Conductors were required for very high ridership routes. Conductors helped passengers with tickets, routes, stop calls, etc, allowing the motorman to drive the car without being distracted. This kind of operation was known as two-man operation. Now, traditionally (and the Edmonton Radial Railway was a rather... 'traditional' organization with its hiring), conductors were men, but during the last years of WW2 most able-bodied men were enlisted, resulting in women being brought on by the Edmonton Radial Railway in 1943.
The introduction of female conductors, referred to officially as 'Conductorettes' - was immediately successful, bringing a high level of customer service and professionalism to the streetcar system. Their duties included pretty much everything but the driving itself; Conductorettes sold tickets, coordinated stops, operated passenger doors, and even boarded passengers through rear doors while motormen did the same at the front, reducing boarding immensely. They often worked the 80-series cars, which were Edmonton Radial Railway's biggest vehicles and served the busiest routes.
Conductorettes were key to keeping the tight schedules demanded of the system due to very high wartime ridership. As the war progressed, women also worked as switch-tenders at key intersections. Women even made progress getting involved in the Streetcar Union, before being let go by the Edmonton Radial Railway.
Despite the Conductorettes being popular with passengers and operators alike, Superintendent Thomas Ferrier phased out Conductorettes in late 1945, with no real plan on how to achieve service similar to what the Conductorette-motorman teams had provided.
Mr. Ferrier’s rules be darned, the Edmonton Radial Railway Society has a different policy for membership. Anyone who safely completes motorperson training and meets the legal requirements to operate a streetcar can drive for us.
We are currently looking for dedicated new members to be motorpersons for 2024. Motorperson training takes 6 weeks starting in April, and we ask motorpersons to drive one shift every 2 weeks over the summer. Click here to learn more!
