PtboHistory

We are compiling additional information and references about the history of The Peterborough Street Railway, later the Peterborough Radial Railway Co, beyond what is captured in the Wikipedia Peterborough streetcar system article.

Once Upon A Time Peterborough Had Streetcars

Elwood Jones in the Peterborough Examiner:
 * Peterborough's streetcar run was relatively short
 * plus a three-part look at Peterborough's streetcars:
 * 1?
 * 2?
 * 3 - End of the Line

First a couple of screen captures of the streetcar systems had in the early 20th century:







The data for the preceding images comes from this website:

in particular
 * Canadian Electric Railway Map Collection
 * File Alpha 22 about the Peterborough area which also provides some history and chronology of how the system evolved.

The Peterborough Historical Society has signage up regarding the old streetcar system.





The final sentence "The expected traffic never materialized." is worth considering. First, it was perhaps folly to imagine that a long line ending at a park would have regular heavy traffic. It would be interesting to research what the schedule was. Certainly sometimes the line was well used. The Peterborough Movie History website by local author Robert C Clarke mentioned heavy usage of the park in 1905-8 that depended on streetcar access. That page has several excellent photographs from the periods.

To further challenge the lack of traffic assertion, The City of Peterborough Calendar for 2022 (perhaps the final edition), featured this image in December

There are historical plaques along the main entrance path in Millennium Park and some of them mention the historical streetcar system.





Historical perspective on local urban infrastructure and transportation and suggest how relatively new it is. We can make changes just like our forebears did. Selected “firsts” from: Timeline Peterborough
 * 1850 - population 2,191
 * 1861 - population 3,841 + 993 Ashburham
 * 1883 - First bicycle club is established in Peterborough
 * 1888 - Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station is opens (George south of Dalhousie)
 * 1893 - Peterborough Street Railway system is created
 * 1897 - Peterborough gets its first cement sidewalks
 * ~1898 - streetcars cease operation (per sign)
 * 1903 - First gasoline powered motor car is driven in Peterborough by F.R.J. MacPherson
 * 1904 - Peterborough and Ashburnham amalgamate
 * 1904 - World’s highest hydraulic Lift Lock is completed for Trent Canal
 * 1904 - Peterborough Radial Railway Co forms and resumes streetcar service (per sign)
 * 1920 - population 19,890
 * 1921 - Hunter Street (Ashburnham) bridge is completed - known as the longest “single pour” concrete bridge in the world.
 * 1926 - Bus service begins in Peterborough
 * 1927 - Electric Street Railway ceases operation (was it due to General Motors streetcar conspiracy?)
 * 1927 - population 21,768
 * 1927 - Traffic lights installed for the first time at intersection of George and Charlotte Streets

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