Windsor's historic Streetcar No. 351 has arrived at its permanent home, the Legacy Beacon site at the foot of Caron Avenue next to the riverfront.
A stretch of the riverfront trail has been closed for nearly three weeks from Crawford Avenue to the C.M.H. Woods Pumping Station to accommodate the restored streetcar's move.
The City of Windsor had said in a statement that the closure was necessary to accommodate construction and asphalt replacement at the Legacy Beacon site to house the streetcar.
The streetcar, which had been in storage, is 50 feet long and weighs 24,688 pounds.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says it was absolutely amazing to watch the precision that Jake's Crane Service and the engineers used to get the streetcar on a crane, and then onto the tracks that have been built.
"They had to actually bring the wheels onto the train tracks and lower the street car before physically attaching them. It was incredible precision and there was very low tolerance, as there wasn't much room in the roof of the building to be able to accommodate the work that they did. They were definitely very skilled and expert people who did the work, and it was quite impressive as the streetcar rolled into its new home," he said.
Dilkens says they're expecting the construction to finish on time, but whether they have a celebration at that time or not will depend.
"We expect that the beacon will be completed in the fall, and we're just deciding now depending on when it's completed in the fall whether we'll actually have a grand opening then or whether we'll wait until the spring of next year to do it properly."
He says depending on the timing they'll have to look at what they'll do with the food service.
"It's a patio with full food service, and washrooms, and the streetcar building so we want to make sure we get it right. And to have someone come in, get set up, and buy inventory if no one is going to be there a week later, we need to make sure we're doing this in a smart way," Dilkens said.
The Legacy Beacon project, worth $10.3 million, is part of the city’s 10-year capital plan that invests over $184.5 million into city parks, recreation and facilities across the community.
The food service at the Legacy Beacon will be run by Keith Rajsigl, who also operates at Lakewood Park in Tecumseh.
