Photo by Harry G. Hines - Image from "East of Adelaide: photographs of commercial, industrial and working-class urban Ontario"
In late 1911, the London & Lake Erie Railway opted to purchase new equipment from the Niles Car Company of Niles, Ohio. The bids for this equipment was between Niles and Preston. which supplied the 80 series cars. While Preston's bid was lower, Niles guaranteed the cars faster, and they, ultimately won the contract. The order consisted of two motor coaches and two trailers. The motors were numbered 97 and 99, while the trailers were numbered 93 and 95. These cars were delivered in early 1912 and rode on Baldwin MCB trucks which the company purchased directly from the builder. These cars usually were run in coach/trailer pairs, but they were occasionally run together.
Problems arose early on with these cars due to the size of the flanges on the trucks. The wheels were contoured for street railway running and were shallower than those on interurban cars. The Traction's winding curves and steep grades complicated things and the new cars were prone to derailments. The wheels were replaced shortly after delivery, but the cars' career on the London & Lake Erie was destined to be short-lived. In 1915, the two Niles motors and trailers were sold to the Niagara, St. Catherines and Toronto Railway as their Numbers 60-63. The two trailer cars were rebuilt into powered motors and all 4 lasted into the 1950's on the NSt.C&T.
Last Update June 14, 2011
Any questions, comments, pictures, etc - Please e-mail me Dan MacKellar
