Page 19With the end of the war, condition of the street railway system was worst
than any other time in its history. The transportation system as a whole was
strained to the limit. Street cars broke down on a regular basis and the
equipment was in poor repair. To make-up for the street cars' poor condition
the New Brunswick Power Company bought a number of buses and added extra bus
routes. The Power Company planned to replace the street cars with either buses
or trolleybuses when they received the exclusive bus franchise.
A six-year agreement with the city was reached in 1945. This agreement was
for the purchase of new modern buses, the construction of a trolleybus system,
and the gradual phase out of the street cars over the next few years. The
agreement was opposed by SMT who immediately appealed it saying it was illegal
because the Power Company had no licence to run buses. The objection was
dismissed on November 2 because the agreement did not cause damage to the
taxpayers or the plaintiffs, and the agreement came into effect November 1945.
The older street cars were replaced over the next two and a half years as
the New Brunswick Power Company purchased a number of buses. During this period
the 80, 150, and some of the 106 class cars finished their runs. The 32 cars
used in 1945 were reduced to 9, which were mostly made up of the 130 class, by
1948. The nine remaining cars were just enough to serve the remaining lines.
The provincially owned New Brunswick Hydro Corporation took over the New
Brunswick Power Company, leaving them with only the transportation and gas
system. To make matters worse for the New Brunswick Power Company the people of
Saint John feel the modernization program was not preceding fast enough. The
Power Company claimed it was about to order the new trolleybus system but it
had suffered set backs. The Wentworth barn caught fire burning some buses and
one street car. The city was now leaning toward a bus system managed by SMT.
On
February 12, 1948 the city council proclaimed that trams were outdated and
inept. They went to the Provincial Legislature to cancel all of the
transportation rights given to the New Brunswick Power Company. That April a
bill was introduced, and after a heated debate, it was passed on April 23. The
city's argument won. It claimed that the Power Company had not lived up to
their agreement made in 1945, that the "1914 vintage street cars"
were "a menace to public safety" and they were "a laughing stock
to Canada". The streets in the city were in poor condition since the city
refused to pave them until the tracks were taken up, and the city also claimed
that street cars were involved in 160 accidents from 1945 to 1947, this was
caused by a 45 percent increase in automobile traffic during that period. The
Power Company's defense was that it was modernizing as fast as they could, but
it was hard to get the needed equipment during the immediate post war period.
The city gave
the New Brunswick Power Company only a 75-days notice before their
transportation rights were canceled. The city of Saint John was not cruel
though, it would pay the cost of having the rails removed and re-pave the
streets. The city soon after sent a notice that the transportation rights would
be canceled at midnight on August 7, 1948. The city then granted SMT the
franchise. SMT then immediately formed City Transit Limited which would operate
the buses. The City Transit buses started their routes immediately with no time
to paint its new buses. The buses began their routes with an undercoat paint
colour of dark gray. The numbers on the bus were very small and painted white.
The rival bus companies ran against each for a while. The buses would race each
other to the different bus stops to pick up the passengers. The Power Company
came back to their senses, and stopped all their transportation services except
for street car number 142 which continued to run carrying few, if any,
passengers. Street car number 142 made its last run on the evening of August 7,
1948. On board was the superintendent, Hazen McLean, who had been with the
company since its electrification; Joseph Needham, the operator assigned to the
run and five other operators, Frank Quigley, Roy Stephens, Author Cummings,
Carl Conrad, and Cecil Joyce; and Mr. Sutherland who represented the owners. On
this last ran each person on board had a turning running the car. Then car
number 142 when back to its barn bring an end to an era.
Canada Post celebrates Canada's heritage with many of their
stamps. The street car in this stamp from the Saint John Railway Company. Car
No. 40 was one of many streetcars in Saint John made by the Ottawa Car Company.
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Brunswick Community College - Saint John.