Montage du jour : Intersection des rues St-Antoine et Berri

One comment

1. Another great photo from Mr. St Jean!

   Many ‘usual’ items in 1953 view, including curved sheet metal on edge of sidewalk corner and a plethora of great old enamel signs.

   There are two catch basins on the corner of the old concrete with the stippled round cover, which were becoming rare by the Sixties.

   The angle-topped ‘pillar’ on the corner is a Police call box, each Policeman had a key, and he could call in with a land-line telephone inside the box, before radios.

   The pillar should have a fire pull alarm box on the opposite side.

   Later versions of this device were taller and had a red-fresnel electric light and an electric bell, both of which could be lit/sounded from the central station, the later version being painted dark blue.

   The automobile facing the camera is a ‘Vanguard’ an English make, not as common as the other autos visible, possibly excepting the nearest car parked to the right, facing uphill, which is a late-Forties Studebaker.

   There were lots of English cars in Montreal just after the War, and some trucks, Austin and Thames both made cars and trucks for Canada, Commer made trucks, as did Mercedes, and VW for cars.

   Right-hand drive was/still is legal, and right hand drive cars were more common than today. Some Engish cars had a 4-forward speed column shift and clutch.

   Above the street are two parallel wires for Trolleybusses, which are turning Left onto Craig.

   On Trolleybusses the LEFT wire was ‘live’ and the right wire was the ‘return’ to the power house.

   ( On streetcars, the ‘returns’ were the rails. )

   Note insulators on Trolleybus wires where they cross over the streetcar wires running East/West on Craig, the current and return passing over the insulated section in upper U-shaped wires.

   When passing one of these insulated sections, the power to the streetcar was cut off, the lights going out briefly, and the motors, and the compressor, if on, cut out.

   If the Motorman was using a higher controller setting, there would be a huge ARC at the trolley pole pulley, scaring the people, and, especially horses in the street. Glowing sparks might fall to street.

   Trolleybusses had to be careful crossing the insulated portions. If they stopped in the wrong location, there would be no power, and the bus could not move until another trolleybus came along and gave it a push.

   There was lots of noise, and blinking lights inside as the trolley sliders crossed the gaps above.

   Streetcars and Trolleybusses occasionally shared the same ‘Live’ left wire, but, it was not common, as, then a streetcar could not pass a Trolleybus stopped at the curb.

   Normally, there would be THREE wires above a traffic lane that had both streetcars and Trolleybusses for any distance.

   The exterior metal fire escapes on the buildings used to be quite common, and uglified streets in their own slummy way. Pigeons loved them!

   The far fire escape by the Autobus is a hinged-counterweight version which descends to the street when weight comes on it from above.

   The idea in all fire escapes was to try and prevent those with bad intentions from climbing up from the street.

   Tavernes such as the Coronet were always Men Only, walls lined with tile inside, and reeked!

   Tables not yet having the cloth covers, awash in spilt beer and cigarette ash.

   Grotty!

   In some establishments such as this, they put an Oyster in each glass of draft beer.

   The replacement building is an asset.