This is a retrospective film which takes us back to the days remembered by few, when Winnipeg had a working streetcar system for public transport.
Well researched with archival photos and old film footage this piece, originally commissioned for Television Broadcast by MTS Cable, Backtracks was screened to an appreciative audience at Cinemateque, Winnipeg.
Produced by NEW PROJECTS INC. 2010
Directed by JEFF MCKAY & BETH AZORE
running time: approx 30 minutes
please enjoy!
Streetcar 356 has to leave the Winnipeg Railway Museum by the fall as they will be receiving more rail equipment in the near future…
So….
-We now have an NHL team again 🙂
-We have new Hotels
-We have a new airport
-We have a new Stadium under construction
-We have a new Central Park
-We have a HUGE Human Rights Museum underway costing $$$$$$
-We have a $10 million development for the Children’s Museum
-We have a Youth for Christ building at Main and Higgins worth about $4 or $5 million
-We have lots of new things happening in the city
All of these are worthwhile projects.. but…
How about some Streetcar lovin’ to get this restoration project moving?
A small fraction of the money spent on all these projects would get Streetcar 356 back into the history books as a valuable historical attraction to this city.
When the Streetcar has been restored to museum display condition, it will be a self sustaining attraction for events, weddings, meetings, school trips, and many other possibilities.
Families and kids love historic Streetcars, I have seen the market they attract in many active Streetcar operations.
We need a building, then we can restore and display the streetcar for all of Winnipeg to enjoy.
How about it? What’s out there? Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
Thanks.
http://www.heritagewinnipeg.com for more detail
From the Provincial Archives of Manitoba, I have compiled a excerpt’s from old movie films, with Streetcars moving through Portage and Main, from around 1920- 1950’s. Also pedestrians, traffic, and the old buildings are in the background. Enjoy!
My apologies for no news for awhile, however during the fall/winter, the Streetcar committee is focusing on grant and proposal writing. WEC T-shirt sales are progressing very well, and many thanks to the Manitoba Heritage Transit Association for ordering shirts, and Winnipeg Transit employees for their support.
We are also working on research for the Streetcar in obtaining parts and resources for materials. A valuable contact has been made with the Minneapolis Heritage streetcar group at www.trolleyride.org (Minnesota Streetcar Museum) and we hope to see some volunteers come up in the spring to offer advice and recommendations to 356. Winnipeg did actually order 20 Streetcars from Minneapolis after a carbarn fire in 1920, and they were used in service until the early 1950’s.
There is a great local website of history information at www.manitobia.ca with many scans of press clippings from the late 1880’s to the 1950’s. I’ve gone through the scans and found a few interesting articles on Streetcars. Of course most of the clippings and pictures are of accidents, but there are a few which indicate the social aspect of life in Winnipeg. I’ll post them from time to time, here’s the first one from the Winnipeg Evening Tribune. However, note the date is April 1st, 1942, true or not?
Winnipeg Streetcar 356 Restoration 
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