What's LEFT of the Vancouver STREETCAR

Dude at this point Downie Live should be a municipally funded... Great video my guy. 🙋🏻‍♂️👍🏻

They still ran those fishbowl buses with those seats in the early 90s with BC Transit livery. I remember having to manually push the rear door open.

Fantastic, I love finding the hidden remnants of old public transport infrastructure! When the main road by my house was dug up for repairs a few years ago, it turned out the old tram [streetcar] rails were still in place down there, as well as all the cobblestones, under the layers of asphalt!

Omg this nerd content is my absolute favorite. So cool to see all of this!

The BCER became what we know today as BC Hydro. While the Burnaby Lakes line was certainly an important part of the interurban system, the largest and most used part of the system was downtown Vancouver to New Westminster along the route of what is now the Skytrain Expo line and then through the Fraser Valley to Chilliwack. The BCER was responsible for the electrification of the Fraser Valley and connected the various communities it served to Vancouver beginning in 1910... long before motor vehicles were popular and road networks existed. Almost the entirety of the track between New Westminster and Chilliwack is still in use for freight service by the Southern Railway of BC.

Born in Toronto so there have always been streetcars. My father drove everywhere but when he took me somewhere special like the CNE or our once a year trip downtown before Christmas to see all the new toys we took the streetcar. Thank you, might be wrong city but many happy memories.

Those two tone teal buses are flash back to being an 80s kid. They were still running strong then

Interurban line ran all the way to Chilliwack! I believe those rails are 100% still there and operational by a freight line. The tracks between Abbotsford and Chilliwack are awkwardly perched up the side of a hill because there used to be a lake in the way, which has since been drained and is now the Sumas Prairie. There's a neat old powerhouse at Vye and Powerhouse Rd, which has been converted into a house and is currently for sale for the small sum of 3.5 million

The entire BCER network was standard gauge. What you call an "interurban" was referred to locals as a "tram". The Georgia Viaduct was so poorly constructed it couldn't hold the weight of the poles holding the overhead wires. In fact, they removed every second light post and braced the structure underneath to try to keep it stable.

What a travel in time. Amazing to see how the town has evolved in a century and the work of restoration is more than beautiful. Every day you walk and see a wall, an arch, and thanks to those videos you can imagine the people and the life behind, and then get more involved in the development of your city. NW, I used to see this place just thinking it was a piece of art by the architect. Excellent job Mike!!

Wicked cool content!! Love the history and "where it used to be" stuff. Looking forward to next week's video!!

Mike is a legend

Your videos are so good. I think that the City of Vancouver or Metro Vancouver need to make you their official “Historical YouTuber for the Modern Era”! 👊 Your videos have always been great but have especially enjoyed your videos around Metro Vancouver and how you mix the history with the modern day! Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing what you do once you can travel more in BC in a few weeks!

Crazy how that cobblestone street is still probably a calmer drive than on Quebec roads😂

Great video! History like that is priceless! Some of the cities in upstate New York still have brick paving under the surface pavement as well as trolley tracks. Years back there used to be a trolley that ran from downtown Syracuse out to Lower South Bay on Oneida Lake where steamboats would take the city folk to their summer or weekend homes. Absolutely love the way you get into the history of your area and travels! Thank you for the video!

3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the streetcar line, the line broke, the monkey got choked and they all flew to heaven in a little row boat, clap hands. I wonder how many variations of that exist. Every time I see a streetcar, this skipping or clapping rhyme pops into my head. Thanks for another great video, Michael! That was fun!

As an English bus enthusiast I just loved this video Mike, nice to see so much has been preserved as it is in this country.

For the amount of research and effort that goes into each of these videos and for the art of keeping it interesting through and through , salute you Mike ! Full Speed ahead 🔥

This is amazing. I live in Vancouver and its sod neat to see how the city has changed over the years. Thanks for bringing this to light!

Great video. Love transit history. I walked the old interurban burnaby lake line right-of-way last year. A chunk is hidden in the bush off north rd