Explore one of the last surviving interurban tram cars from the BC Electric Railway Company. Tram Car 1220 served the local residents of Steveston to Marpole (Vancouver), and everywhere in between from 1913 until its final run on February 28, 1958. For 55 years, the interurban tram was an essential connection between Richmond and the rest of the Lower Mainland (including Chilliwack). Step aboard the beautifully restored tram, and learn about the communities and the passengers that it serviced – not all of them human!
The Steveston Tram museum was built around the original tracks of the BC Electric Railway Interurban Network which was leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway. You can still spot the original railroad path and power poles around the tram today. The building is also located across the street from where the Steveston Station once stood.
History
Built in 1902 and owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Lulu Island railway ran freight and passenger steam trains. In 1905, the CPR leased the line to the BC Electric Railway Company (BCER), who electrified the line. This led to the establishment of an Interurban railway network that would connect different communities throughout the Lower Mainland that may have otherwise been difficult to reach.
In 1913, BCER added 28 tram cars bought from the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri. Among them was Tram Car 1220, which is now the largest artefact in the Richmond Museum’s collection. The Interurban line contributed to the development of Richmond’s city centre. The Interurbans and the people who worked on them became an important and cherished part of the community.
The Interurbans did not survive the post-war prosperity that led to an explosion in the number of automobiles on the roads and an expansion of new suburbs not serviced by rail. As a part of this Rails to Rubber campaign, the Interurban tram car made its final voyage between Marpole and Steveston on February 28, 1958, marking the end of a definitive era for the Richmond community and for transportation history in BC.
Restoration
After decades of being off the tracks, the City of Richmond acquired the tram and opened the Steveston Tram museum on May 3, 2013. Five years later, Tram Car 1220 made an exciting return to its former glory after three long years of restoration efforts. A dedicated team of volunteers, conservators, curators, and professionals spent hundreds of hours over the course of three years to restore the tram. During this period, Visitors to the Steveston Tram had the unique opportunity to watch the car restoration from 2016-2018.
Restoration work focused on:
- Cleaning and painting the undercarriage.
- Upgrading the electrical system to meet today’s standards.
- Restoring seat frames.
- Reupholstering seat cushions with authentic materials.
- Rebuilding the interior bench seats.
- Repairing the roof utilizing original materials like canvas.
- Painting Tram Car 1220 to its original colour.
- Cleaning and installation of brass fixtures and other interior components.
- Installing the trolley bases and poles.
- Today staff at the Steveston Tram maintain and monitor the Tram Car to ensure that it will be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.
Today, visitors can come and visit the tram for an immersive experience of what it once was like to ride the rails as a Steveston resident from the early to mid-1900s
Public Art Map
At the front entrance of the Steveston Tram, you’ll find a large scale map detailing the original stops of the Lulu Island branch of the BC Electric Interurban Railway network. The tram line, which ran on leased Canadian Pacific Railroad tracks, followed the more developed areas of Richmond along the western side of Lulu Island. If you look closely, you might even recognize some of the names of the stations as modern transit stations across Richmond today!
Steveston Nikkei Internment Memorial Park
In 2019, the Steveston Nikkei Internment Memorial was opened next to the Steveston Tram. The memorial’s location is intentional and important. Around 2,000 Nikkei (people of Japanese descent) were forcibly removed from Steveston during the Second World War and interned in camps in the Interior of BC as well as on farms across the prairies. This forced removal of Japanese Canadians from their homes in Richmond happened at Steveston Station with the Interurban trams. The memorial marks the 75th anniversary of the forced removal of Steveston’s Japanese Canadian community and the 70th anniversary of their return as members of a resilient community that helped build Steveston.
The Final Seven
As one of the last seven remaining BC Electric Railway cars, Tram Car 1220 has several “sister” trams across Metro Vancouver, as well as one in Ottawa. You can visit the other surviving BCER cars at the Burnaby Village Museum (Tram 1223) or the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Surrey (Tram 1207, 1225 , 1231, and 1304), where they offer hour-long rides around Cloverdale aboard Car 1225. Car 1235 is in Ottawa at the Canada Science and Technology museum collections.
Resources
Ted Clark
Ted Clark was an avid photographer of trams, trains and streetcars around Metro Vancouver, leaving behind a legacy of thousands of rail images to the City of Richmond’s Archives. Thanks to Ted’s passion for railway vehicles, we are able to get a glimpse of what Tram Car 1220 looked like during its glory days of running between Steveston and Marpole. Watch this 2-minute video to view some of Ted’s images of Tram Car 1220 and learn how one man contributed to Richmond’s history.
Visit the City’s searchable archive to view more of Ted Clark’s images, plus others from photographers of interurban trams.
The Sockeye Special
The Sockeye Special: The Story of the Steveston Tram and Early Lulu Island by Ron Hyde details the story of the Steveston Tram and Lulu Island from 1905 onwards. Visit us at the tram to have a look or borrow the book from the Richmond Public Library to learn more.
Contact
4011 Moncton Street
Richmond BC V7E 3A8
Phone: 604-238-8081
Email: interurban1220@richmond.ca