15 Double-End, Double Truck cars were built by the Preston Car Company in 1912 for the HSR. These cars were originally constructed with two-man operation, but cars #431, #441 and #447-457 were rebuilt to one-man operation in 1929. These 8 rebuilt cars lasted until the late 1940s, while the other 7 were scrapped in the late 1930s.
| Length | 43 ft, 0 in |
|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft, 4.5 in |
| Height | 11 ft, 10 in |
| Trucks | Brill 27G1 |
| Motors | 4 GE 1000 |
| Weight | 49 500 lbs |
| Seating | 40 |
Some of the dates for these photos are unknown, and the locations are often just a guess. If you know either date or location, email me!
HSR #429 sometime in the summer of 1912 or 1913, location unknown. (From Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
HSR #429 in the Sanford Yard, Feb 19, 1938. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #429 in the Sanford Yard, date unknown.
HSR #431 in the Sanford yard, date unknown. HSR #431 has a different roof than the other Preston Cars, making it look very similar to the Ottawa cars built at the same time. When this new roof was installed is unknown, but it was probably done during its rebuilding into one-man operation in 1929. (From Dave’s Electric Railroads.)
HSR #431 in the Sanford yard, date unknown (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives, used with permission)
HSR #431 at Sanford yard in 1949. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #433 at Sanford Yard, date unknown.
HSR #435 at Sanford Yard, date unknown.
HSR #441 at Sanford yard, July 1920.
HSR #441 on Burlington St at Birch in 1942. (From the Sirman collection, used with permission)
HSR #441 alongside Cootes Drive at East St in Dundas, having been literally put out to pasture. The date is uncertain, but as this car is still on rollers its then probably circa 1946. Several old streetcars became cabins in this area, but they were all destroyed in the early 1950s when a severe storm flooded Spencer Creek. (From Dave’s Electric Railroads.)
Another shot of HSR #441 alongside Cootes Drive at East St in 1947. The rollers have been removed and some of the windows have been replaced with wood panels, so someone has been working on the old car. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #445 on James at York. From an unused postcard
HSR #449 on Aberdeen Ave between Mountain Ave and Cottage Ave in Fall 1942.
HSR #449 at Sanford Yard, sometime in the 1940s. The doors have been boarded over, so the next stop is the scrap yard.
HSR #451 at King and James, date unknown (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives, used with permission)
HSR #455 sometime in the summer of 1912 or 1913, location unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives, used with permission)
HSR #455 on James St South near Jackson St, 1943. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #455 at Sanford Yard in 1947.
HSR #455 in the centre of Westdale on King St west in 1949. (Photo from the Richard Vincent collection, courtesy of the Halton County Radial Railway)
HSR #455 at Sanford Yard, date unknown. (From the Stephen M. Scalzo collection, used with permission)
HSR #455 at Sanford Yard, date unknown. (From the Stephen M. Scalzo collection, used with permission)
HSR #457 at Sanford Yard, September 1 1939.
HSR #457 on James at King in 1943.
HSR #457 at Sanford Yard, July 18 1949.
An unknown Preston DEDT car (possibly #441) at Sanford yard. (From Dave’s Electric Railroads.)
Two unknown HSR Preston DEDTs on Aberdeen Ave next to the TH&B underpass. Date unknown, but streetcar convoys of this type were common on the York & Aberdeen route after it was restarted in 1942. (From the Sirman collection, used with permission)
Sources
"Electric Railway Notes" Canadian Railway and Marine World May 1913: pg 239
Mills, John M. Cataract Traction; The Railways of Hamilton. Toronto: Upper Canada Railway Society/Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association, 1971
