Ottawa Car Company

The Ottawa Car Company was a builder of streetcars for the Canadian market and was founded in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1891[1] as an outgrowth of the carriage building operations of William W. Wylie. Its plant was located at Kent and Slater Streets (south side of Slater between Kent and Lyon Streets - now site of Constitution Square) , a short distance from Parliament Hill. The company was a subsidiary of Ottawa Electric Railway, in turn controlled by Ahearn & Soper.

A streetcar built by the Ottawa Car Company for the Toronto system

It was renamed Ottawa Car Manufacturing Company in 1917 and again as Ottawa Car and Aircraft Limited in 1937.

The Ahearn family retained control of the company until 1948 when they sold Ottawa Car & Aircraft Corporation (renamed during World War II) to the Mailman Corporation.[2] The new owners never carried on the business and ceased operations as streetcars were being abandoned by cities across North America.[3] The city of Ottawa abandoned its own streetcar network in 1959. The company produced a total of about 1700 vehicles.

On 19 August 1994 Canada Post issued 88¢ stamps featuring Ottawa Car Company Streetcar, 1894, Saint John Railway Co. Car #40.[4]

Products

Streetcars

Aircraft

Clients

Preservation
OperatorNumberTypeMuseumLocationStatus
Toronto Transportation Commission2984Peter Witt streetcarHalton County Radial RailwayMilton, Ontariooperational
Ottawa Transportation Commission696streetcarOC TranspoOttawa, Ontariobeing preserved
Ottawa Transportation Commission854streetcarCanada Science and Technology MuseumOttawa, Ontariorestored for display
Ottawa Transportation Commission859streetcarCanadian Railway MuseumSaint-Constant, Quebecoperational
Ottawa Transportation Commission905streetcarto be restored
Edmonton Transit System1streetcarEdmonton Radial Railway SocietyEdmonton, Albertaoperational
Saskatoon Municipal Railway200snow sweeperEdmonton Radial Railway SocietyEdmonton, Albertabeing rebuilt
North Yonge Railways416radial carHalton County Radial RailwayMilton, Ontariooperational

See also

References
  1. Middleton, William D. (1967). The Time of the Trolley, p. 423. Milwaukee: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-013-2.
  2. "Railway Rolling Stock Industry in Canada". Nakina.net. Retrieved 2011-09-09.
  3. Ottawa-making a capital - Google Books. Retrieved 2011-09-09 – via Google Books.
  4. Library and Archive Canada, Canadian Postal Archives Database
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