Unlike the other radials owned by the Cataract Company, the Brantford & Hamilton Electric Railway (B&H) did not have a previous life of independent operations. From the day it opened the line was under the control of the Cataract Company, and as a result the records of its fleet of cars are in much better shape than the other radials. So it is a little disappointing that for its entire life the B&H only had a total of seven cars under its own name.
When the B&H began operations on December 21, 1907 it had six radial cars. These cars had been ordered from Brill in the United States on April 29 1907, but were actually built by Kuhlman, one of Brill's subsidiary companies. Measuring 57'0" x 9'0.5" x 13'0", they were numbered starting at #310 and increasing in increments of 5. When the Cataract company undertook a systemwide renumbering of all its streetcars and radials around 1910, B&H cars were renumbered into the 200s simply by changing the first digit. B&H #210 was destroyed on March 17, 1923 when a sagging power line under the Canadian National Railway overpass in Cainsville brushed the heater’s exhaust pipe, creating a short circuit and setting the car on fire. The remaining 5 cars were scrapped in 1933.
| Original number | 2nd number (1910) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 310 |
210 |
Burned on March 17, 1923 at Cainsville |
| 315 |
215 | Scrapped 1933 |
| 320 |
220 | Scrapped 1933 |
| 325 |
225 | Scrapped 1933 |
| 330 |
230 | Scrapped 1933 |
| 335 |
235 | Scrapped 1933 |
Layout of the interior of B&H 300 series radial car. (Photo from Brill's Magazine, Sept 15, 1907, pg 174)
B&H #210 & #220 at the B&H/LE&N Brantford Station in 1920. (Photographer unknown)
B&H #210 at Sanford yard, date unknown. B&H #210 was destroyed on March 17, 1923 when a sagging power line under the CNR overpass in Cainsville brushed the heater’s exhaust pipe, creating a short circuit and setting the car on fire. However, the trucks were salvaged, and were later used in the construction of B&H #240. (Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, used with permission)
The remains of B&H #210 after the fire at Cainsville. HG&B #171 has towed the remains back to the Sanford Yard, where the intact trucks will be salvaged for the construction of B&H #240. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
B&H #225 crossing the gravel quarry just east of present day Scenic drive, date unknown. (Photo from the James McFarlane Collection, courtesy Trevor Parkins-Sciberras, used with permission)
B&H #230 at Hamilton Terminal Station, summer 1928. (Photographer unknown)
B&H 235 with HTC #605 at Hamilton Terminal Station, summer 1928. (Photographer unknown)
HRER #305 at the Ancaster stop in 1908. (From the Ross Gray collection, used with permission)
B&H #315 on Main near Park, circa 1909. (Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, used with permission)
B&H #315 at the Ancaster stop, circa 1909. (From the Ross Gray collection, used with permission)
B&H #315 at the HRER's Oakville station, date unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Toronto Public Library, Digital Collections)
Builder's photo of the interior of B&H #320, taken at the Kuhlman plant in 1907. (Photo from Brill's Magazine, Sept 15, 1907, pg 173)
B&H #335 crossing the gravel quarry just east of present day Scenic drive, circa 1909. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, used with permission)
In 1923 the Cataract Company built a new radial car, using bits and pieces out of pre-existing radial cars that had been retired or damaged. Cars known to have contributed parts are:
Numbered #240, the car was scrapped in 1933.
B&H #240 at Hamilton Terminal Station, summer 1928. (Photographer unknown)
Mills, John M. Cataract Traction; The Railways of Hamilton. Toronto: Upper Canada Railway Society/Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association, 1971
