For the first time in more than half a century, streetcar rails are seeing the light of day on Wilson Street in Guelph.
The rails were unearthed Thursday by a construction crew removing asphalt in preparation for underground utility work and a rebuilding of the street.
According to city officials, a 140-metre section of rail was discovered.
It was part of the Guelph Street Railway, an electric streetcar line which was constructed in the 1890s by George Sleeman and ran until 1926.
“We knew a streetcar line existed along Wilson Street and so we expected some remnant of it to be discovered during construction,” project engineer supervisor Andrew Janes said in a press release.
The rails will be moved away from the construction site before any decision is made about their future.
