Down Memory Lane Interurban Tram footage 1950-51 Vancouver BC 

I travelled the interurban from Vancouver to Langley Prairie once a month when I was a young lad back in the late 1940s. This is truly a trip down memory lane. I am now 85 years young and I always got a honey dipped donut at the train depot I believe it was on Hastings street downtown. Please forgive an old man's memory if I am wrong on the station location.

This footage is so incredible. I am so fascinated by how transportation was in old Vancouver, Burnaby and New West. This is just like an old skytrain line but historically used as a tram train. So fascinating!

Narrator is perfect.

i really love the old interurban vids . before my time sadly to ride it.must have so much fun. can't travel like that now.

What a wonderful record of a lost era. Thank you. How sad that there were so many interurban lines just like this all of the USA and some parts of Canada - all sacrificed to the automobile. If only BCER had been able to invest in more modern equipment, it might have lasted longer and even survive today.

Born in '53, so a bit before my time, but I totally feel the 50's ambience in my memory. Back when Vancouver was basically transiting from a big town into a city. Many fond memories of a time prior to so much organized crime in the construction industry.

I stared the video, and the moment I saw the Tram and heard the commentators voice I quickly hit pause. I did so because I thought it looked to me that this was going to be a wonderful experience, seeing things as the way they were. I quickly scrolled down to see what the comments were, and what I was in for. The comments were ones of joy and heartfelt gratitude. I could almost picture what was to come in this historical classic. I loved the comment the gentleman made when he said " I haven't finished the video yet but I just had to pause it and come down here to the comment section and tell you how excited I am the be watching this beautiful trip down memory lane" That's the comment that told me it was the right thing for me to pause it and come here to say in advance........."God bless the people that had the foresight to record these Gems of our history, so that the rest of us to truly see what life was like, and how deep down in our hearts, we wish today was just like the past. Thank you putting a smile on my face, and joy in my heart. Good bless all you watches for taking the time to thank these people for there talent and dedication.......Royston

I was Born in 1952 sad to have missed all this great action , but was fortunate enough to be an Engineer on C.P.R. 1971 to 2012. Thanks for this wonderful and informative Documentary well done !

I haven't even finished watching this entire video yet. I just had to take time out to thank you for the time and effort spent on this incredible video. I was born in Vancouver in 1949. Now, I can't remember the last time I have been so well entertained, as I am watching your production tonight. Thanks again so much. Carl

I was born in Vancouver in 1962 so this is great to see what was waiting for me. Thanks for posting.👍🏾

Thanks for the memories! As a kid, I lived in Willingdon Heights in North Burnaby from 1948 to 1952. My friends and I were 12-13 years old at the time these films were taken. We would go to the movies in Vancouver on Saturday afternoons by taking the Douglas Road bus to Boundary Road, where we would then take a street-car down Hastings Street to the downtown area. Heading home, we would take the interurban from downtown back to Burnaby; getting off at the Gilmore station. We used to play games around Still Creek. One day one of my friends had to jump off the Still Creek bridge when he got caught halfway across when an interurban came alone. The rest of us with him had a good laugh, but the jumper was a bit unhappy with us enjoying his misfortune. And now, how the area has changed. My old Burnaby home, built in 1948, was replaced by a McMansion several years ago. Sigh. Such are the times.

This is amazing. I was born in 92 live in east van. Amazing to see what it used to look like. Seems like such a peaceful era

I think the voice is Frank Horne. He and his father both were motor men on the BCE. After the passenger service was discontinued, Frank became a switchman on Great Northern.Frank's grandson works for the SRY.

I grew up in Burnaby, long after the Interurban was decommissioned. My parents always spoke of thjs train. Never really understood it until I saw these videos. Great stuff!

Love it ! Seeing Vancouver as it was, recognizing some features, and seeing what was there before is fascinating to me.

My Dad used to talk about the old interurban. It's nice to have a visual.

Thanks. In keeping with many others, I was born in Vancouver in 1948, but grew up in New Westminster. However, I moved to Norway in 1980, so I always enjoy seeing videos about home.

My dad spoke often of the interurban now i know why,what a great system at the time.They shouldve kept it up until skytrain.But during the 1970's and early 80's until skytrain they had much less efficient buses.Great system.

this is a terrific movie and thanks greatly for posting.i love vancouver, and seeing the interurbans is great,

Better service back then too. I remember there were tracks still in the road at Hastings and Kootenay when I was in elementary school.

My father did some of his WW II navy training at Spanish Banks and he used to tell me about taking the Inter-urban out there and the passing of the baton between operators. I still live just a short walk from that route.

Wonderful, I enjoyed the commentary very much. So sad that to have progress we have to lose so much heritage.

Great footage but at 35:57 the narrator refers to the golf course on the right as the Quilchena golf course when In fact, it was the Shaughnessy golf course with the front nine holes on the west side of Oak St. and most of the back nine holes on the east side of Oak -- re-developed for the Eric Hamber High School which was completed about '62. As a thirteen year old, I caddied at this course and later at the new Shaughnessy course re-located in '61 on Musqueum Reservation land..

This is utterly magnificent! and Well done on the narration! My Mum Phyllis was born in '24 and my Uncle Lou '22 I know they road these lines...I hope to recognize them, as they would be around 26/28 years of age, and went to Burnaby Heights, they lived on Hastings next to the Admiral...if anyone knew or recalls the last name White, John, Sarah, Phyllis, Louis...you would thoroughly make my world, haha yep it would at that! Thank you ever so much for posting this...I am so grateful for your hard work involved 💖😁...you had mentioned the stop below Burnaby Heights School and I envisioned my Mum waiting there for the tram when she was in school 1938/40s I guess... thank you also for a teary eyed memory, I loved it💖

I remember the Pacific Stage Lines buses. They also used to go from downtown out to Horseshoe Bay. As kids, we had a choice when we went downtown, we could take the Blue Bus or wait for the Pacific Stage Lines bus. We used to love those big, green buses. It was a real treat to ride on them as far as 31st Street in West Van.

Thanks so much for this - will be thinking of these scenes next time I'm on the sky-train.

At 28:47, the building on the left of the interburban still stands today. Venables and Clark Drive

I was born in 74. Not old enough to say that I have ever seen it so bare. But thanks to the almost perfect description of where it is being filmed I can see it in my mind. Thank you for this It was amazing to see my home from a time I can never know and never see for myself.

FYI: highway 401 renamed highway 1 in 1973

great nostalg thanks guys, PLacny Burnaby resident 1941-1960

This is so amazing to see. I've heard so much about the Interurban from my mother, and we've often talked about the tram while walking past the old tracks at Central Park and elsewhere. So interesting to see how quickly things developed from this time to my first real memories in the 70s. Fantastic to see the old Cambie bridge which I had forgotten about (!). The commentary is very interesting for this Vancouver boy: I get to see the roots of things I've loved all my life and put some pictures to my mom's stories. Thank you for posting this!

Great to see this. So many things look familiar. I was born in 1959 and grew up on Venables and Commercial Dr. I remember the old tracks at that intersection. And I remember when they repaved the road and got rid of the track. I know of that house on Victoria Dr. that the narrator says is still there. It's a different colour now. I was hoping to see the old foundry at Nanaimo and 29th. Couldn't see it though. Great nostalgia.

Priceless footage of a bygone era.

26 years before i was born, WOW!! Never thought it was like this before....thanks for the upload!!👍👍🤗

Thank you for this. Wonderful history lesson. Seeing the area in Burnaby where I now live near Cariboo Road and Lougheed is fascinating. I love to take the Skytrain into Vancouver. And I think I would have loved riding these Inter urban trains too.

at 26;00 is where i played/walked in early 1960s . walking on old tracks for empties to spend on candy.pop bottles were worth 2 cts.we lived on manor st.walked to stores on rupert st for our candy.would also walk along vaness st by the track area

Loved this. I was a little girl at this time. I never got to ride but my mom and brothers rode this train. Still having fun watching and recognize so many of the places. Thankyou for the memories. My aunt and uncle lived right beside Spirling Avenue.

I hope this footage is archived somewhere safely, it is definitely a piece of history.

Merci beaucoup pour ce video sur les tramway americains. Il est tres interesant. Un salut a distance depuis Europe

Amazing. Thank you for this. I was born right at the end of 1959 and so many of these images seem familiar. The film from 1950 would have been transferred to video in 1990 at Gastown Post (I worked on many movies that were posted there). I wonder if the original film rolls still exist? They could be nicely re-transferred to high resolution digital files and look like it was shot yesterday!

Somehow the best coloured footage of Vancouver from the previous century I can find on RU-vid was from 1950

One of the interurban cars runs as a tourist ride from Cloverdale to Sullivan from May to October each year. 2018 will be the 6th season that BCER 1225 has run. It is about a 55 minute ride. The car is 106 years old and has been fully restored.

Wonderful memories. Thanks.

Really cool. I live around Douglas Road and Lougheed. The car is also at Burnaby Village on display and you can go inside and sit on the reversible seats. This is a really cool video. Great narration and old film. So fascinating to literally see my neighborhood then and now. Can't say enough about how much this means to me as a Burnaby resident. Thank You!🙏

My parents immigrated to Vancouver when I was two, I recall us driving to get my dad from his job at the airport. I remember it was like a wilderness to drive there and this proves it. Great video, thank you.

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.

just wonderful to see and think about for a moment,instead of lifes issues today

This is priceless - not sure why the RU-vid algorithm threw this at me today but pretty happy it did! My father used to talk about the interurban all the time and I enjoyed taking my kids on the car that ran from Granville Island to Science World. I know the city of North Van is going to put their re-built car in the new museum at the foot of Lonsdale opening in 2021. You might enjoy taking a look at their handy work considering your work on the car in Steveston. Thanks for posting.

I love these looks back into railroading's past, especially the interior and. Gives you a look at how life was when our parents and grandparents were living. Sometimes I wish things didn't change so much.

Never did I ride the Urban train, but I remember the trolly buses very well. My mother and me would ride the trolly to Army & Navy downtown. I always took a "Buzzer" booklet to read the cartoon inside.

wOW tHAT LADY IS SUPER GORGEOUS AND DESERVES BETTER.

This has been amazing to watch. Thanks so much for posting it.

Thank you for uploading this. This is fascinating.

Man the Burnaby lake area before highway 1 makes the area look and feel like it's in the east Fraser Valley than lower mainland. The latter we know today is fully urbanized

Lived in Burnaby 10 years now and always fascinated with its history. It is very cool to explore what still remains after watching this film. Like the old tracks at Royal Oak skytrain station. Like to Imagine how remote this area was back in the 1950s. Made sense to follow the old Interurban route when building the skytrain.

It would be really nice if the cities could commission some signs in certain areas to mark the old route or some of the main old stations. That way people could symbolically walk the route.

Though these interurban were a little before my time they are very important part of our heritage part.

Thank-you for this glimpse back.

I remembered Hastings and Main as in the video it was in 1956 when I first saw that intersection. 1:00:24 I witnessed a car accident there that first day 1 west bound going fast and 1 north bound and it flipped. WOW Memories. Thank you for posting.

Thank you for this I worked on the cassiar connector Tunnel and various other projects in that area great to see this and how it was in the 50s cheers thank you for posting

I was born in Vancouver in 1957 and can remember the inter urban running past central park at the burnaby vancouver border

Brilliant. Thank you gentlemen

Great video! Thanks for posting.

Not saying that WAC Bennett wasn't a visionary but ripping out the trolleys in favor of diesel buses was a colossal blunder 😢

Sometimes I wish it was still here lol

This was a very well done video. Not only was it informative but was also entertaining! Thank you for posting!

Great stuff. Montreal had similar observation cars , called the “Gold Cars”. They had four of them I think and some are still around as tourist attractions. The street car system in Montreal was totally abandoned for buses though.Too bad.

This brings back many memories for me. We lived in Steveston. My sister and I would go with my Mom to Woodwards downtown to grocery shop. We would take the tram from Steveston to Marpole and then transfer to the trolley bus to Hastings St and walk down to Woodwards. The run from Marpole to Hastings had two routes. You could go Granville St. which to me was boring or you could go Main that had stores to look at. After shopping we would do the reverse. It took a full day to do the round trip so most of the way home I slept. Going to downtown Vancouver was the only time we got to eat out and with Mom she would take us to SS Kresge's near Army & Navy and if I went with my Dad we went to the Only Seafood on Hastings.

Very interesting thanks for posting it.

Great video! As a Calgarian, I occasionally visit Vancouver and never miss riding trolleybuses, as I have loved juice more than trains since about age 5 (1940), when I got “stuck” (on pavement) in a Montreal Tramways streetcar loop; mother was a couple of feet away and there was no streetcar, but I remember the feeling as it was yesterday. Now 86, I also lived in the age of streetcars and used them regularly in Montreal; and eventually Toronto and I’ll sell my soul to ride in one today.

Dennis, thank you for providing this. I really enjoy looking at historical, archival footage of streetcar, trolley car and tram lines. 🚋🚋🚋 I hope you never delete this; I know I'll want to come back to this down the road. Growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the last trolley line there closed about 20 years or so before my family moved there from Florida in 1972, so I never had the opportunity to ride it. Only a two-block section of the original downtown trackage was retained for historical purposes. So I have only the historical films to relive what once was. Thank you. 🙂 I know there are light-rail lines running in many cities today, some of which are running along the original r-o-w. But somehow, they just don't seem, or at least feel, the same. Perhaps I am merely waxing nostalgic, wishing for a return to earlier days, which I know will never happen. Sometimes I think I was born 20 or 30 years too late. 🙁 By the way, Dennis, whatever happened to that car you were helping to restore? Did someone else finish it? Was it put into mothballs? Does it still exist? Anyone have a railroad time machine handy?!? 😀⏲️

I'm loving this video! I grew up on 22nd and Renfrew in the 70's. So fascinating to see what the old hood looked like

Thanks for the upload.

This is outstanding! I enjoyed every minute. I'd love to find similar footage of the interurbans running in my area. One actually past by my home on its way to the local amusement park, but was last used in the late 1930s. The tracks were removed soon after. The Rocky Point Amusement park that the line served dated back to the 1840s and closed for good in 1996. So sad. If only we could go back...

I didn't even know about the Skagit River Railway section at 49:35. I am part of the Transit Museum Society and we use the rest of the video and sell copies of it. We also have the centennial bus it was originally played on.

wonderful memories, I used to take the Central Park line into Burnaby. Got off at McKay

Wonderful to see transit as it was.....working...

Very nice. Hard to believe how bad it is now compared to this. New West currently is a disgrace amongst the disgraceful . Thanks for posting!

great vid thanks

The Interurban was an efficient and wonderful transportation facility. The Govt’s of the past were so proud of their new slogan ‘...get rid of rails and put rubber on the road...’. They destroyed a great system and even today have not been able to create anything as efficient.

I checked Google street view and that house is, indeed, still there

Highway maintenance crews in northern Spain in the 1990s were using ''staffs'' to indicate the last vehicle on the road which was handed off to the crew around a bend so that vehicles could proceed the opposite way

Wowww back when space, fresh air/nature, privacy, and community existed just outside your door.....I love old time shit like this. I try to imagine the pros and cons the timez

I love his passion

Very interesting to see these electric trains. In the 70’s there were the electric buses which were limited to certain routes only. And the all of this changed over to the Skytrain. I recall when the LRT was introduced for Expo 86. And then much later, the Skytrain was introduced and expanded. It was then finally after many years expanded onto Cambie and all the way to Richmond and the Airports. Thank you

Amazing footage. I wish they'd bring back street cars in this city. Many other cities are doing just fine with trams and street cars. Toronto, Europe etc.

I remember this up in Vancover

Thanks for uploading this, I have only been alive for 28 years and none of this looks familiar but my father recognized a lot of it.

WOW 🙂 I Was On Clarke Yesterday 🙂

Its hard to believe the only trails left are in steveston

I would love to see the inside of the cars, and the human experience at the time. Otherwise this is fantastic.

50s to folks in 1990 would be like 80s to us now

Today, they would build that exact same functional system at 10xs the cost, each station would cost millions.

Joe Shortman was very dear to our family💖 he was in Transit then

I took the Interurban from Van To Chilliwack just to do it when I was a kid. It was a great ride and fun too. It wasn't the Chinese and east Indians that caused the change it was us. Too bad, I wish we had the rail cars running now but in more modern cars. What a time save it would be.

Nice! I wish you duplicate tram's movements on a modern map somewhere at the right part of the screen

Earls rd substation was redeveloped into residential in about 88 1st Ave sub hasn't curious about that

26:00 the building he refers to is at 4590 Earles Street, Vancouver (the tram is running along Vanness Avenue)

I believe the golf course was on both sides of oak street. There were still signs of the golf course south of Eric Hamber Secondary.

I remember when I lived in richmond in the 90's stumbling across that tram car in steveston behind the park there, the person at the time let me and I think 2 of my friends, walk through the train, it had no seats, but it was neat to tee it being restored, I was sad when richmond ripped up the tracks along railway, when I saw them trimming the brush from the tracks I was hoping it was a sign of the tracks being reactivated, I was sadly mistaken. move the clock forward and the 2 cars from science world got a track extention for the olympics, then a few years later were forgotten and even the power line for them was stolen, move forward from that, I was living in surrey at the time, by 66 and 152, turned out that 2 of the old cars were being restored and had been moved to cloverdale, one was in operation at the time, I THINK this video was (might still be) featured in the cloverdale station they rebuilt by 176th and hwy 10, they ended up finally acquiring the trains from science world so now they have 4 of them, but I don't think the 2 remaining ones will ever be built back into service, the Steveston one and the one in (I think) either burnaby museum park or Deer lake area. Sad that all the other trains were taken under the burrard street bridge at the time, had there trucks taken off, pulled to the ground and lit on fire for disposal.