Oak Bay Streetcar

Oak Bay's first streetcar line opened up Pemberton land for development in 1891 and served the community until 1948

Ernie L Plant photo courtesy John Bromley | Gary Wilcox Collection

Oak Bay Streetcar (September 13, 1946) Oak Bay streetcar travelling up Newport Avenue from terminus loop at Windsor Park

	Oak Bay was one of three streetcar lines to service Oak Bay in the early years. The other two lines were Willows and Uplands. see Wards
	The Oak Bay line began in 1891 as a spur off the city's Fort Street line to the Jubilee Hospital at Richmond Road. A shuttle service ran between the Junction and Oak Bay Beach.
	This spur was aggressively promoted by Oak Bay Land and Improvement Co Ltd, a realty consortium involved in the development of a large piece of former-Pemberton land in south Oak Bay.
	The laying of track was contracted to Mr T.F. Sinclair on April 22, 1891, and the job was finished within two months. As the completed track was a little rickety in places, the contractor rode the line making repairs until the ride was more reassuring.
	The line came into service at 6 a.m. on July 1, 1891.
	In 1893 Oak Bay was still very rural, which presented problems for the Tramway Company:
	Our employees on the Oak Bay line have complained for a long time of the practise which prevails to a considerable extent in that neighbourhood of allowing cattle to roam at large. These animals sometimes lie down at night on the track & the greatest caution is required to prevent accidents.1
	Notwithstanding, development soon followed (starting with attractions to encourage real estate sales and to induce streetcar ridership), namely: Mount Baker Hotel (1893), Victoria Golf Club (1893) and, to bolster ridership during winter months, the tram company built Oak Bay Park (1895) and promoted athletic events.
	Homes followed. It was the intention of the Oak Bay Land and Improvement Co to attract "a good class of residents." For the first two decades (1891–1911) the Oak Bay run was lined with many impressive homes.
	The first commercial building in the area, Oak Bay Grocery, wasn't built until 1912, although small enterprises (like confectioneries and hair salons) were operating out of private homes with storefronts.
	The terminus loop at Windsor Road was added about 1909.
	On March 2, 1948, an Oak Bay streetcar crashed into a truck that was being towed. There were no serious injuries, but the damaged streetcar was taken out of service and was not repaired as the days of the streetcar were numbered.2
	The Oak Bay line served the community until May 16, 1948, after which time city and municipal streetcar tracks yielded to the more flexible routing of busses.
	1 Parker, Douglas V. No Horses in Paradise: A History of the Streetcar Railways and Public Utilities in Victoria, British Columbia before 1897. (Railfare/Whitecap:1981) p 59.
	2 Ewert, Henry. Victoria's Streetcar Era. (Sono Nis Press:1992) p 130.
	Streetcar Fare . . .
	Streetcar service in Victoria began on February 22, 1890. Each car was staffed with a motorman (sometimes called a motorneer) and a conductor who, among other resposibilities, collected fares. The fare was five cents.
	In 1890, the first year of operation, it was decided to issue transfers to allow passengers to connect with other lines (within 30 minutes of issuance).
	In 1894 designated stops were introduced. Prior to this, passengers could get on and off wherever they pleased.
	In 1909 the PAYE (pay as you enter) system was introduced. Prior to this, fares were collected by the conductor (who wore a change dispenser clipped to his belt). The PAYE system necessitated exact fare, as change was no longer being made.
	In 1937 BC Electric's 50-year franchise to provide streetcar service in the city (including the Oak Bay runs) was due to expire. By this time it was obvious to all that busses would replace streetcars. In fact there were already several bus routes in the city. But then WW II happened and gas and rubber were rationed, obligating the city and municipalities to extend the service of streetcars indefinitely. Streetcar service ended in Oak Bay on March 2, 1948, and in the city on July 5, 1948.
	* * *
	The year 1948 marked the end of an era in both Oak Bay and Victoria. Not only did streetcars become history, but so too did the Willows Fairgrounds after several exhibition buildings were destroyed by fire in that same year. Almost overnight a relaxed, romantic era was replaced with the hustle of post-war boom years.
	FURTHER READINGS
	Ewert, Henry. Victoria's Streetcar Era. (Sono Nis Press:1992)
	Kelly, Brian and Daniel Francis. Transit in British Columbia: The First Hundred Years. (Harbour Publishing:1990)
	Parker, Douglas V. No Horsecars in Paradise: A History of the Street Railways and Public Utilities in Victoria, British Columbia before 1897. (Railfare/Whitecap:1981)

PHOTOGRAPHS

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Shuttle Service	Derailment	Lacrosse Game

Terminus Loop	Passing the Baton

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ARTIFACTS

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RECOLLECTIONS

Recollections may be abridged for length and/or clarity

I took the Oak Bay streetcar daily in the late 1940s to St.Christopher's school by Windsor Park.

I got on at Oak Bay Avenue opposite the theatre from where the track followed the Avenue down to the terminus at Windsor Road where I got off with other kids. Our driver was a young man called Larry. Our return trip was from the Windsor Road terminus to the stop in front of the theatre. In the summer we used to open and hang out of the windows much to the annoyance of the adult passengers.

The streetcars did not have a pull cord that alerted the driver when you wanted to stop. They had individual white buttons by each window that rang a bell or buzzer near the driver.  If you were sitting on the outside you had to ask the passenger next to you to ring the buzzer if you wanted to get off.

Riding a streetcar back then was not only transportation but an adventure.

On one occasion the streetcar came off the rails outside Oak Bay Produce (Sue's). The conductor used a slab of cordwood to run the rear wheels over which eventually brought them back onto the rails.

Another mishap sometimes took place when the trolley arm came off the cable overhead. The conductor had a long insulated pole which he used to put it in place again.

I always noted a strange but not unpleasant smell in all the streetcars and was to learn years later that it was the ozone generated from the electric motors.

Riding a streetcar back then was not only transportation but an adventure. In heavy rain you got a small electric shock from the handrail by the outer step. And when climbing a grade with a full load of passengers the main circuit breaker would sometimes go off with a loud bang with some visible sparks. It was located under the crank handle which the driver used to increase or decrease current to the motors. When it went off he had to back off and then apply power again."

— Richard Goodall, OBHS class of 1960

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