Starting the 1890s, postcards of the Hamilton area were created with transit as a main or secondary theme. Many of these postcards are used on this website for two reasons: Ease of use, and the presence of a postmark on the back of the postcard gives the image a terminus ante quem, a date that the photo on the front cannot obviously be later than.
By popular request, I've put all the postcards from all over the site here on this one page.
HRER #303 at the H&D Dundas station, from a postcard postmarked August 18, 1910. (Photo courtesy of Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
Photo postcard of an HTC 1913 Preston-built radial car at West Hamilton station on the H&D at Christmas 1918. West Hamilton station was on Emerson St, now the site of Aitchison Lumber. This photo postcard was actually used, but strangely enough it was mailed in 1949-more than 30 years after the photo was taken.
HG&B tracks in Beamsville, looking east along King St from just west of Central Ave. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 5, 1909.
The HG&B tracks in Beamsville, looking west along King St from just east of Central Ave. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 22, 1910.
This unused postcard shows the tracks of the HG&B in Beamsville along King St East, with a radial car in the distance.
HG&B tracks just west of Beamsville, on King St just west of Stadelbauer/West. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 29, 1918. The style of license plate on the car is from 1912 to 1916.
HG&B tracks in Grimsby, looking west along Main St from Elm. No date, but the style of car license plates puts this somewhere between 1927 and 1930.
HG&B tracks in Grimsby, looking east along Main St, east of Mountain. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 2, 1909.
HG&B tracks in Grimsby, along Main St W between Mountain and Ontario. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 10, 1911.
HG&B tracks in Grimsby, along Main St W between Mountain and Ontario. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 14, 1924.
This postcard shows the HG&B tracks in front of Ridge's Campground near Stoney Creek. This card was actually used by a member of the Ridge family, who describes the scene: "To the left is our vineyard, & at the back of the house & store is our orchard of Plums, Pears & Cherries, & in the rear of this our 3 acre Camping & Picnic ground. We have about 800 ft frontage & 7 acres in all. Quite a busy place in the summer." No date, but the cars put it sometime in the 1920s.
HG&B tracks in Stoney Creek on King at Mountain. The tracks turning to the left are for Clough's siding. The earliest postmark found for this postcard is September 13, 1913.
One of the HG&B's original freight motors running on Main St in Grimsby. The earliest postmark found for this card is Aug 23, 1910
Passengers waiting to board the HRER. From an unused postcard.
The HRER's first bridge over the canal, next to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 16, 1907.
The HRER's first bridge over the canal, next to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. The earliest postmark found for this card is December 17, 1907.
The HRER's first bridge over the canal, next to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. The earliest postmark found for this card is February 19, 1909.
The HRER's first bridge over the canal, next to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. From an unused postcard.
The HRER's first bridge over the canal, next to the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club. From an unused postcard.
The SS Macassa passes by the open swing bridge. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 26, 1909.
The Hamilton Canal Lighthouse with the HRER bridge behind it. The earliest postmark found for this card is June 29, 1909
In this postcard, a Stephenson DEDT crosses over the Burlington Canal on the first canal bridge, looking south. The earliest postmark found for this card is February 27, 1907.
The first bridge over the Burlington Canal, looking south. The earliest postmark found for this card is July 15, 1909.
This postcard shows a radial car that has just crossed the Canal bridge heading for Hamilton. The earliest postmark found for this card is March 24, 1909.
This unused postcard shows the new Bascule bridge over the Burlington ship canal as seen from the south, with the tracks of the HRER on the right. This bridge was built in 1922 to replace the original swing bridge, and like its predecessor it carried both radials and cars.
This is a view looking southwards from the smokestack of the HRER powerhouse at Burlington Beach. In the foreground is the HRER line under construction on the right, dating this photo to around August 22, 1896. The railway line on the left is the Grand Trunk Railway's (later CN's) Beach Subdivision, connecting Burlington with Stoney Creek. A spur has been built from the GTR line so that materials for the construction of the HRER can be unloaded, and coal can be delivered to the powerhouse. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives, used with permission)
A sample of the many, many times that the above photo has been reproduced as a postcard. This is clearly one of the most reused images by the postcard industry of the Hamilton area, if not the most
This is a view looking northwards from the smokestack of the HRER powerhouse at Burlington Beach, taken by the same photographer as the previous photo. In the foreground some clearing and grading work has been done for the HRER. The railway line on the right is the Grand Trunk Railway's (later CN's) Beach Subdivision, connecting Burlington with Stoney Creek. This photo has also been used as a postcard. (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives, used with permission)
This postcard shows the HRER tracks running past the Hotel Brant in Burlington, located roughly south of the Lakeshore Rd/QEW interchange, under the QEW. The earliest postmark found for this card is March 5, 1906.
This postcard shows the HRER tracks running past the Hotel Brant in Burlington. On the right is one of the HSR's Stephenson cars The earliest postmark found for this card is July 9, 1903.
Another postcard shows the HRER tracks running past the Hotel Brant in Burlington. The earliest postmark found for this card is June 13, 1907.
This postcard shows the view of the HRER tracks from the Hotel Brant verandah. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 24, 1906.
This is the HRER's bridge over Twelve Mile Creek in Bronte, around 1914. Built as part of the HRER's eastward expansion in 1905, it opened for service on March 3, 1906. It was closed in August 1925. (From the Milton Historical Society, used with permission)
This postcard shows a radial car crossing the HRER's bridge over Twelve Mile Creek in Bronte. The earliest postmark found for this card is October 25, 1907.
This unused postcard shows the HRER's bridge over Twelve Mile Creek in Bronte.
This unused postcard shows a radial car crossing the HRER's bridge over Twelve Mile Creek in Bronte.
This postcard shows the HRER crossing at Bronte, postmarked Dec 12, 1906. Since the HRER's extension to Oakville opened in May 1906, this photo must be from the summer of 1906.
The construction of the HRER's bridge over Sixteen Mile Creek in Downtown Oakville, looking west. The crane is a self-propelled steam crane owned by the bridge manufacturer. Opened on March 3, 1906, the bridge was used by the HRER until August 3, 1925 when the line was closed east of Guelph Line. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1910.
This postcard shows the HRER's bridge over Sixteen Mile Creek in Downtown Oakville, looking west. The earliest postmark found for this card is November 22, 1910.
This postcard shows a radial car crossing the HRER's bridge over Sixteen Mile Creek. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 18, 1909.
This unused postcard shows HTC 603 at the HRER's Oakville station, circa WWI.
This postcard shows a night time winter scene at the HRER Oakville Station. From all the lighting this looks like a staged publicity shot. The postcard is postmarked Aug 18 1910, so the latest this can be is winter 1909/1910.
The Brantford B&H/LE&N station and the new Lorne bridge. From an unused postcard.
This unused postcard shows part of the B&H/LE&N station looking southwest
This postcard shows the Victoria St bridge in Brantford, which was built in 1912 next to the B&H station located on the opposite side of the bridge. With the construction of the joint B&H/LE&N station in a few years the tracks of the B&H would be extended through the grassy area in the foreground to reach the station that would be built behind where the photographer is standing. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 15, 1912.
This postcard shows Market street atop the Victoria St bridge in Brantford. The access staircase on the left side leads down to the second B&H Brantford station. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 30, 1912.
This postcard shows the tracks of the B&H passing the new Alfred St Bridge in Brantford. The small tan coloured building on the left is the first B&H Brantford station, which was built due to difficulty in crossing the Tillsonburg line of the Grand Trunk Railway in Brantford. This temporary station was only used for six months in 1908, when the second Brantford station was opened at Market St. The earliest postmark found for this card is November 16, 1910.
This postcard shows a B&H car heading for Hamilton along the Mohawk Canal, just east of the Alfred St bridge in Brantford. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 2, 1908.
This postcard shows the B&H's bridge over Fairchild's Creek, just east of Cainsville. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 28, 1908.
This photo postcard is looking south on Halson St from just south of Wilson, and shows a B&H car waiting at the Ancaster stop. The postmark on this card is March 23, 1908, making this the earliest known photo of the B&H in operation. It's possible that this photo was taken on the B&H's first day of service on December 20, 1907.
The B&H Ancaster stop, on Halson St south of Wilson, taken from a postcard circa 1910. (Photo courtesy of the Toronto Public Library, Digital Collections)
This postcard shows the B&H right of way, likely somewhere in today's Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area between Hwy 403 and Scenic Drive. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 27, 1908.
The B&H right of way as it approaches the Upper Horning Rd bridge from the west. From an unused postcard.
This postcard shows the Upper Horning Rd bridge crossing the B&H. The earliest postmark found for this card is October 16, 1909.
This postcard shows the B&H at the top of the grade along the escarpment, overlooking the Dundas Valley. The road on the right is Lower Horning Rd, and the road with the farm buildings in the centre-right is Main St West. On the left of the postcard is the bridge carrying Upper Horning Rd across the tracks. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 23, 1908.
This postcard along the B&H route may be the path up to the Hamilton Sanatorium. The earliest postmark found for this card is November 2, 1908.
The site of the HBIR at the top of James St means that there are pictures taken of the site taken before the construction, such as this postcard image. No date, but if you look carefully you can see that the King & John Post office opened in 1886 is there, so late 1880s.
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station, as seen from James St. The earliest postmark found for this card is June 19, 1906.
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station. Taken from an old postcard circa 1905
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station. The earliest postmark found for this card is October 7, 1925.
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station, from an unused postcard.
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 26, 1929.
The Hamilton & Barton’s lower station. From an unused postcard.
This unused postcard shows HSR #60 at the Hamilton and Barton Incline Railway's lower station. While there is no date, the poster on the front of the streetcar is advertising the play "The Boss", which was first performed on Broadway in New York on Jan 30 1911.
The James Street Incline, from a postcard postmarked July 23, 1906. The reservoir on the left was built in 1904 and filled that September.
View of the James Street Incline. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 9, 1932.
Side view of the James Street Incline, from a postcard. This image first appears in the pamphlet Hamilton: the Birmingham of Canada, published in 1892. As the car appears to be empty, it's possible that this is taken during the testing phase in early June 1892, before the incline went into service.
A postcard of both Incline Railways, copyright 1902. The earliest postmark found for this card is December 18, 1903.
The James Street Incline. The earliest postmark found for this card is November 14, 1905
Side view of the James Street Incline, from an unused photo postcard (from Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
Close up of one of the James Street Incline cars. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1906
Close up of one of the James Street Incline cars. If you look down in the lower right you'll notice that the lower station is under construction. This photo was taken the year that the original lower station was dismantled and replaced. The exterior of the railway manager's house is already complete.
Close up of one of the James Street Incline cars.
Side view of the James Street Incline. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 4, 1908 (from Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
The Hamilton & Barton Incline Railway in winter. From an unused postcard.
The Hamilton & Barton Incline Railway From an unused postcard.
The Hamilton & Barton Incline Railway. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 23, 1917.
The upper station of the Hamilton & Barton. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1910.
The upper station of the Hamilton & Barton, along with the Mountain View Hotel. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 13, 1909.
The East-End Incline, as seen from Wentworth St. HSR #22 is in the foreground heading towards the downtown core on the WENTWORTH route. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1907.
The Wentworth Incline Railway. The earliest postmark found for this card is June 2, 1913
The East-End Incline, as seen from the base. The earliest postmark found for this card is July 12, 1907 (from Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
The Wentworth Incline Railway. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1911
The East-End Incline, with a close-up of the pumping station at the base. The earliest postmark found for this card is January 26, 1909 (from Vintage Postcards of Hamilton, used with permission)
The East-End Incline in action, sometime in the 1920s. Note the automobile being transported. From an unused postcard.
The East-End Incline, from an unused postcard.
A close-up of one of the Mount Hamilton Incline cars circa 1905. Note the horse-drawn wagons on the car. From an unused postcard.
A Mount Hamilton Incline Car reaches the top. This photo appears in the article in the September 15 1895 Street Railway Review linked in the Sources section below, and so must have been taken on opening day, August 5, 1895. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 26, 1904.
A postcard of both Incline Railways, copyright 1902. The earliest postmark found for this card is December 18, 1903.
This is an artist's conception of the Hamilton Terminal Station before its construction. Of note is the large glass trainshed on the left, which was never built. This image was sold to postcard companies, and postcards of the Hamilton Terminal Station were available even before the station was completed. (The earliest postmark found so far is July 2, 1907, four and a half months before the station's opening) (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives)
This colourized postcard shows the handsome stone and brick station in all its glory. In the background is Bennett's Theatre. The earliest postmark found for this card is June 22 1909
The Hamilton Terminal Station and the neighbouring Waldorf Hotel. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 17, 1913
This postcard has been 'photoshopped' to turn the daytime scene into a cold winter's night. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 20, 1908.
A postcard of the Hamilton Terminal Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 20, 1922.
This postcard shows the Hamilton Terminal Station in relation to the Terminal Yard. On the storage track on the left is either HG&B #171:2 or HTC #677, which is waiting to be called out for snow clearing duties. In the middle is one of the radials in the HTC #603-608 series. The radial on the right looks to be one of the Crossen-built HRER cars, numbered #302-304 & #306. The earliest postmark found for this card is Oct 12, 1916.
The Hamilton Terminal Station.The earliest postmark found for this card is May 21, 1926
The second Stuart Street station in August 1892. From Hamilton: the Birmingham of Canada. This image has also been used as a postcard.
Postcard of the second Stuart Street station. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 21, 1906.
Postcard of the second Stuart Street station. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 5, 1906.
GTR #974 at the head of a train at the second Stuart Street station. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 20, 1906.
Postcard of the second Stuart Street station. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 30, 1914.
The second Stuart Street station. From an unused postcard.
The second Stuart Street station. The earliest postmark found for this card is January 18, 1907.
A closeup of the 'HAMILTON' sign next to the station. The caption reads 'Garden and Embankment at GTR station, Hamilton Ont.' This decorative flower garden was built in the summer of 1885, with the city name made out of small white stones. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1907.
Another closeup of the 'HAMILTON' sign next to the station, this time looking along Stuart St east to Bay. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1910.
The CNR James St station, from an unused postcard
The CNR James St station, from an unused postcard
Closeup of the platform of the TH&B Hamilton Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 27, 1907.
The TH&B Hamilton Station The earliest postmark found for this card is 1908. The locomotive is a 4-4-0, so it could be TH&B #1-5 or 12
The TH&B Hamilton Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is October 18, 1910.
The TH&B Hamilton Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is August 23, 1906.
The TH&B Hamilton Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is April 9, 1910.
The TH&B Hamilton Station, from an unused postcard
The TH&B Hamilton Station. The two locomotives are CPR #1211 (left) and possibly TH&B #2. The earliest postmark found for this card is November 2 1913.
Canadian Pacific Railway #529 exits the Hunter St Tunnel and approaches the TH&B Hamilton station behind the photographer. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1907.
A postcard of the TH&B Hamilton Station. The earliest postmark found for this card is September 23, 1949.
The TH&B Hamilton Station. From an unused postcard
HSR #2 at King & James between 1881 and 1885. The horsecar is on top of the turnable that was at King & James in the 1880s. This image has been used in postcards with the incorrect caption of 1874.
HSR #38 on King at Hughson circa 1884.
This unused postcard shows an HSR streetcar on King St E at Mary St, circa 1910. The streetcar is signed 'KING E & BARTON'.
HSR streetcars at James and York. The earliest postmark found for this card is December 11, 1913.
An HSR open streetcar by old city hall. The Unique Theatre on the left opened in 1908, and there are adverts dated 'Wed Jun 3', making this postcard late May/early June 1908.
3 HSR streetcars at King and James. The earliest postmark found for this card is October 29, 1908.
HSR #22 on the WENTWORTH route. In the background is the Mount Hamilton Incline Railway. The earliest postmark found for this card is 1907.
HSR #33 at James & King. Based on the storefront signs on James St North and on the ads on the streetcar fenders, this photo is most likely the August civic holiday, August 6, 1906. From an old uncirculated postcard.
HSR #34 at James & King, Based on the storefront signs on James St North and on the ads on the streetcar fenders, this photo is most likely early June 1906. From an old uncirculated postcard
HSR #43 next to the York St Cemetery office, from a postcard postmarked May 7, 1912.
HSR #50 and two other streetcars are buried in the snow on King St West at James circa 1895
This unused postcard shows HSR #60 at the Hamilton and Barton Incline Railway's lower station. This streetcar was built in 1893, by the J. M. Jones company. While there is no date, the poster on the front of the streetcar is advertising the play "The Boss", which was first performed on Broadway in New York on Jan 30 1911.
HSR #61 possibly at Sherman & Main in May 1910.
During WWI a HSR streetcar was converted into an Army recruiting station and put at the southwest corner of Gore Park, next to the statue of Queen Victoria. It's hard to identify it due to all the posters and bunting, but it looks like one of either the converted horsecars (HSR #35-44) or 1892 Jones streetcars (HSR #45-59). The earliest known postmark for this card is August 1915. Because the Lusitania is mentioned on a poster, this photo must be from early or mid summer of 1915.
A photo postcard of HSR #99, date and location unknown. The earliest postmark found for this postcard is October 3 1912.
A Laconia car passes Gore Park in the summer of 1913. The flags are to celebrate Hamilton's Centennial.
Postcard of the HRER's Gore St office & station in Hamilton after the 1906 Riot. The postcard photo caption reads "Radial Office showing damage done by mob during the Strike". The postcard is postmarked December 2 1906, so the photo was taken the morning after.
22 Hunter St East, likely taken the morning after. The postcard photo caption reads 'House on Hunter St riddled(?) by mob during strike'
Postcard of HSR #111 after the Great Riot of 1906. The caption reads 'Car 111, which was wrecked by mob on King St. E, Saturday Night, Nov 23rd 1906. Every panel of glass in this car was broken, holes were smashed through woodwork, interior of car filled with stones and bricks up to the level of the seats'. The postcard is postmarked December 28 1906, so this photo must have been taken within days of the riot, possibly as soon as the morning after.
Postcard of HSR #111 after the Great Riot of 1906. The caption reads 'Interior of Car 111, which was wrecked by mob Sat Night, Nov 23rd 1906. Not a pane of glass remained, & the woodwork was badly damaged. The strike breakers used the cushions as barricades against showers of bricks & stones'.
HSR 45 after the Riot. Exactly where and when this streetcar was damaged is unrecorded. The caption reads 'Street Car en route to Car Sheds after encounter with mob during Strike' (Photo courtesy of the Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives)
A postcard of Radial Village. HTC #604 is the second 'sleeper' from the left, while B&H #240 is the rear of the two cars in use as the gas station office. No postmark on the card, but judging by the cars and trucks it's from the late 1940s or early 1950s.
A postcard of a Radial Village cabin. This is either a former B&H Brill-built, or a HRER/HTC Preston-built radial car. The sign next to the dog reads "Cabins with Running Water Twin Beds Moderate Prices"
A postcard of the Helderleigh Jam Factory and Fruit House. The earliest postmark found on this card is December 6, 1908.
Postcard of HSR #197 at King & James. The earliest postmark found for this card is February 9, 1962.
HSR #2:2 being towed by a streetcar at King & John. The earliest postmark found on this card is April 7 1911. Behind the cars is the Hamilton Terminal Station, built in 1907.
A CCL 706M at King Street West & Ogilvie in Dundas, date unknown. From an unused postcard.
An unidentified CCL bus at Brantford City Hall, possibly built by ACF, date unknown. From an unused postcard.
