Old European streetcar in Vancouver being auctioned by government (PHOTOS)

Old streetcar stored in False Creek South, Vancouver. (Government of BC)

After just over two weeks, an online auction by the provincial government to dispose of an old electric streetcar in Vancouver has achieved a high bid of $310.00, after receiving 125 submitted bids as of the time of writing.

According to the government’s bidding platform, this is noted to be an untested streetcar, not in working condition, with the interior of the streetcar severely damaged and missing pieces. Parts are missing, and the wheels appear to be rusted and seized.

The vehicle measures 48 ft long, 12 ft wide, and 12 ft tall, and weighs about 42,000 lb. It contains asbestos.

This auction began with a highly nominal starting bid price for the reasons of not only the vehicle’s poor condition, but the significant costs of moving the vehicle out of its current location.

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The successful bidder is responsible for the full cost of the streetcar’s extraction and transportation arrangements, and required to acquire liability insurance before beginning the process of moving the streetcar with their hired contractors.

After the auction ends on August 29, the successful bidder must complete the removal of the streetcar within five business days. It is also noted that the successful bidder of the streetcar may need to prepare the railway tracks with additional gravel, hire a switchman to operate a switch, and wrap the vehicle before it is transported to its next location.

Location of the existing metal shed previously used by the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway, currently used as storage for an old streetcar vehicle. (Google Maps)

Old streetcar stored in False Creek South, Vancouver. (Government of BC)

The vehicle is currently being stored inside a metal storage shed next to the False Creek Public Tennis Club — near the northwest corner of the intersection of West 6th Avenue and Ash Street (west of SkyTrain Olympic Village Station), along the South False Creek railway right-of-way and the route of the defunct Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway. This shed was previously the storage and maintenance facility for the Historic Railway service.

In a report, hazardous materials inspectors state the pit area inside the shed was flooded at the time of inspection, and as a result they were unable to access this area.

Graffiti on the exterior of the vehicle suggests vandals were able to break into the shed at some point over the past decade.

After the successful bidder relocates the streetcar, the shed structure will be demolished by the municipal government.

In 2012, the Historic Railway operating on the tracks between Granville Island and Olympic Village Station was discontinued after the City of Vancouver decided to end its $100,000 annual subsidy for the volunteer-operated service. For 15 years, it ran on weekends and holidays from May to October, carrying 133,000 passengers over its lifespan.

Just three years earlier, the same length of track underwent an $8.5-million upgrade to operate a free temporary demonstration streetcar service from Granville Island to Olympic Village Station using modern streetcars during the 2010 Olympics. Modern Bombardier streetcars were borrowed from Brussels’ public transit system for use on the Olympic Line.

But the old streetcar currently being auctioned is not from the Lower Mainland’s storied past with the Interurban network.

According to Matthew Laird, this streetcar was donated to the Transit Museum Society by the government of Belgium about 22 years ago.

Prior to the City of Vancouver’s decision to end the Historic Railway service, about $20,000 was spent on having electrical engineering students from the University of British Columbia (UBC) build a new controller for the vehicle. The funding was secured from private sources, with the university also matching what was raised.

Laird was a longtime operator of the Historic Railway, and the project coordinator for the Transit Museum Society’s restoration project with the UBC students.

Old streetcar stored in False Creek South, Vancouver. (Government of BC)

This streetcar has been mothballing for the past decade, contributing to its current poor condition described by the auction, as a result of the municipal government’s neglect.

About two years ago, there were plans to move the streetcar to the Oregon Electric Railway Museum, but that effort fell apart due to logistical issues.

All the while, as recently as 2018, the City of Vancouver carried out comprehensive studies on the feasibility of building a modern public transit streetcar network in and around downtown Vancouver, including the reactivation of the South False Creek railway right-of-way. A streetcar service is also eyed for the Arbutus Greenway over the long term.

And just this past year, the City of Vancouver reached a services agreement with the Squamish First Nation requiring the band to perform a detailed feasibility study for a streetcar line reaching their massive Senakw rental housing development. This study must be completed before the first phase of the development is built in 2025/2026.

Old streetcar stored in False Creek South, Vancouver. (Government of BC)

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