The Brantford and Hamilton Electric Railway (B&H, or BHER) was an

interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...

electric railway A railway electrification system supplies electric power to railway trains and trams without an on-board prime mover or local fuel supply. Electric railways use either electric locomotives (hauling passengers or freight in separate cars), ele ...

which operated

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. Construction was begun by the Von Echa syndicate of Harrisburg, but the railway was taken over by Dominion Power prior to its completion on June 1, 1908. According to Hilton & Due, this was the last radial (interurban) railway constructed in the Hamilton area and the only one built to a high standard. The route of the Brantford-Hamilton Electric Railway from Dundas ran parallel to the present-day

Chedoke Expressway King's Highway403 (pronounced "four-oh-three"), or simply Highway403, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario that travels between Woodstock and Mississauga, branching off from and reuniting with Highway 401 at both ...

and was depicted in numerous postcards of the early 20th century. This section is now operated by the City of Hamilton as the Chedoke Radial Multi-Use Trail. The cut in the escarpment leaving a stone face on either side is a direct and physical reminder of the radial railway's importance in the city's history. The path of the former railway track is lost when crossing the

Highway 403 The following highways are numbered 403: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 403 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 403 * Highway 403 (Ontario) Costa Rica * National Route 403 Croatia * D403 road Hungary * Main road 403 (Hungary) Japan * Jap ...

and Mohawk West, but can be picked up again adjacent to Rousseau Drive. The trail terminates at Wilson St. in the former municipality of Ancaster. The line gave an hourly service between

Brantford Brantford (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,688) is a city in Ontario, Canada, founded on the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Southwestern Ontario. It is surrounded by County of Brant, Brant County, but is politically separate with ...

and Hamilton. Freight traffic was negligible. The railway passed, along with all Dominion Power's assets, to the

Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

in 1930. All services were abandoned on 30 June 1931.

References

External links

* on Trainweb.org {{Hamilton Interurban railways in Ontario Defunct Ontario railways History of rail transport in Brantford History of rail transport in Hamilton, Ontario Electric railways in Canada Standard gauge railways in Canada

See also

References

External links