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This photo was taken in May, 1997 at the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The museum (one of four Western Development Museums in the province) has a small collection of horse-drawn vehicles among its zillion or so antique tractors. The collection includes three omnibuses.

Source:

Photo by Norman Beattie.

Winnipeg Cab History / 21

The Horse Cab (4)

This carriage is a landaulet, identified by the folding hood over the rear seat. According to the Western Development Museum's Curatorial Centre it belonged to the T. Eaton Company and was used in parades. It came to Saskatoon "from the east" which raises the possibility that it was once a Winnipeg horse cab.

This example could be quickly converted into an open carriage for driving on sunny days. The rear hood (yellow) would be folded down and the forward part of the roof (red) removed completely.

The rear doorposts fold back with the hood. The forward doorposts detach with the roof. The front corner posts (yellow) fold down to to meet each other, forming a sill across the front of the passenger compartment.

The front window behind the driver's seat and the two windows flanking the forward passenger seat are removable. They are held in place by slots at the top and bottom of the frame and by flat springs at the sides.

Curtains could be drawn for privacy. In this carriage a tubular rod over the front window still bears shreds of curtain material.

There are probably windows concealed in the doors. The sills for the window openings are divided at midpoint and hinged at the ends so that they can be folded up against the doorposts. This would allow the concealed windows to slide upward.