The Preston Car Company was a Canadian manufacturer of
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
s and other railway equipment, founded in 1908. The company was located in the town of
Preston, Ontario (now part of the city of
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
). Preston sold streetcars to local transport operators including the
Grand River Railway, the
Toronto Railway Company and
Toronto Civic Railways (the predecessors of today's
Toronto Transit Commission
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and larges ...
), and the
Hamilton Street Railway. The company also sold a number of its distinctive ‘Prairie-style’ cars to operators in
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
and
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
; one of these cars is being restored by the
Saskatchewan Railway Museum
The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a railway museum located west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the intersection of the Pike Lake Highway (Hwy 60) and the Canadian National Railway tracks (on "Hawker" siding). It is operated by the Saskatchewan R ...
. The
Edmonton Radial Railway
The Edmonton Radial Railway (ERR) (also known as the Street Railway Department) was a streetcar service that operated in Edmonton, Alberta, from 1908 to 1951. It was Edmonton's first public transit service, and later evolved into Edmonton Transit ...
received 8 "Prairie" Prestons in 1909 and 1911 and 35 "Big" Prestons in 1913–14. Only a few Preston-built cars now remain, some of them in the collection of the
Halton County Radial Railway museum. The
Edmonton Radial Railway Society
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
has in its collection "Prairie" Preston car 31 and "Big" Prestons numbers 53, 65 and 73.
The company was sold to Philadelphia-based
J. G. Brill Company in 1921, and the Preston plant closed in 1923.
Plant
From 1908 to 1923 Preston Car plant was located at 633 Margaret Street. After the factory's closure in 1923 the site became a casting plant (later as Kanmet Limited foundry) until 1991.
A fire destroyed the foundry, and the site became a vacant brownfield. Part of the old industrial site was redeveloped as Legion Park, and the remainder will become a residential development known as Preston Meadows.
Products
*
Birney
A Birney or Birney Safety Car is a type of streetcar that was manufactured in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. The design was small and light and was intended to be an economical means of providing frequent service at a lower infrastruc ...
Car (see
TTC Birney Cars)
* radial car for
Toronto Suburban Railway
* DE-DT M wood cars - originally ordered by
Toronto Civic Railways, these wood DE ST closed electric streetcar were later re-classed as Group D and then later as TTC Class F cars; became work cars for the TTC
* DE-DT steel cars - ordered by Toronto Civic, these electric streetcar were re-classed as TTC class J
*
Peter Witt streetcars
Preserved examples of Preston cars
Cars manufactured by the Preston Car Company are on display at the
Halton County Radial Railway and
Saskatchewan Railway Museum
The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is a railway museum located west of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan at the intersection of the Pike Lake Highway (Hwy 60) and the Canadian National Railway tracks (on "Hawker" siding). It is operated by the Saskatchewan R ...
, and one is in service on the
Nelson Electric Tramway. The
Edmonton Radial Railway Society
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
has four Prestons in its collection: one "Prairie" Preston (ex-Edmonton #31) and three "Big" Prestons (ex-Edmonton #53, 65 and 73). The ERRS will begin restoration of "Big" Preston #53 beginning in 2017.
See also
*
J. G. Brill Company
*
Canada Car and Foundry
*
Ottawa Car Company
The Ottawa Car Company was a builder of streetcars for the Canadian market and was founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1891 Middleton, William D. (1967). ''The Time of the Trolley'', p. 423. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing. . as an outgrowth of the ca ...
*
List of tram builders
This is a worldwide list of tram builders. Trams may also be called ''streetcars'' or ''trolleys'' in certain countries. These companies are, or at one time were, manufacturers of genuine trams/streetcars. Makers of replica-tram buses are not li ...
References
Further reading
*
*
Companies based in Cambridge, Ontario
Electric vehicle manufacturers of Canada
Defunct rolling stock manufacturers of Canada
History of manufacturing in Ontario
Industrial history of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo
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