6 cars were built in 1906 for a Boston area streetcar operator. They were purchased in 1908 by the Cataract company, for use on their system. Five of the cars went to the HSR, and were numbered #117-119, #401 & #403, while the sixth became HG&B #159:2.
The HSR cars remained in service for a few years, before being completely rebuilt to the new PAYE (Pay As You Enter) configuration by the Preston Car & Coach Company in 1911 & 1912. At this time HSR #117 and #118 were renumbered to #405 and #407 respectively. However the Ottawa DEDT cars (#409-425) had already been delivered, and so HSR #119 became #427. All of the cars were scrapped in 1934 except for #407, which somehow soldiered on till 1947.
| Length | 43 ft, 4 in |
|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft, 3 in |
| Height | 12 ft, 4 in |
| Trucks | Bemis |
| Motors | GE 1000 |
| Weight | 50 000 lbs |
| Seating | 50 |
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!
(All photos © Tom Luton, except where noted)
A Laconia car passes Gore Park in the summer of 1913. The flags are to celebrate Hamilton's Centennial.
HSR #401 on the Belt Line in January 1920 at King near Ferguson. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives)
HSR #401 at King and Catherine. The date can be narrowed down to sometime in the 1920s, as the Pantages theatre behind the streetcar was in operation between 1921 and 1930. (Photo by: Norman Bradshaw, collection of Helmut Ostermann, Vintage Rail Photo's, used by permission)
HSR #403 looking worse for wear after a collision with B&H 230 on the evening of June 14, 1923 at Barton and Birch. More details on this collision are here. (Photographer unknown)
HSR #403 at James and Main, heading south on the Aberdeen-Stuart route in 1928. Car #403 was actually the longest survivor of the Laconia DEDTs. After being retired in 1934, it was sold and turned into a cabin on Hwy 20 near Tapleytown Rd in Stoney Creek. Over the years, the cabin was added to and changed hands so that its origins were forgotten until it was being dismantled in 1982. It was donated to the Halton County Radial Railway in Rockwood, ON, who kept it until continuing deterioration forced it to be finally scrapped in 1999. (Photographer unknown)
HSR #407 (ex #118), along with HSR 423 and HG&B 156 in Sanford yard, Date unknown. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #407 at Sanford Yard, March 15 1947. (From the Richard Vincent collection, used with permission)
HSR #407 at Sanford Yard, date unknown. (From the Sirman collection, used with permission)
HSR #427 (ex #119), at the second Stuart St station, date unknown (from the Stephen M. Scalzo collection, used with permission)
HSR #427 (ex #119) inside the Sanford shops shortly after opening in 1928. (Photo from the James McFarlane Collection, courtesy Trevor Parkins-Sciberras, used with permission)
