The Preston Car Company was a Canadian manufacturer of streetcars and other railway equipment, founded in 1908. The company was located in the town of Preston, Ontario (now part of the city of Cambridge ). Preston sold streetcars to local transport operators including the Grand River Railway , the Toronto Railway Company and Toronto Civic Railways (the predecessors of today's Toronto Transit Commission ), and the Hamilton Street Railway . The company also sold a number of its distinctive ‘Prairie-style’ cars to operators in Alberta and Saskatchewan ; one of these cars is being restored by the Saskatchewan Railway Museum . The Edmonton Radial Railway received 8 "Prairie" Prestons in 1909 and 1911 and 35 "Big" Prestons in 1913–14. Only a few Preston-built cars now remain, some of them in the collection of the Halton County Radial Railway museum. The Edmonton Radial Railway Society has in its collection "Prairie" Preston car 31 and "Big" Prestons numbers 53, 65 and 73.
7-452: The company was sold to Philadelphia-based J. G. Brill Company in 1921, and the Preston plant closed in 1923. From 1908 to 1923 Preston Car plant was located at 633 Margaret Street. After the factory's closure in 1923 the site became a casting plant (later as Kanmet Limited foundry) until 1991. A fire destroyed the foundry, and the site became a vacant brownfield. Part of the old industrial site
14-570: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Halton County Radial Railway The Halton County Radial Railway is a working museum of electric streetcars , other railway vehicles, buses and trolleybuses . It is operated by the Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association (OERHA). It is focused primarily on the history of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and its predecessor,
21-712: The Toronto Suburban Railway 's former right-of-way . The tracks conform to the TTC's track gauge of 4 ft 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 in ( 1,495 mm ), which is 60 mm ( 2 + 3 ⁄ 8 in) wider than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . Vehicles from other systems must be altered to accommodate the tracks, and cars intended for third-rail power must be reconfigured for use with overhead wire . In 1889, electric railway service on routes radiating from Toronto, Ontario began. An Ontario Historical Plaque
28-575: The Toronto Transportation Commission , Its collection includes PCC , Peter Witt , CLRV and ALRV , and earlier cars from the Toronto streetcar system as well as G-series and M-series Toronto subway cars. The museum is open to the public, with rides on many of its vehicles. It is located between the villages of Rockwood and Campbellville in Milton , Ontario , Canada, along part of
35-509: The scrap yard. After the donation of this streetcar, the dream grew. Land that used to be a part of the Toronto Suburban Railway in Nassagaweya Township was acquired, and subsequently, a number of other street and radial cars were eventually rescued. The museum's grand opening took place in 1972. Since the beginning, the vision of the HCRR was to inform, educate and inspire the public about
42-687: Was erected at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum by the province to commemorate the Radial Railways' role in Ontario's heritage. Museum Peter Witt streetcars can be seen in the 2005 film Cinderella Man on the streets of Toronto to give it a 1930s New York City appearance. The Halton County Radial Railway and the OERHA was formed in 1953 by a group of men who wanted to save Toronto Transit Commission streetcar 1326 from being sent to
49-731: Was redeveloped as Legion Park, and the remainder will become a residential development known as Preston Meadows. Cars manufactured by the Preston Car Company are on display at the Halton County Radial Railway and Saskatchewan Railway Museum , and one is in service on the Nelson Electric Tramway . The Edmonton Radial Railway Society has four Prestons in its collection: one "Prairie" Preston (ex-Edmonton #31) and three "Big" Prestons (ex-Edmonton #53, 65 and 73). This tram-, streetcar-, or light rail-related article
#755244