The tramway sweepers were very effective at clearing the tracks but as cars on the roads increased, so did the complaints about broken windows and paint damage from stones hurled by the powerful brushes.
The brushes consisted of sticks of solid rattan housed in a drum, and during WWII supplies of rattan from Malaya and Indonesia were cut off by Japanese occupation. Montreal streetcar passengers of course rode mostly on seats of split and woven rattan.
The tramway sweepers became less necessary as the city itself introduced efficient street-cleaning equipment though there was always a tension between the MTC and the city about which body was responsible for the job on certain streets.
The view on Nelson hasn't changed much over the years. The house towards the right (159 Westminster) no longer has an upstairs balcony, and there is now a house on what was an empty lot (in the distance) at the end of Nelson.
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Photo 3 is on Lansdowne Avenue, Westmount looking north toward the United Church.
Wonderful Snow Views!
Have to love the Tramways Sweeper!
Scene No. 1 Nelson and Westminster, Montreal West. Looking East.
Scene No. 2 Sherbrooke and Westmore. Looking East to West Broadway.
Scene No. 3 Have not figured this one out.
The snow loader is something I had never seen in Montreal before. Torrana had them in the Sixties.
Thank You for these!
The tramway sweepers were very effective at clearing the tracks but as cars on the roads increased, so did the complaints about broken windows and paint damage from stones hurled by the powerful brushes.
The brushes consisted of sticks of solid rattan housed in a drum, and during WWII supplies of rattan from Malaya and Indonesia were cut off by Japanese occupation. Montreal streetcar passengers of course rode mostly on seats of split and woven rattan.
The tramway sweepers became less necessary as the city itself introduced efficient street-cleaning equipment though there was always a tension between the MTC and the city about which body was responsible for the job on certain streets.
The view on Nelson hasn't changed much over the years. The house towards the right (159 Westminster) no longer has an upstairs balcony, and there is now a house on what was an empty lot (in the distance) at the end of Nelson.
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