The following is taken directly from the hand brochure provided by the Nelson Electric Tramway Society:
"Streetcar 23 was built in 1906 by the Stephenson Car Company of New Jersey as number 3334 for the Forest City Railway Company. Nicknamed
the '3 Cent Line', its one street operation was absorbed by the Cleveland Railway Company in 1908. At the time, the car was converted to single end operation and renumbered to 934. The City of Nelson purchased the classy red car in 1924 as number 3. Cars 1 & 2 were repainted to match the new arrival and a loop was built at Lakeside Park. The fleet was renumbered 21, 22, 23 in 1933 to make the system look larger. But Nelson still had the smallest fleet in the British Empire! Car 23 remained in service until 1949 when the streetcar system was replaced by buses. Car 23 served as a skating rink shelter, dog kennel and craft shop until a group of enthusiasts along with the Chamber of Commerce and Selkirk College were able to obtain grants to restore the car. Selkirk students rebuilt the body from 1982 to 1988." This is what the streetcar looks like today:
I highly recommend that, if you are anywhere near Nelson, British Columbia, you stop by and take a ride on the streetcar. The staff are 100% volunteers and very friendly. You might even be shown a magic trick or two when you visit their museum,
shown here to your left with their other vintage streetcar: Number 400. It was built in 1921 by the Preston Car and Coach Company in Ontario. It ran in Victoria, BC from 1922 to 1946. After serving as a bunkhouse for the Mayo Lumber Company it was cosmetically restored for display in a museum. It took the Nelson Electric Tramway Society 20 years to restore it back to operating condition.
Check out the society's website:
www.nelsonstreetcar.org
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