Ottawa Car Company
The Ottawa Car Company was a builder of streetcars for the Canadian market and was founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1891[1] as an outgrowth of the carriage building operations of William W. Wylie. Its plant was located at Kent and Slater Streets (south side of Slater between Kent and Lyon Streets - now site of Constitution Square) , a short distance from Parliament Hill. The company was a subsidiary of Ottawa Electric Railway, in turn controlled by Ahearn & Soper.
It was renamed Ottawa Car Manufacturing Company in 1917 and again as Ottawa Car and Aircraft Limited in 1937.
The Ahearn family retained control of the company until 1948 when they sold Ottawa Car & Aircraft Corporation (renamed during World War II) to the Mailman Corporation.[2] The new owners never carried on the business and ceased operations as streetcars were being abandoned by cities across North America.[3] The city of Ottawa abandoned its own streetcar network in 1959. The company produced a total of about 1700 vehicles.
On 19 August 1994 Canada Post issued 88¢ stamps featuring Ottawa Car Company Streetcar, 1894, Saint John Railway Co. Car #40.[4]
Products
Streetcars
- Small Peter Witt streetcars
- Snow sweepers
- Interurban railcars:
- 8 R Class radial cars for Toronto and York Radial Railway on the Mimico line then transferred to Toronto Transportation Commission for use by North Yonge Railways
- Single End Double Truck streetcar
Aircraft
- produced Armstrong Whitworth Atlas and Armstrong Whitworth Siskin fighters for Armstrong Whitworth
- produced Avro Tutor and Avro Prefect trainers for Avro
- Armstrong Siddeley engines
- Aircraft parts for World War II: Handley Page Hampden bombers, Hawker Hurricanes and Avro Ansons
- bomb doors, flaps, ailerons, and elevators for Avro Lancaster bombers
Clients
- Edmonton Radial Railway
- Toronto Transportation Commission
- Ottawa Transportation Commission (Ottawa Electric Railway)
- Hamilton Street Railway (Hamilton Radial Electric Railway)
- Winnipeg Transit
- Montreal Street Railway
- South Western Traction Company/London & Lake Erie Railway
- Windsor, Essex and Lake Shore Rapid Railway
- London Street Railway
- Montreal Tramways Company
- Saskatoon Municipal Railway
Preservation
| Operator | Number | Type | Museum | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Transportation Commission | 2984 | Peter Witt streetcar | Halton County Radial Railway | Milton, Ontario | operational |
| Ottawa Transportation Commission | 696 | streetcar | OC Transpo | Ottawa, Ontario | being preserved |
| Ottawa Transportation Commission | 854 | streetcar | Canada Science and Technology Museum | Ottawa, Ontario | restored for display |
| Ottawa Transportation Commission | 859 | streetcar | Canadian Railway Museum | Saint-Constant, Quebec | operational |
| Ottawa Transportation Commission | 905 | streetcar | to be restored | ||
| Edmonton Transit System | 1 | streetcar | Edmonton Radial Railway Society | Edmonton, Alberta | operational |
| Saskatoon Municipal Railway | 200 | snow sweeper | Edmonton Radial Railway Society | Edmonton, Alberta | being rebuilt |
| North Yonge Railways | 416 | radial car | Halton County Radial Railway | Milton, Ontario | operational |
See also
References
- ^ Middleton, William D. (1967). The Time of the Trolley, p. 423. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-013-2.
- ^ "Railway Rolling Stock Industry in Canada". Nakina.net. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
- ^ Ottawa-making a capital - Google Books. Retrieved 2011-09-09 – via Google Books.
- ^ Library and Archive Canada, Canadian Postal Archives Database
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