Unlike regular streetcars, open streetcars have no sides. Since the sides are open, there's no need for doors or a central aisle. Instead, passengers would enter from the sides, and sit on benches that ran the entire width of the streetcar. The conductor would walk along the edges of the streetcar collecting fares. Because of the open concept, conductors and passengers were at a higher risk of injury from either falling off of the streetcar, or being hurt when a car ran into the side of a streetcar. As a result, open streetcars were banned in Ontario in 1915.
The first batch of open streetcars were built in 1893 by the J.M. Jones company of Troy, NY, entering service as a group on the Canada Day weekend. The second batch were built for the HSR a few years later by an unknown manufacturer. Both groups were retired in 1915, and scrapped by 1927.
| Length | 30 ft, 0 in |
|---|---|
| Width | 8 ft, 2 in |
| Height | 11 ft, 6 in |
| Trucks | Brill |
| Motors | WH 3 |
| Weight | 20 600 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!
HSR #65 at Guise Loop, circa 1900. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives)
HSR #69 at Gore Park, circa 1904. (Photo courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, used with permission)
HSR #74 at Gore Park, circa 1910.
HSR #84 circa 1904, location unknown. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives)
