Edmonton Interurban Railway

Raymond Brutinel and the Montreal Syndicate’s Edmonton Interurban Railway

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 18, 1909 (5 P.M. EDITION), Page 8, Item Ar00819

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 20, 1909 (5 P.M. EDITION), Page 1, Item Ar00121

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 27, 1909 (3 P.M. EDITION), Page 10, Item Ar01007

Peel: Saturday News, August 28, 1909, Page 1, Item Ar00104

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 9, 1909 (5 P.M. EDITION), Page 1, Item Ar00109

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 11, 1909 (3 P.M. EDITION), Page 8, Item Ar00808

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, March 16, 1910 (5 P.M. EDITION), Page 1, Item Ar00108

Meanwhile, Brutinel looks to Prince Rupert, B.C.

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, March 30, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00106

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 4, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00120

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 4, 1910, Page 2, Item Ar00210

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, May 4, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00118

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 12, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00118

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 13, 1910, Page 3, Item Ar00314

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 18, 1910, Page 8, Item Ar00803

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 25, 1910, Page 12, Item Ar01208

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 28, 1910, Page 5, Item Ar00502

Interurban to Lake Wabamun considered…

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, June 2, 1910, Page 5, Item Ar00505

Criticism hits the news…

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, June 4, 1910, Page 3, Item Ar00311

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, June 11, 1910, Page 9, Item Ar00902

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, June 18, 1910, Page 2, Item Ar00207

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 26, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00122

The Edmonton Municipal Improvement League, led by Joe Clarke, voices their opposition the the Edmonton Interurban Railway based on the fact that the railway’s charter would allow it to mine (and distribute) coal. The league argued that this would give the railway a monopoly on coal over other coal producers.

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, November 11, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00122

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 5, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00113

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 6, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00119

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, December 6, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00105

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 7, 1910, Page 4, Item Ar00403

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, December 8, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00114

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 9, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00116

 

The Edmonton Interurban Railway company takes “a rather stiff blow” when it has rights to mine coal and develop municipal power utilities taken away. These activities would have helped in making the venture profitable.

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 9, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00123

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 14, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00102

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 15, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00113

 

The Edmonton Interurban Railway bill is passed in the Alberta Legislature, but its charter’s profitability has certainly been undermined.

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, December 16, 1910, Page 1, Item Ar00112

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 16, 1910, Page 4, Item Ar00403

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, February 7, 1911, Page 1, Item Ar00103

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, February 24, 1911, Page 2, Item Ar00205

Undeterred by the loss of mining and power utility rights, the Montreal Syndicate continues the coal venture under a different company, but with the same Board of Directors (as indicated in the article below).

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, March 10, 1911, Page 1, Item Ar00117

One real estate company promotes its development’s close location (in reality it would be more than 8 blocks away) to the interurban…

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, March 22, 1911, Page 10, Item Ad01002_6

However, it isn’t long before Brutinel’s Edmonton Interurban Railway vision dies.

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, March 24, 1911, Page 4, Item Ar00405

 

The English Syndicate’s Edmonton Interurban Railway

Brutinel transfers the Edmonton Interurban Railway Company and its charter to an English Syndicate.

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, November 21, 1911, Page 4, Item Ar00405

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, November 23, 1911, Page 4, Item Ar00410

 

Peel:The Edmonton Bulletin, December 6, 1911 (Morning Edition), Page 4, Item Ad00405_4

 

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, December 7, 1911, Page 9, Item Ar00906

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, January 25, 1912 (MORNING EDITION), Page 3, Item Ar00329

 

Peel: Mirror Journal, February 22, 1912, Page 4, Item Ar00408

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 20, 1912 (MORNING EDITION), Page 10, Item Ad01001_4

Construction Finally Commences on the St Albert Line

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 30, 1912 (Morning Edition), Page 6, Item Ar00603

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, October 18, 1912 (Morning Edition), Page 11, Item Ar01104

 

Peel: Mirror, October 25, 1912, Page 3, Item Ar00304

 

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, November 16, 1912 (Morning Edition), Page 4, Item Ad00403_5

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, November 20, 1912 (English), Page 1, Item Ar00104

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, November 27, 1912 (English), Page 1, Item Ar00104

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, January 15, 1913 (English), Page 1, Item Ar00102

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, February 14, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 8, Item Ar00803

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 13, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 12, Item Ar01206

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, May 14, 1913 (English), Page 4, Item Ar00402

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, May 30, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 4, Item Ar00410

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, June 27, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 6, Item Ar00606

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, July 2, 1913 (English), Page 1, Item Ar00103

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, July 3, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 7, Item Ar00706

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, July 12, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 20, Item Ar02005

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, July 15, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 1, Item Pc00103_4

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, July 30, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 1, Item Ar00121

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 1, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 15, Item Ad01503_9

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 2, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 1, Item Ar00114

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 4, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 5, Item Ar00518

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 6, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 2, Item Ar00215

 

After years of publishing against the railway, the Edmonton Daily Capital changed its tune…

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 9, 1913 (LAST EDITION)

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, August 21, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 4, Item Ar00415

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 27, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 3, Item Ar00305

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, August 30, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 5, Item Ar00514

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 4, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 10, Item Ar01008

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, September 19, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 13, Item Ad01303_3

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, September 30, 1913 (LAST EDITION), Page 4, Item Ad00415_6

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, September 30, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 8, Item Ar00803

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, October 1, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 8, Item Ar00813

Peel: The Edmonton Bulletin, October 2, 1913 (Morning Edition), Page 5, Item Ad00502_2

Peel: The St. Albert Star/Étoile de St. Albert, October 8, 1913 (English), Page 1, Item Ar00102

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, October 14, 1913 (Last Edition), Page 1, Item Ar00111

Peel: The Edmonton Capital, October 15, 1913 (Last Edition), Page 1, Item Ar00108

St. Albert Line

1. Terminus: 124 Street & 132 Ave
2. 124 Street & 137 Ave
3. 131 Street & 137 Ave
4. 131 Street & 145 Ave
5. 127 Street
6. St. Albert Trail crossing
7. 170 Street & 145 Avenue
8. Grandin Road
9. St. Anne Street (formerly St. Jean Baptiste Street) & St. Thomas Street
10. Edmonton Street & St. Thomas Street (note: Edmonton Street no longer exists)
11. Edmonton Street & St. Michael Street
12. Piron/Perron Street & St. Michael Street
13. Terminus: Piron/Perron Street & St. Anne Street

Perron Street, St. Albert – Looking North: 1913 and 2014

St. Anne Street, St. Albert – Looking North: 1913 and 2014

Although the newspaper identifies this spot as outside St. Albert, looking that the track map versus the scenery in the photo makes present-day St. Anne street the only possible location.

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Midway between Edmonton and St. Albert: 1913

Summerland, 145 Ave Edmonton – Looking Northeast: 1913

Read more about the Summerland community here.

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Car Barn and Yard, 124 Street and 137 Avenue: 1913

The car barn and yard were located near 124 Street on the south side of 137 Avenue. Check out the UAlberta Press map for details.

Track Construction at Unknown Locations: 1913

Unknown Locations: 1913

The Story of the Edmonton Interurban Railway

Read a lot more about the Edmonton Interurban Railway from the Edmonton Capitol (August 9th, 1913) here.

Edmonton Daily Bulletin – July 12 1913

124th Street Passenger Depot (January 3, 1914)

Catastrophic Fire: April 1, 1914

Plans for Regional Expansion: May 1914

Even though the only piece of rolling stock was gone (there is no evidence that service resumed in five days as promised above) and the car barn was destroyed, the Edmonton Interurban Railway did not seem deterred; at least not in May 1914. Instead they were considering building at least one new line. The Edmonton Capitol reads as though it were in operation and not on hiatus.

The Dream Dies

The end came without a bang. The fire did not kill the EIR, at least not immediately. It just seemed to fade away.

See Also

• Summerland (#LostYEG)
• Detailed map of EIR trackage (UAlberta Press)