to help improve the spirits of local residents during the war. Librarian H.C. Gourlay proposed the introduction of a library car, and streetcar No. 14 was converted into a mobile library to serve residents in outlying neghbourhoods. The royal blue streetcar, which had a capacity for 2,000 books and was fitted with wooden bookcases that were secured to its walls, entered service in October 1941. The ERR constructed short sidings in certain neighbourhoods so that the streetcar could park without blocking transit services. On its first day of service, 700 residents visited it in Calder; more than half of them were first-time borrowers, and three quarters were children. By early December, 1941, the streetcar library lent more than 9,500 books, and signed up over 4,000 adults and 1,000 children with new library memberships. After the war ended, Edmonton's transition from streetcars to buses continued to be hampered by further increases in ridership, and difficulties in procuring buses. The city constructed more streetcar tracks as late as 1946, as streetcars continued to serve as an important backbone for the transit service. The Edmonton trolley bus system gradually replaced streetcar service on most Edmonton Radial Railway routes, and gas and diesel buses filled the remaining gaps. The Edmonton Radial Railway's name was changed to Edmonton Transportation Service in July 1946 to reflect the shift away from streetcars, and just one year later it was renamed to Edmonton Transit System. Streetcar service in Calder became isolated from the rest of the streetcar system in May 1948, when the tracks on 124 Street, south of 118 Avenue, were paved over. A small temporary storage yard was constructed at 118 Avenue, and seven passenger cars, a sweeper car, and the library car were parked there before the paving occurred. Buses were used to transport passengers between the Calder stub line, and the northern terminus of the Red-and-Green line — which previously ran uninterrupted into Calder. A streetcar was always parked at 118 Avenue to serve as a heated shelter for people waiting either for a bus, or a Calder streetcar. The library streetcar was parked at a small spur on 127 Street, south of 125 Avenue, to serve the neighbourhood of Sherbrooke. Streetcar ridership across the city steadily rose during this time, but noticeably fell after City Council approved a fare increase to address the operating deficit.The Calder stub line closed permanently in August 1949,