General Information: Built: Pre-1920s Fully Removed: Late 1980s Beginning Point: Mileage 0.75, Laggan Subdivision End Point: Mileage 0.65, E Lead General Direction: Southeast
Customers (c.1968) Can. Pittsburgh Can. Coleman Reclamo Electric Equipment Wilkinson Wares D.H. Bain NuTrend: Capital Furnishing Radiocentre: Ravvins Scott National Consoloidated Fruit Public Work Department (likely city-owned?) Barron Enterprises Marshall Knop Campbell & Griffin Canadian Westinghouse Murray M.F.G. J. I. Case Maco LTD N.W. Wholesale Furnishing Ashdown's Canbritain Development McOsham Storage Parkside Furniture Williams Bros.
Map See my full map of every rail line to exist in Calgary here! Trackage coloured pink/magenta indicates the BZ Lead
More on the BZ Lead The BZ Lead (along with the BY Lead) was easily Calgary's most unique spur line. It ran east-west down a back alley in the Beltline, between 10th and 11th Avenue. Whether the alley was paved like it is today or if it was gravel, it's likely that the track was laid in-street and trains would be street running, maybe except for the sidings into buildings. It's quite hard to tell much about the track as the only photos of the track are older, shadowy, aerial images. I don't know of any ground level images of the lead, but boy, what I wouldn't give to see one.
Any remnants of the lead have completely been removed, however, there is something in the city that hint at the lead being there. The sign to look for is that certain buildings in the alley where the BZ Lead ran have loading docks. Many buildings have been rebuilt and the loading docks removed, but some remain.
The alley in which the BZ Lead ran has an abnormal concrete paving in the current day (in most places), which I believe was installed when the rails were pulled up.