The old “Beaches” line trolley

Reader Virginia Anderson provided this photo showing her grandfather, conductor William James Sisson, standing in the doorway of a Sarnia Street Railway car.

Reader Virginia Anderson provided this photo showing her grandfather, conductor William James Sisson, standing in the doorway of a Sarnia Street Railway car.

The “Beaches” line was laid in 1904 and brought residents by trolley to the Lake Huron dance pavilion and park on the sandy shores of Lake Huron, near the foot of Colborne Road.

Children could take free streetcar rides to the beach on Sundays courtesy of philantropist Maud Hanna, who also created a hospital children’s ward, a boy scout hall and gave $10,000 toward the purchase of Canatara Park, ensuring kids had a safe place to enjoy the waterfront.

Photo courtesy, Virginia Anderson