A piece of Regina history has been beautifully restored and has found a new home at Fort Edmonton Park thanks to a dedicated group volunteer railway enthusiasts.
In the early years of Regina, residents would get around using an old electric streetcar system. A network of streetcar railway tracks were built around the city for residents to hop on and get to stores, theatres, and events downtown. Occasionally, pieces of this old technology, such as railway ties, are dug up during construction projects.
More recently, the #42 streetcar that ran down Broad Street to 13th Ave has found a new lease on life thanks to the Edmonton Railway Society. “Regina 42” was a streetcar built in 1928 and ran for several years throughout the Queen City until it nearly perished in a fire in 1947 after the carbarn went up in flames. Workers have fully restored the street car with new red paint and the help of original manufacturer blueprints and photos.
The Park was also able to restore a snow sweeper and line car streetcar from Saskatoon from 1907, affectionally nicknamed the “Saskatoon 200.” This car ran until 1951 before being decommissioned. It’s estimated to have taken over 20,000 hours to restore both these streetcars by volunteers.
Fort Edmonton is a park dedicated to preserving the history of Alberta’s capital through numerous displays and historical streets. The park includes a fort from the mid-1800’s and details what life was like in 1885, 1905, 1920.
Thanks to these two fully restored train cars from Regina and Saskatoon, Fort Edmonton Park now has a total of 10 antique units.
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