STREETCAR RESTORATION PROJECT

By Charles (Bud) Shaver - Nov 2/1992

After the Great Fire of Oct.4th. 1922, old Streetcars from Toronto were donated and brought up by train to be used as temporary housing for the people who had lost their homes in the devastating fire that had laid the town of Haileybury and surrounding area a burnt-out wasteland.


It is November 2nd. 1992. This is Bud Shaver talking about Streetcar N0.123. The streetcar idea came about some five or six years ago, when the minister of Northern Development and Mines suggerstd that if a street car in the Tri-Town area could be obtained and restored, they would look into funding it. The car we had in mind to obtain and restore was used at the corner of Highway 11B and Lakeview Ave in North Cobalt as a restaurant and living quarters by the Hellens Family, and later by Bud Morgan. One of the cars was used as a storage shed next to Vivce Arney's Carage, (on the corner of Lakeview and Carter Bloulevard). Other cars that had been around, had been demolished. No interest was shown by the Municipalities or any other individuals in the streetcar restoration project. Eventually, someone from Toronto had come up, looked at the cars that was still standing, removed the glass windows and what was left was destroyed. Some time later, I still had it in my mind to find a streetcar for restoration. Then Mike Pearson, from Northern Telephone, had informed me that his father, Eric Pearson, (who lived on Anwell Street in Haileybury), had a streetcar which had been converted into a shed.
Negotiations begun in the early nineteen nineties to obtain the streetcar. With the help of a fork lift from Morissette's in Haileybury, in cooperation with the Fire Museum, the car was moved to the Public Works yard. The streetcar that had been coverted into a shed, was replaced by another shed so that Mr. Pearson could have his work shop. Streetcar No. 124, sat outside throughout the summer and fall. It was later put in the Public Works garage for the winter. I contacted Bob Johns of the Halton Counly Electric Railway Museum. He came up to Haileybury and told us how we should proceed in the restoration of the streetcar. He suggested that we contact Mike Filey of the Toronto Sun mewspaper, along with some other people from Heritage Canada, who were in Haileybury at the time. After this, we began to look for funding by contacting the Minister of Culture and Communications, the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, service clubs and businesses. This went on for a year without much success in the streetcar restoration project. It was during this period that we were told by many people; "Don't waste your time and money, just burn it, you'll never do it". In the meantine, the car was moved down to the Fire Museum and placed in a bay underneath the Town Office. I made the decision that we get this streetcar restoration project on the road. We set a deadline of October the forth, nineteen ninety-two, in time for the 70th Anniversary of the Great Fire. We started raising funds through slide presentation at the mall and any service club who would be interested. Our museum members, who had volunteered for the restoration project, along with the help of a few other people, began to remove the rotten wood from the floor and around the base of the structure. The car was rotten, six to eight inches up all around the base due to the fact that it sat on the ground for so long even though the car was covered. The inside of the streetcar was sheeted with shiplap which had been whitewashed. The streetcar was used as a chicken coop after the fire victims had rebuilt their house. When we recived the streetcar, it had been used as a tool shed and workshop. Many long days and nights were put into the restoration by all of the volunteers. The volunteers are as follows; Myself (Bud Shaver), Dave McLaren, Jack Cobb, Robert Leslie, Norman Fox, Dan Lavigne, Chris Oslund, Jack Cooper and Bob Perry. Bob worked off the restoration project site. He made some of the metal works for us and did an excellent job. Other people dropped in and helped, such as Rosanne de Vries Fisher, and her friend from Ottawa, Karen Woldike. They both helped with the scraping and sanding of the windows and doors.

The advisory people that were working with us are as follows; Bob Johns, from the Halton County Electric Railway Museum in Rockwood, Ont., a retired T.T.C. employee, as well as a historian and researcher, and John Stevens, of Green Lawn, New York, USA. John Stevens helped us tremendously. He provided us with all the documentation on the streetcar as well as all the measurments. He advised us on what kind of wood to use and how many pieces we needed. As well, John made blueprints, drawn to scale, for the platforms at each end of the streetcar. John also sent brass lifts to us for the tops and bottoms of the windows. We were fortunate to get the help and expertise of these three gentlemen. After our money started to build up, from fundraising and donations, we were able to hire Norman Fox, who rebuilt most of the undercarriage. He repaired the rotten studding, fastening them to the undercarriage. He replaced the floor joist and the tie rods, grooved the skirting with the routter, and sheeted in both sides below the windows. We were in continual contact with Bob Johns, Ray Corley and John Stevens, however, Noeman Fox got a steady job and we were left again with only volunteers. I tried to persuade several different carpenters who "said" they would come and work, but they never showed up. Then it was suggested that I approach Emile Letellier, who agreed to come. He stayed on until the car was finished, doing a very good job. We were also fortunate enough to get Ray Catudal. With his cabinet making skills he did wonderful work crafting the trim. It was made possible to hire two people because we found a good friend of the museum in Martial Girard, of Girard's Gas Bar and Confectionery in North Cobalt. Martial agreed to sell Nevada tickets for us, without which we would have never been able to finish the restoration of the streetcar. We also benefitted by a Town project, which provided us with another person to assist in the work for a couple of months, Mr. William Cowton. We had started the project in late May of nineteen ninety-two and aimed to have the streetcar completed for the 70th Anniversary of the Great Fire.


70th Anniversary of the Great Fire. Oct. 4th 1992

Photo was taken in front of the old Fire Museum at the Haileybury Town Office. Standing in front of Streetcar is; Chris Oslund and Dan Lavigne, Standing in Streetcar is; Rosan Fisher, Jack Cooper, Bud Shaver (Streetcar Conductor), Pat Wilson, Bogort Leslie, Norman Fox and Jack Cobb.

Work continued after the anniversary weekend on some of the final details, such as the dash railing, the bumper on the closed side and the screening of the windows on that side. The seats were installed as well as some other small jobs, to bring the car up to the state where we can "show it off". We stopped the project at the end of November, with the exception of some cleaning. Along with our museum volunteers mentioned, there are othes who assisted in many ways. Pat Wilson, through her contacts with T.I.M.E Ltd. made sure that we were provided with any equiptment or service that were needed. Rose Belanger of Lakeview Signs provided all the material and labour for the lettering of the car, at no charge. Mike Pepell and John Killbrige of Temagami Canoe replaced the canvass on the roof and canopies, and only charged for the material. Bob Perry did a lot of the metal work and charged for only a part of the materials. The Public Works Department of the town of Haileybury were very helpful in moving the streetcar and providing materials. The drafting of plans was done by Jo-Anne West, and the windows for the streetcar came from Bremner's front porch. We were very thankful that they allowed us to remove them and have them replaced with aluminum windows. Dave McLaren provided tools and materials, hard wood, and a table saw. Gaston Belanger offered the use of his shop and material for two men, Norm Cadeaux and George Leblanc, who made windows and interior panels. Pinewoods Do-It-Center supplied materials and Don McVittie supplied a streetcar door from his sister's house on Main Street. New Liskeard Sheet Metal, the Waltons, made the chimney at no charge. Paul Furnival allowed us to search his property in Charlton for streetcar parts. We found seat ends and a door. The door was laying outside his storehouse and was an exact duplicate for the one that we had, it worked out very well. John Stevens, whom I had mentioned previously, kept a constant interest in providing us with very detailed information. Ray Corley gave us detailed specifications and pictures. His connections with the T.T.C., and his personal knowledge of streetcars in general was very helpful. Bob Johns supplied his input and interest throughout the project. Without his visit in the beginning we would have never started the job, or compleat Car No.124 without his group's wealth of knowledge on streetcars. Dinty Moore and his mother provided the "dong" for the front of the streetcar. That's just what we needed to set it off and make it a "real" streetcar. Sheldon Dobbs made a beautiful model of Streetcar No.124. His dedication, and the more than one hundred hours of work that he put into making this delicate replica are greatly appreciated. Nova Wood Products provided veneer to repair the ceiling of the car, and finally, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Pearson who provided us with Car No.124. They will be recognized by a plaque fixed to the car. People for years will come to thank them as we do, for without their cooperation we would not have had this project at all. We had to get our finances organized so that we can plan the next stage, that being the wheels and trailer hitch that will be needed. There were also plans for the storage facility, and plaques to be made to recognize the volunteers and doners. We needed promotional material such as signs. I think it is important to make up some slides of all the work we have done, so if we want to make a presentation we will have some records of it. Streetcar No.124 will have to be housed somewhere out of the weather. One option would be to place it in the park, under glass, so that it can be seen from all sides. Another option, if space is available, is to house it in the proposed addition to the Fire Hall, which would include the Museum in the same building. This would not cost much more and it would be better supervised with less vandelism. It is not sure at the present time what option will be taken. Car No.124 will be a great attraction for tourists and local people as well. It is unique and different than any other attraction in the north. All we need to do is promote it properly. To sum it all up, I would like to thank everyone who, in any way, had participated in this project. The long hours, the fund raising, donations of money or materials, the rule of thumb, the endurance to overcome the negative feelings most of us felt until people saw something starting to emerge from this restoration project, I'm proud and thankful to everyone for that.

C.B."Bud" Shaver, Chairman, Haileybury Fire Museum. Nov. 2, 1992.

Return to Memoir Index Page
Haileybury Heritage Museum

Return to Main Index Page
Haileybury Heritage Museum

Return to Front Page
Haileybury Heritage Museum