Canada's first commercial electric railway, 1883

This electric railway was set up at the Industrial Exhibition (later the CNE) in Toronto to run paying passengers (5 cent fare) from Strachan ave to Dufferin Ave. Initially powered from a third rail, in 1884 Charles Van Depoele developed the overhead wire arrangement which is still used today. Electric powered trains were not unknown at this time, Siemens had shown one at a Berlin trade show, which was followed closely by a version by Thomas Edison.