Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Niagara, Welland and Lake Erie Railway

Overview
- Based in Welland, Ontario, in the Niagara Region.
- Operated a streetcar line in Welland from 1912 to 1930.
- Used standard gauge track (4 ft 8 1/2 in / 1,435 mm).

History
- July 4, 1910: Welland was granted a 20-year franchise to operate a street railway.
- April 4, 1911: The company was incorporated to build an interurban network linking Welland with Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Port Dover, and ferries across the Niagara River. This larger network was never built, and it would have competed with the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway.
- Only the Welland streetcar line was completed. Groundbreaking was October 4, 1911 by Welland mayor George Sutherland; service began March 22, 1912.
- The line ran on East Main Street from the Grand Trunk Railway crossing to South Main Street (now King Street) to the Canada Southern Railway station. In 1912–1913, additional tracks were laid on West Main Street and North Main Street (Niagara Street), but they weren’t used due to weight restrictions on the Alexandra Bridge over the Welland Canal.
- In 1915, permission was obtained to operate lighter cars over the bridge, but these cars weren’t acquired until 1922. The west side line operated only about six months; most people walked, so service stayed on the east side.
- Much of the traffic came from workers going to Page Hersey Tubes Ltd. in south Welland, which likely helped cover operating costs.
- Offices were at 30 South Main Street (Weller Block). Superintendent: C. J. Laughlin.
- Fare was 5 cents for a single ride, or 6 tickets for 25 cents, and it stayed the same throughout the line’s life.
- The line never operated at a loss. In 1917, it carried about 693,000 passengers and earned profits over $16,000.
- When the franchise expired, the City of Welland did not take over the service. The railway ceased operating on July 4, 1930.