Steveston Tram Museum
| Established | May 3, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Location | Richmond, BC, Canada |
| Coordinates | 49°07′31.8″N 123°10′50.8″W / 49.125500°N 123.180778°W |
| Type | Railway Museum |
| Public transit access | Steveston Exchange |
| Website | stevestonheritage |
The Steveston Tram Museum is a rail museum in Steveston, BC. The museum houses one of seven remaining interurban streetcars that previously operated as part of the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER).
History
In the 1890s, the Canadian Pacific Railway sought to create a company to serve Lulu Island. In 1902 a light-rail line was created that ran from Vancouver to Steveston. The route proved to be unprofitable for CPR, as it was cheaper for the canneries of Steveston to ship directly via the ocean rather than moving them to and shipping from Vancouver. Thus, the line was leased to the B.C. Electric Railway in 1905. The BCER created a substation at Marpole to power the new electric line. Passenger service launched on July 4, 1905 and ran until February 28, 1958.[1]
Tram car 1220 was built in 1912 by the St. Louis Car Company, and purchased by the BCER in 1913.[2] This streetcar ran throughout the BCER's system for 45 years before being retired in 1958.[3] The train was brought to BC and used in the Marpole to Steveston line of the BCER.
Museum
The museum opened on May 3, 2013. The museum was built around original tracks of the BCER, and stands across the street from the now gone Steveston station. After three years of restoration, costing $400,000 and funded by the city of Richmond, the restored tram was put on display in 2018.[4][5]
Streetcar 1220 is brought outside of the museum annually on July 1st as part of Steveston's Canada Day celebrations.[6]
Of the 28 1200-class trams created for the BCER by the St. Louis Car Company, 7 exist in various states of repair. Car number 1225 is operating as a heritage streetcar at the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society in Surrey, BC, and car number 1223 is on display at the Burnaby Village Museum.[5]
References
- ^ Timms, Philip T.; Thirkell, Fred; Scullion, Robert (2006). Philip Timms' Vancouver, 1900-1910. Surrey, B.C: Heritage House Pub. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-894974-18-9.
- ^ William-Ross, Lindsay (April 24, 2018). "Where to see one of only 7 surviving Vancouver Interurban streetcars". Vancouver is Awesome. Archived from the original on December 3, 2025.
- ^ "Happy Birthday to Tram Car 1220". Steveston Heritage Sites. 2025-01-21. Archived from the original on February 22, 2025. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
- ^ Wood, Graeme (2017-03-23). "Feature: Steveston's Interurban Tram is a glimpse into the past and, maybe, the future". Richmond News. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ a b "About - Steveston Tram - Richmond, BC". Steveston Heritage Sites. Archived from the original on 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
- ^ "Step Back in Time at the Steveston Salmon Festival". Steveston Heritage Sites. 2025-06-27. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved 2026-02-28.