The Whitehorse Waterfront Trolley was a

heritage streetcar Conservation and restoration of rail vehicles aims to preserve historic rail vehicles. Trains It may concern trains that have been removed from service and later restored to their past condition, or have never been removed from service, like UP ...

service in

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, Canada. The line used a single reconditioned trolley which carried tourists along Whitehorse's waterfront along the

Yukon River The Yukon River ( Gwich'in: ''Ųųg Han'' or ''Yuk Han'', Yup'ik: ''Kuigpak'', Inupiaq: ''Kuukpak'', Deg Xinag: ''Yeqin'', Hän: ''Tth'echù'' or ''Chuu k'onn'', Southern Tutchone: Chu Nìikwän, russian: Юкон, Yukon) is a major watercourse ...

. It ran from the Rotary Peace Park, located on the south end of the city centre, up to the Roundhouse. The trolley was first put into operation in 2000. The electricity to power its electric motors comes not from overhead trolley wires, but instead from a

diesel generator A diesel generator (DG) (also known as a diesel Genset) is the combination of a diesel engine with an electric generator (often an alternator) to generate electrical energy. This is a specific case of engine generator. A diesel compression-ig ...

. The car ran each year from July to September.

Car 531 details

The car originally served the trolley/streetcar system of Lisbon, Portugal, from 1925 to 1978. In 1978 it was sold by

CCFL A fluorescent lamp, or fluorescent tube, is a low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor, which produces short-wave ultraviolet ligh ...

to a railway museum in

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

. In 1999 it was sold to Whitehorse and restored by Historic Railway Restoration of Arlington, WA. The trolley is a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

vehicle, and ran on the track built for the

White Pass and Yukon Route The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other rai ...

. It has a capacity of 24 passengers. This single-

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

(4- wheels on 2- axles), double-ended

trolley car 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 are ...

was previously owned by

Lake Superior Railroad Museum The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1973, the museum focuses on railroading in the Lake Superior region. It is housed in the restored Duluth Union Depot complex. The museum als ...

, which still owns sister car 530, and both cars were originally used by '' Companhia de Carris de Ferro de Lisboa (Carris)'' in Lisbon,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Stations

* Spook Creek (Not in use in 2018) * Jarvis Street (Not in use in 2018) * Library and Cultural Centre (Request only) (Not in use in 2018) * Trolley Roundhouse * White Pass * Visitor Information Centre * Rotary Park Until 2018, it ran daily from noon until four o'clock. A complete trip, viewing all stations, took approximately 15 minutes. The car is stored in a roundhouse/train shed at 1127 First Avenue (end of Wood Street).

Cancellation of service

While repairs to the track aimed to have service resumed by mid-summer 2018, it was announced the trolley would not operate in the 2018 season. In April 2018, the Yukon Government announced they would cease funding the trolley due to its financial burden. Shortly after, in June 2019, track infrastructure was still deteriorating and considered a hazard. One month later, near the end of July 2019, tracks in several areas were lifted.

References

External links

Whitehorse Waterfront Trolley

at ExploreNorth. September 2000. {{Heritage Streetcars Heritage railways in Yukon Heritage streetcar systems Transport in Whitehorse Streetcars in Canada 3 ft gauge railways in Canada Railway services introduced in 2000 Railway services discontinued in 2018 Railway lines closed in 2019 J. G. Brill Company

Car 531 details

Stations

Cancellation of service

See also

References

External links