Random Photos of Trolley Cars

mwb posted:

Cumberland Electric Rwy Co Trolleys

Nice "before" and "after" photos.  Somebody had some real foresight taking that photo. 

Tomlinson Run RR

Does anyone know where the Cumberland Electric Railways was located ??

Jim, looks like Allegheny County, MD:

http://www.mountaindiscoveries.../fw2005/trolleys.pdf

TRRR

Many thanks. A familiar story it seems.

Potomac Edison Co Trolley at Cumberland MD

I just finished reading three fantastic books about trolley car systems:

New York & North Shore Traction Company by Vincent F. Seyfried;

New York & Long Island Traction Company by Vincent F. Seyfried;

A History Of The Hudson Valley Railway, Saratoga Through Car by David F. Nestle.

These books are available on the used book market, and they are great reading about rise and fall of interurban systems in the period of 1895 through 1928. I find it incredible that so many efficient electric railways were squandered away.

My next search is for a copy of the Long Island Electric Company by Vincent F. Seyfried. Ironically, Mr Seyfried was my English teacher in Martin Van Buren High School, but I had no idea of his interest in trolley car lines at the time.

For the record, I discovered in "A History Of The Hudson Valley Railway, Saratoga Through Car" by David F. Nestle that this mishap took place in Mechanicville, New York. The car was a runaway down that went down Park Avenue in Mechanicville.

Although the New York & Long Island Traction (NY&LIT) Company's rolling stock long ago perished, one car that operated over the line has survived because it was a BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit) car that was converted it into a sand car, No. 9730, and purchased by the Branford Trolley Museum in 1950.  Members of the Branford Museum did a great job of restoring the car back into her BRT 1792 configuration.

Built for the BRT by the Laclede Car Company of St. Louis in 1899, No. 1792 on loan to the NY&LIT, once operated through Long Island towns such as Rosedale, Springfield, Lynbrook, Baldwin, Freeport, Hempstead, Garden City, Mineola and along the Jamaica Avenue Branch (AKA Jericho Turnpike) through Queens Village, Bellerose, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.

Sole Surviving Car That Operated On The New York & Long Island Traction Company's Railways

Bobby Ogage posted:

New York & North Shore Traction Company Car southbound to Mineola. This is likely a Kuhlman built car. The Roslyn Clock Tower was a trolley stop and the tower still stands today.

This may be the same car northbound to Port Washington. It is about to climb a hill and cross Northern Boulevard (Rt 25A).

Have any Kuhlman cars of the early 1900s been saved?

Great photos Bobby! I used to live not very far from the old town of Roslyn, NY. and this photo brought back memories of many good times. Looking at the top photo, if you went down the road to the right, which goes down hill and is a one way street, you would be at the Roslyn movie theater. Also many interesting shops, cafes and lots of history to be found in that town too. The clock tower still stands today and was a memorial to Ellen E. Ward, which was built in 1895.

Trolley on West 4th Street, Williamsport, PA. Postmarked: 1910.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Cumberland Electric Rwy Co Trolley Car Barn

Once upon a time there was a street railway that ran along the Rockaways which are the south shore beach communities of Long Island. Like the fate of most of the trolley lines on Long Island, the Ocean Beach Railway wound up under the control of the Long Island Rail Road.

          Ocean Electric Car 3211

The Ocean Electric Railway Had Trackage Rights On The Long Island Rail Road In The Rockaways

          Brill Built Convertible No. 21

Trolley & Conductors at Northumberland, Pa

Finding color photos of trolley cars is a good thing, so here are some of Union Traction Company cars in Albany, New York.

Sunbury & Northumberland Trolley and Conductors

When street cars ruled in Detroit.

The yard in Highland Park off of Woodland Avenue in 1936.

This is the Twin City Rapid Transit yard in Minneapolis.

New Orleans Canal Yard in 1955.

MWB,

Your last two posts with the close-ups of the conductors and their uniforms is a nice idea.  It really brings it home that those fellows were somebody's father, husband, uncle, grandfather.  They all look so proud of their cars, too.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Here are some more Detroit cars, photos not by me:

Enjoy,  Marty

What they look like before restoration. The lucky ones!

          Chicago Surface Lines 1137

          Jacksonville Traction Car

          Rochester Subway 60

          West Shore Electric 151

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

MWB,

Your last two posts with the close-ups of the conductors and their uniforms is a nice idea.  It really brings it home that those fellows were somebody's father, husband, uncle, grandfather.  They all look so proud of their cars, too.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Thanks!  While the trolleys alone are very interesting, they were a part of the lives of people then.  Those old photos and RPPC's capture interesting people that are a part of our past and everything about them adds both detail and information pertaining to the times.  I have a few more that I managed to find and expand that I will post up in the near future.

Here is later version of 1906 Niles wooden interurban #151, removed from the concrete foundation,  being restored at the Northern Ohio Railroad Museum with sister car #149.

Once upon a time a trolley ran through the Delaware Water Gap from Stroudsburg to Portland in Pennsylvania. I am unable to find a map of the right of way for the Stroudsburg & Water Gap Ry. Does anyone know where this railway right of was?

          I think that this road may be Rt 611

Gentlemen,

   Thanks for the memories!

PCRR/Dave

mwb posted:

Sunbury & Northumberland Trolley and Conductors

 

Interesting — one has a coat that buttons on the 'right' side, the other has a coat that buttons on the 'left' side.

I wonder why the differences.

Ron M

ron m posted:

Interesting — one has a coat that buttons on the 'right' side, the other has a coat that buttons on the 'left' side.

I wonder why the differences.

Ron M

No idea.  Maybe you had to supply your own uniforms and that was not specified?  Maybe one guy is left handed?

Some more of the Sunbury & Northumberland and 3 Conductors

Now we're all gonna be looking at how their jackets are buttoned ... :-).

TRRR

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

Now we're all gonna be looking at how their jackets are buttoned ... :-).

TRRR

Those 3 guys are a real bundle of joy, too.

mwb posted:

TomlinsonRunRR posted:

Now we're all gonna be looking at how their jackets are buttoned ... :-).

TRRR

Those 3 guys are a real bundle of joy, too.

=grin= Yeah, I noticed that, too.  Maybe it was their last day on that line and it was a farewell photo?

TRRR

I think working for the trolley or interurban company was a good job in those days. A book I have gave the wages for a company in Pa.

          More trolley crews to study.

Here are 2 photos of Pittsburgh Railways #3487, a Double Truck, Double End High Floor Car built by St. Louis Car Company in 1905.  This car has been preserved and is on display at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.  The first photo from the PTM website shows it in service on the #13 Emsworth Route around 1909.  The second photo shows it at the Museum as pictured on a postcard during the early years of the Museum. 

And now that we’re focusing on uniforms, note that the conductor and motorman’s jackets appear to button down the middle but with the left side on the outside.

Bill

Still on the Sunbury & Northumberland.....nice little single truck open car!

When I lived in Little Rock back in 1979 - 1982, there was no trolley system or talk of one. Since I left town, look what was sprung up. The cars appear to be newly built by Gomaco.

It was standing room only on this Pittsburgh Railways Street Car on a July afternoon in the early 1900’s at Kennywood Park.  Back in those days that was how most park visitors arrived at and returned home from the park.  Note the long dresses and suit on the man.  Back then this park had to compete with 13 other “trolley parks” in the Pittsburgh area for customers.  And among those 13 trolley parks, only Kennywood survived!

Many years later than this photo I rode PCC streetcars to Kennywood when I was a kid.  I also rode a passenger train with my grandparent's to Idlewild Park in Ligonier as my grandfather worked for the Pennsy and had a pass.  BTW Idlewild also survives to this day but it was not a trolley park having been started by the Ligonier Valley Railroad, a short narrow gauge coal-hauling railroad.  Bill

Bill,

What a great Kennywood photo and back story.  Kennywood was a stop for my family but I seem to recall that we drove but then often went with extended family/friends.  My mother's generation went to Ligonier, also on PRR passes.  Small world.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Trolley parks were once prolific and predominately on the east side of the Mississippi River. Here's a link to the history of trolley parks, and it includes lists of trolley parks still operating and those that went out of business.

Trolley Parks

Between this thread and the diner car thread, if you are not following Brian Butko on Facebook and some of his groups, you are missing out on a lot of stuff. 

     I don't know how much trolley content will be in it, but his book on Luna Park in Pittsburgh is dropping now.

Trolley cars at or in route to parks.On The Way Up Blue Hill Avenue, Dorchester Towards Franklin Park

         1955 SAN FRANCISCO @ PLAYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK

Asheville & Craggy Mountain Railway Cars On Sunset Mountain In Route To Overlook Park

        AT RIVERSIDE, Rhode Island 1910 Going TO CRESCENT PARK

          Glen Echo Park
Idora Park TrolleyLakewood-Park-1910, Charlotte, NC

Portland 506 was hauled up to Council Crest Park on Nov. 22, 1950 and it stayed there till vandals damaged it on Halloween night in 1972

Trolley Cars @ Washington Park, Westville, NJ

Greg Nagy posted:

Between this thread and the diner car thread, if you are not following Brian Butko on Facebook and some of his groups, you are missing out on a lot of stuff. 

     I don't know how much trolley content will be in it, but his book on Luna Park in Pittsburgh is dropping now.

Greg,

Yes, Brian Butko has done a good job of picking up the torch from Randy Garbin, Richard Gutman, and others who photograph, record, and track diner buildings.  I avoid Facebook, but Mr. Garbin has a useful web blog.  Is there another O gauge diner car thread out there that I missed? We've had several here and I do hope to post some new information to my trolley-railcar-diner "the real story" post -- this weekend in fact, as it's been a while (too busy!).

Thanks for the heads up on the book release.

Tomlinson Run RR

I was reading a book on NW Pa.RRs and there was a photo of a dining car which they said went to Fredonia, Pa and made in to a diner. Any record of this ??