Lake Erie & Northern Railway (LE&N) opened a station at the Grand River in 1916.

Postcard of the Brantford & Hamilton Electric Railway.

Brantford substation for the B&H line, 1919. It was located on Murray Street near Greenwhich St. and today only the foundation remains on an overgrown and fenced off lot.

Looking east from the bridge over the Grand River in 1920.

Looking east from the bridge over the Grand River in 2021.

Brantford Station circa 1920.

B&H Schedule, scanned from John Mill’s book “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways.”

The B&H ended passenger service on June 30th, 1931. The last trip was made by car #225 which had made the first trip to Brantford in 1908. You can learn more about Hamilton’s lost radial railways here: http://www.trainweb.org/hamtransithist/radials.html

The Lake Erie & Northern Railway (LE&N)

opened for passenger service on June 2nd, 1917 between Brantford and Simcoe. LE&N cars did not start servicing Port Dover regularly until July 22nd.

Brantford’s LE&N station was built as a 2-story structure at the south-west corner of Brant Ave. and Colborne St. with trains passing through the station’s lower level.

August 17th, 1916 issue of the Canadian Engineer, featuring the newly opened LE&N station in Brantford.

Grand River 1920, facing north.

Grand River 2021, facing north.

In 1931 the Lake Erie & Northern Railway (LE&N) was amalgamated with the Grand River Railway (GRR) to create the Canadian Pacific Electric Lines (CPEL.) Equipment from the 2 different systems was mixed together for service between Kitchener and Port Dover.

(LE&N) electric interurban #975 heading southbound towards Brantford Station, 1948. This slide is from the collection of Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

2021 view of the same spot, photographed by Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

1948 postcard of GRR #848 heading southbound away from Brantford Station.

2021 shot of the same spot, taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor P.S.

GRR electric baggage car #622 in 1950. This slide is from the collection of Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

1952 shot of CPEL train heading northbound from Brantford Station. This photo is from the Walter Keevil Collection.

Same spot facing east towards Lorne Bridge in 2021. Trevor PS photo

1952. This photo is from the Walter Keevil Collection.

Lake Erie & Northern Railway (LE&N) line truck M-6 in 1952. Walter Keevil Collection. M-6 was built as a Pepsi-Cola delivery truck and the LE&N put steel wheels on it and converted it to an overhead line work vehicle. Now preserved in Barn #4 of our museum!

1953 shot of Brantford from the Walter Keevil Collection.

END OF SERVICE

When news broke out that CPEL was ending passenger service, rail flans flocked to document the final days of the system. A charter was held on April 24th, 1955 for a “last run” to Port Dover and back.

Charter on April 24th, 1955. Richard Glaze shot.

Charter on April 24th, 1955. Richard Glaze shot.

Charter on April 24th, 1955. Richard Glaze shot.

Brantford Station closed and sat empty for 3 years before being demolished in 1958. CPEL continued operating electric freight trains along this route until 1961, when those too were retired from service. Tracks remained here and in use until as recent as 2015, when they were finally ripped out. Today there is a public trail along the Grand River next to where the old LE&N right-of-way used to be.

Facing north west from under the Lorne Bridge in 2021. Photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

2021 photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

2021 photo taken facing southeast by Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

The old loading platform beneath Lorne Bridge is still visible in 2021. Photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor Parkins-Sciberras.

Outline of the old staircase from LE&N’s Brantford Station. 2021 photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor P.S.

Public trail on the north bank of the Grand River. This land was filled in between the old retaining wall and the current water line. 2021 photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor P.S.

We have the LE&N’s last passenger car #797 preserved at our museum. 2021 photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor P.S.

LE&N electric locomotive #335 outside in yard #2 during the Covid lockdown of 2020. Photo taken by Museum Volunteer Trevor P.S.

You can learn more about the Lake Erie & Northern Railway here: http://www.trainweb.org/elso/len.htm

Much of the information and photographs in this article can be found in John Mill’s book “Ontario’s Grand River Valley Electric Railways” and also “Steel Wheels Along the Grand” by George W. Roth.

Please stay tuned for more articles in this series on Ontario’s lost electric railways. You can follow our museum at Facebook and Instagram where photographs like this are posted daily!