Random Photos of Trolley Cars

More trolley cars from California.

East Bay Transit, Oakland

East Bay Transit, Oakland

East Bay Transit, Oakland

Fresno Heritage Operation

Fresno Heritage Operation

Fresno Heritage Operation

Fresno Traction

David Johnston posted:

In your second photo, a picture of Key System 271 at the Western Railway Msueum, the gentleman in the photo with his back to the photographer is Harre Demoro.  Harre was a noted author, historian, and newspaper reporter.  He was an excellent writer who's histories were so enjoyable to read. Harre was a good friend who died way too young.  

Thanks for the information David. I updated the photo to make note of Harre Demoro.

Trolley cars of Vancover, Canada

Vancover-Motorman With Rod For Switching Tracks

Trolley cars of Rhode ISland.

Suburban Railway operated in Providence

United Electric Railway 2172

United Electric Railway

Trolley car mishaps.

Boston Trolley Crushes Car 1932

Boston Trolley Goes Off Open Draw Bridge 1916

Boston Trolley Pins Car 1935

SEPTA 2014

Trolley & Coal Truck 1910

Trolley & Train In Boca Raton, Florida 1942

Trolley Jumps Track & Clogs Central Vermont Railroad 1927

Trolley Jumps Track Into Desplaines River Near Chicago 1926

This post is for the Long Islanders and other New Yorkers who lurk here. It features the New York & North Shore Traction Company. This company ran interurban type cars along Northern Boulevard from Flushing with branches to Whitestone, Port Washington, Mineola and Hicksville, circa 1902 to 1920.

The cars were built by Stephenson and Kuhlman. I am in the process of modifying an MTH Brill to mimic these cars. What I know about the New York & North Shore Traction Company is principally from from Vincent F. Seyfried's book (below). Mr. Seyfried was my high school English teacher. If anyone has more information about the New York & North Shore, please reply to this post.

Cars 10 & 12 Ran On The Port Washington to Mineola Branches

Kuhlman's Photo of Car 32

NY&NST Car 4 at the Clock Tower in Roslyn. Car 4 is headed south to Mineola

NY&NST No 8 Flower Hill Ave, Pt Washington

NY&NST Car 26 @ Main St, Mineola

Typical Interior of NY&NST Cars - This Is Car 22

NY&NST Car 26 That Ran Along Northern Blvd Flushing to Bayside

NY&NST Car at Hicksville in 1916

NY&NST Car At The Roslyn LIRR Station In 1910

Trolley cars of Massachusetts.

This 10-bench open was sold to the EH&A by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company in 1907

Amesbury carhouse on Clinton Street in 1900

Uphams Corner, Dorchester. 1930

Trolley car hitchhiker in Boston

Bobby Ogage posted:

Trolley car mishaps.

Boston Trolley Crushes Car 1932

Boston Trolley Goes Off Open Draw Bridge 1916

Boston Trolley Pins Car 1935

SEPTA 2014

Trolley & Coal Truck 1910

Trolley & Train In Boca Raton, Florida 1942

Trolley Jumps Track & Clogs Central Vermont Railroad 1927

Trolley Jumps Track Into Desplaines River Near Chicago 1926

I request more details about the the train/trolley accident shown in the above photo marked Boca Raton, Florida 1942. I’ve been in South Florida for over 72 years, and this is the first I have ever heard of trolleys in Boca Raton, plus the locomotive looks like it’s lettered for C&NW.

Bill in FtL

Bill,

Out of curiosity, I located this super depressing list of C&NW train wrecks:

http://www.cnwhs.org/articles/1361642286.pdf

Having just quickly skimmed the engine column for the number shown, and the details column for "trolley", I didn't find a good match.  The two trolley accidents that I found involved a passenger train and an express, respectively.  Clearly not this photo.

Maybe Bobby has more info.

 Tomlinson Run Railroad

Passing TOMLINSONRUNRR,

The photo when enlarged is just a bit too blurry to definitely make out the roadname on the cab, it looks like 4 characters, starting with a “C” and maybe an ampersand in the second spot, from there I can’t really be sure (could it be C&EI?). In any event, I’m fairly certain Boca had no trolleys, and the only railroads through were FEC and SAL (three letters, not four). So, still wondering...

Thanks,

Bill in FtL

Definitely looks like it say C & N W

Bill Nielsen posted:

Bobby Ogage posted:

Trolley car mishaps.

 

 

OK, other clues for you photo detectives.  The box car reporting mark is MILW - the Milwaulkee Road, aka Chicago, Milwaulkee, St. Paul, and Pacific RR.  The trolley is number 11 and the name on the marquee looks like it starts with a letter "P".

The building in the lower right foreground says "Wisconsin Ice and Coal".

I would think that engine would be pretty tracable, too -- whatever those letters are.  Off to run an errand, so I can't explore further.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

I find these photos scattered about the internet, and I use their captions. I love it when you all put your detective hats on do some forensic work on these photos. Keep it going.

Trolley cars of West Virginia.

Bluefield & Hinton Electric Railway Car 1

Bluefield City Car 111 of Tri City Traction Co.

Camden Interstate 11

Camden Interstate 32

Trolley and interurban cars of Washington.

Pacific Northwest Traction wreck at Rocky Point in 1929. I did not find any explanation of the cause of this wreck, but it was at the end of passenger service. Perhaps a broken rail was the culprit?

Puget Sound Electric Railway. This is an exceptional photo ion my opinion.

This picture is a repeat posting of Seattle and the Plaza Hotel. It looks like a dirty water hot dog stand in the lower right corner. The lack of automobiles suggests this picture is circa 1900.

Blue is a rare color for trolley and interurban cars. This photo of Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway 55 appears to be in a museum, but I do not know which museum.

Here is another look at a Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway car. Note the dual headlights, and the steam engine type bell.

The car has a destination sign reading Everett - Seattle. So in which of the cities is the car situated in this photo?

A sight-seeing car in Seattle.

This photo was taken in Tacoma.

This is a local car, and I opine that it is headed into Tacoma. Note the bell and dual headlights again.

Note the light over the center window. What would this light be called, classification or marker? I am guessing that it has a red lens to the front and white lenses to each side.

Sintra-Atlantico

The last trolley car line to operate in New York State was the Queensboro Bridge Line connecting Manhattan with Queensboro Plaza on Long Island. Enjoy this video which some snap shots not commonly seen.

https://youtu.be/xxbmR14UPF8

Really enjoy these posts--its not just the trolleys but the window into a not too distant past that we've forgotten.

Thanks guys for finding and posting.

Here is a video of the Lake Shore Electric Ry in Ohio.

https://video.search.yahoo.com...4282&action=view

Bobby Ogage posted:

Trolley and interurban cars of Washington.

Pacific Northwest Traction wreck at Rocky Point in 1929. I did not find any explanation of the cause of this wreck, but it was at the end of passenger service. Perhaps a broken rail was the culprit?

Puget Sound Electric Railway. This is an exceptional photo ion my opinion.

This picture is a repeat posting of Seattle and the Plaza Hotel. It looks like adirty water hot dog stand in the lower right corner. The lack of automobiles suggests this picture is circa 1900.

Blue is a rare color for trolley and interurban cars. This photo of Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway 55 appears to be in a museum, but I do not know which museum.

Here is another look at a Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway car. Note the dual headlights, and the steam engine type bell.

The car has a destination sign reading Everett - Seattle. So in which of the cities is the car situated in this photo?

A sight-seeing car in Seattle.

This photo was taken in Tacoma.

This is a local car, and I opine that it is headed into Tacoma. Note the bell and dual headlights again.

But those hot dogs were so good !

Besides me, who remembers knockwurst on rye with a whole pickle from the big barrel for 35 cents in Rosie's Bar on Jay Street in Brooklyn Borough Hall, just around the corner from the end of Myrtle Avenue?

These are some of the trolley cars on my O-gauge railroad.

Trolley car post cards of New York.

mwb posted:

What a great picture !   My interest in trolleys has grown.  I've been reading a bit more about them, as they were in and around Philly, this past year or so.  I would love to have a time machine.  

I suspect that the trolley car in the above photo is eastbound towards the Delaware Water Gap on  Rt 611.

Today's Route 611 was once where the Stroudsburg, Water Gap & Portland Railway, a trolley line that provided a scenic ride from Stroudsburg, PA ran through the Delaware Water Gap and ended just north of the Lehigh & New England's tracks in Portland. This trolley line was controlled by the Lehigh Valley Traction Company (better know for its Liberty Bell Limited), which had dreams of providing service all the way from the 69th Street Terminal at the edge of Philadelphia directly to the resorts in the Delaware Water Gap. However the Lehigh & New England prevented the line from crossing its tracks, thus requiring passengers and their bags to get off of one car, walk a block across the L&NE and then resume their journey. The combination of the general decline in trolley car line fortunes, the transfer in Portland, and the superior service offered by the PRR from Philadelphia via the Belvidere-Delaware Line and trackage rights on the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western to Stroudsburg doomed the line.

In 1926 the DL&W cancelled the lease of land that allowed the SWG&P to operate through the Gap. By now renamed the Stroudsburg Traction Company, all service ended in 1928.

Niagara Gorge Route Trolley Line

In 1891, the Queen Victoria Parks Commissioners granted the Niagara Falls Park and River Railway a charter to operate an electric railway through Queen Victoria Park and Parks Commission land from Chippewa to Queenston. This single track Canadian railway was opened on May 24, 1893 and was double-tracked in 1894.

A similar double track railway line was constructed by the Niagara Falls and Lewiston Electric Railway on the American side of the River in the early 1890's. This line started at Niagara Falls, New York, gradually descended to the water's edge, proceeded along the Whirlpool and Devil's Hole to Lewiston, where it returned to the top of the gorge.

In 1902 the two trolley lines were purchased by the International Railway Company and combined into the "Great Gorge Route." The Route began at the Gorge Terminal on Falls Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY, where passengers paid a fee of $1.00 and boarded the electric trolleys. The trolleys left the station, crossed the Falls View Bridge into Canada, and proceeded along the top of the Gorge to Queenston, where they met incoming steamships from Toronto. Next the trolley cars crossed the Queenston-Lewiston Suspension Bridge into the United States, descended into the Gorge and followed the route of the original American railway.

The Great Gorge Route had 38 trolley cars, most of which were open cars that ran from May to September. Beginning in 1901, the International Railway Company began offering nightly trips with several powerful spotlights illuminating the Gorge. The Great Gorge Route remained a very popular tourist attraction for nearly 40 years.

The Niagara Gorge Route proved to be dangerous because of  rock falls, derailments, and washouts of the tracks on the American side of the Route. On July 15, 1915, a trolley left the rails, killing 13 tourists. In 1917, a trolley toppled into the Whirlpool and twelve more passengers were drowned. A conductor was killed by falling rocks, and on another occasion, refuse was accidentally dumped from a garbage chute onto an open trolley car. In spite of these incidents, however, the attraction remained open.

With the arrival of the Great Depression, the Great Gorge Route faced a declining number of passengers. Poor business, coupled with high maintenance costs and increasingly hazardous rock falls made the Route too costly and dangerous to continue. Trips along the Great Gorge Route ceased in 1932. The railway on the Canadian was dismantled by the Niagara Parks Commission. Trolleys continued to operate in the United States until a rock fall in 1935 buried the tracks under 5000 tons of rock. At the time of its closure, over 13,000,000 passengers had ridden on the Great Gorge Route and had experienced the magnificent view of the whirlpool and rapids.

Search Light Car

W

Niagara Falls Park & River Railway

The Oley Valley Railroad of Pennsylvania

The Oley Valley Railroad Company built a trolley car route connecting Reading, Pleasantville and Boyertown in Pennsylvania that met another electric trolley line in Stony Creek which came from Reading. The Oley Valley Railroad had 22.5 miles of track, and it was built at a cost of $500,000. The trolley ran through the village of Pleasantville near the covered bridge and what is now Tollgate Road. Edna Yoder Dierolf of the Oley Yoder Heritage Association, remembers riding the Oley Valley trolley from Washington Street in Boyertown, around the Horseshoe Curves and into Pleasantville. The tracks were removed in the 1930's about the time the sewers were installed in Boyertown.

Builder's Photo of Oley Valley Railway Car #1

Horseshoe Curve On The Oley Valley Near Shanesville

For those of us who were born at the twilight of steam, late '40s, we were certainly born too late for almost anything to do with trolleys and interurbans.  Until I started doing some research into trolleys, last year, I wasn't aware that most of the lines were gone by the great depression, and with the exception of city lines, almost all trolley lines in the rural and suburban areas   were defunct by 1950.

Thanks to those who model trolley lines, we have an idea of what was around, back in the day.  Just as those of us who model railroads of days gone by, provide a glimpse of what was.  

Neversink Mountain Railroad of Pennsylvania

The Neversink Mountain Railroad commenced operating on June 30,1890. It was the third electric railroad in the United States, and the first electric railroad in America operated by water power. The water-power plant using Edison generators of 1000 HP was located at the “Big Dam” on the Schuylkill River, below Reading. The railroad was standard gauge, and cars ran on 56 lb. steel rails. Each trolley car had two motors of 25 HP each. However, more powerful motors were necessary to operate on the mountainous grades The Neversink Mountain Railroad ceased operations in 1917 due to financial difficulties.

The Berlin Street Railway of New Hampshire

The Berlin Street Railway began operation between Berlin and Gorham, New Hampshire on July 24, 1902. This enterprise enabled residents of Gorham to work and shop in Berlin. In 1920 alone, the railway transported over 1.6 million passengers. Situated on the Androscoggin River, Berlin once was the center of the pulp and paper-making industry, and had a population over 20,000 people. The Berlin Street Railway ceased operations in 1938.

Concord, Maynard and Hudson Street Railway Company of Massachusetts

Founded in 1899 with $50,000 in capital, and beginning service in 1901, this railway provided service between Maynard, Concord, Stow and Hudson on 20 miles of track. The initial cars where purchased from the Laconia Car Company. By 1911, the railway had absorbed the "Concord & Clinton Railway" as well as the "Lowell, Acton & Maynard Street Railway". As with many electric railways, it couldn’t compete with the automobile and so it went into receivership late in 1921. It never came out of receivership, terminating service in 1923.

CM&H 12 Meets Lexington & Boston Car11 in Monument Square, Concord. (December 1908)

CM&H 14 stops in Westvale

CM&H 18 Under Left Side of B&M RR Bridge

CM&H 208 At Hudson circa 1914 Waiting @ Wood Square

CM&H 210 derail ed by Ice February 2, 1915 at Hale's Corner in Gleasondale.

CM&H 210 derail ed by Ice February 2, 1915 at Hale's Corner in Gleasondale.

CM&H Birney On Acton Bridge

CM&H Car 215-1912

CM&H Car crosses Assabet River via the Great Road bridge, circa 1903.

CM&H Car In StowCM&H Car on Powdermill Road

CM&H Car on PowdermCM&H car, left front. Boston & Worcester car, left rear. Worcester Consolidated car, right front.ill Road

CM&H car, left front. Boston & Worcester car, left rear. Worcester Consolidated car, right front.

CM&H Cars in Wood Square, Hudson. (circa 1910)

CM&H Parlor Car Concord in Wood Square, Hudson, shortly after going into service in 1902

CM&H Parlor Car Concord

CM&H Plow 2 In Acton

CM&H Plow 2

CM&H Power plant In Maynard

CM&H Turnout on Powdermill Road

CM&H-Car 12

Bobby Ogage posted:

Niagara Gorge Route Trolley Line

In 1891, the Queen Victoria Parks Commissioners granted the Niagara Falls Park and River Railway a charter to operate an electric railway through Queen Victoria Park and Parks Commission land from Chippewa to Queenston. This single track Canadian railway was opened on May 24, 1893 and was double-tracked in 1894.

A similar double track railway line was constructed by the Niagara Falls and Lewiston Electric Railway on the American side of the River in the early 1890's. This line started at Niagara Falls, New York, gradually descended to the water's edge, proceeded along the Whirlpool and Devil's Hole to Lewiston, where it returned to the top of the gorge.

In 1902 the two trolley lines were purchased by the International Railway Company and combined into the "Great Gorge Route." The Route began at the Gorge Terminal on Falls Avenue in Niagara Falls, NY, where passengers paid a fee of $1.00 and boarded the electric trolleys. The trolleys left the station, crossed the Falls View Bridge into Canada, and proceeded along the top of the Gorge to Queenston, where they met incoming steamships from Toronto. Next the trolley cars crossed the Queenston-Lewiston Suspension Bridge into the United States, descended into the Gorge and followed the route of the original American railway.

The Great Gorge Route had 38 trolley cars, most of which were open cars that ran from May to September. Beginning in 1901, the International Railway Company began offering nightly trips with several powerful spotlights illuminating the Gorge. The Great Gorge Route remained a very popular tourist attraction for nearly 40 years.

The Niagara Gorge Route proved to be dangerous because of  rock falls, derailments, and washouts of the tracks on the American side of the Route. On July 15, 1915, a trolley left the rails, killing 13 tourists. In 1917, a trolley toppled into the Whirlpool and twelve more passengers were drowned. A conductor was killed by falling rocks, and on another occasion, refuse was accidentally dumped from a garbage chute onto an open trolley car. In spite of these incidents, however, the attraction remained open.

With the arrival of the Great Depression, the Great Gorge Route faced a declining number of passengers. Poor business, coupled with high maintenance costs and increasingly hazardous rock falls made the Route too costly and dangerous to continue. Trips along the Great Gorge Route ceased in 1932. The railway on the Canadian was dismantled by the Niagara Parks Commission. Trolleys continued to operate in the United States until a rock fall in 1935 buried the tracks under 5000 tons of rock. At the time of its closure, over 13,000,000 passengers had ridden on the Great Gorge Route and had experienced the magnificent view of the whirlpool and rapids.

Search Light Car

W

Niagara Falls Park & River Railway

 

About 7 years ago on a visit to Niagara Falls, NY, I started walking downstream from the Rainbow Bridge. I found a walking path that dropped gently down the side of the gorge. It turned out to be the great gorge route trail. Not a lot of sign of the old line where I hiked, but certainly was a broached.

     I ended up following a blazed path back up the hill before reaching the river.

Anyone have any pics of YONKERS RAILROAD CO. cars before THIRD AV. took over?Can't seem to find any....Yonkers NY....thanks...joe

Just noticed this topic actually has a few pix of O Gauge trolleys, so I thought I would post these two of my Lionel Polar Express trolley running on the bump-and-go route of the Portland Chapter TCA/TTOS Clubhouse layout during last year’s holiday open house.

Cheers!

Alan

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

Bill Nielsen posted:

Bobby Ogage posted:

Trolley car mishaps.

 

 

OK, other clues for you photo detectives.  The box car reporting mark is MILW - the Milwaulkee Road, aka Chicago, Milwaulkee, St. Paul, and Pacific RR.  The trolley is number 11 and the name on the marquee looks like it starts with a letter "P".

The building in the lower right foreground says "Wisconsin Ice and Coal".

I would think that engine would be pretty tracable, too -- whatever those letters are.  Off to run an errand, so I can't explore further.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

That is a Milwaukee 800 or 900 series street car on route 11. Route 11 went down Howell ave on Milwaukee's south side. This mishap was most likely on 1st and Becher st. There was a diaganal crossing through 1st street for Vilter manufacturing, it is possible the Milwaukee Road was switching it when this happened. There was another crossing further south at the Nordco plant, not sure if that was the location.

Joe,

I found these 2 pictures that I think are of the Yonkers Railroad Company

Old_Yonkers,_NY,_trolley_barn

.