It might not be only brand-new, modern trains running on Ottawa's planned light-rail tracks in 2017.
A group of volunteers is restoring a 1933 Ottawa streetcar in hopes it can be working for the first time since the 1950s.
"You've got to be pretty gutsy to be able to take on a project like this because it's a unique project," said one volunteer. "There's not too many of those projects in Canada."
Bruce Dudley operated one of the streetcars in the 50s before they were replaced with buses.
"Streetcars were generally always on time in those days, compared to some of the stories you hear these days about the buses always being late," he said.
There are only a few of those original streetcars left, with the volunteers saying they're picturing the refurbished car running on the light-rail or O-Train tracks in the future.
One of the barriers is the cost; while original streetcar tickets cost ten or 15 cents, the restoration will need about $300,000.
"I was sad to see that when the streetcars did come out of service in 1959 that they didn't preserve maybe half a dozen of them or maybe one from each class of car," said Dudley. "But at least we've got a good start underway."
The volunteers said they'll meet once a week until the job is finished.
With a report from Sherry Aske, reporting for CTV Ottawa from the Carleton University School of Journalism
