Lee Circle is quite unique. I think it is the only round-a-bout in the United States that has a streetcar line passing through it. The Saint Charles Streetcar Line travels around Lee Circle today.
This Streetcar comes from Saint Charles Avenue heading downtown and hits the circle and goes around to Howard Street one block and then heads into town on a marvelous French Named Street, Carondelet, for the turn around at Canal Street. Canal Street in the last several years has put back the Canal Street Streetcar Line and others to follow. The real uniqueness of the Saint Charles Streetcar Line is that they have Perle Thomas Bogie Streetcars operating on this line. All other New Orleans Streetcars have Red & Yellow deck roof (look alike an old streetcar) that run on the River Front and all the rest of the "New" New Orleans Streetcar Lines. All of the "New old look" Streetcars have air conditioning and they use modern PCC Type Clark Trucks with magnetic brake shoes.
The Saint Charles Streetcar line heads one block on Canal Street to Saint Charles Avenue up to Lee Circle. It goes around Lee Circle and reconnects with St Charles Avenue all the way to the end of the line. The Perle Thomas Cars are not air-conditioned and the folks who ride them don't seem to mind. Plus, if you like noise and gear grind sounds of old streetcars, take your portable recorders or cell phones and photograph/record this sound. Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, Pa has an operational New Orleans Streetcar with the signage on the front of the car -- "Desire".
Get to New Orleans and ride the RTA and those new and old New Orleans Streetcars.
Also, if you get to San Francisco -- the F-Line Streetcar has several old noisey/gear grind Milan Peter Witt Streetcars operating daily along with Modern PCC Streetcars. And the E Line in San Francisco has double ended PCC Streetcars operating on that line. And low and behold, the Light Rail Streetcar Subway Lines -- J Church, KT Ingleside/Third Street, L Taraval, M Ocean View, and N Judah are now taking delivery of State of the Art Siemens Subway-Light Rail Streetcar Trains. Don't forget to ride the BART (I think they still have an excursion fair ticket).
Sincerely yours railbear601
P.S. San Francisco "Muni" has an old New Orleans Perle Thomas Streetcar that they use on special occasions, Look up Streetcar.org if you wish to know more about all the wonderful streetcars, light-rail, trolley buses, buses, cable cars and BART Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco.
