Trolley Thursday 8/27/20 - The Peter Witt Streetcar

Before the introduction of the PCC car, there were a couple of honest attempts at a standard for street railway equipment. In 1918, the J.G. Brill company produced the Birney Car, a cheap little single-truck box that aimed at being economical for street railways big and small. However, the Birney was quite bare and uncomfortable, and never quite had the national spread that another streetcar did. It never claimed to be a "standard" national streetcar, but its innovative and adaptable design made it not only widespread in America, but across North America and even the world. Though it may appear antiquated compared to the sleek, stylish curves of a PCC, there is no denying the impact and influence of the Peter Witt streetcar, a Cleveland original. 

Trolley Tuesday 8/24/20 - Cleveland Railway, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit, and the Cleveland RTA

CLEVELAND! Long a major center of railroad and canal traffic, the Forest City now stakes its claim on its historic architecture, long-suffering sports teams, and hastily-made tourism videos proclaiming it to be "not Detroit". But among the misspellings (originally "Cleaveland", after land surveyor Moses Cleaveland, but shortened to fit the Cleveland Advertiser's masthead), railroad history (a major city on the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads), and cultural institutions (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame), Cleveland holds a place in the realm of electric railroads as one of the longest-running interurban systems in America (since 1913!). Today, we take a look back at the "Progress and Prosperity" that built up the Forest City and see if Cleveland still Rocks.  

Trolley Thursday 8/20/20 - Cincinnati Street Railway

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519-430BC) was a Roman civic and military leader, and dictator, whose legacy is one of simple and faithful leadership. Twice ascended to dictator (back when such a term was neutral or positive rather than negative), Cincinnatus relinquished his power peacefully to the Senate after his duty was done, even at his old age, without any fuss or delay. His understanding and control over the temptations of absolute power made him a figure in civic values, and others like President George Washington have taken his "call to agriculture" to heart. Similarly, the streetcars of Cincinnati served their city with the same faithfulness displayed to the city's namesake, but unlike the famous dictator, the Cincinnati Street Railway's time came much too early, even for a system just shy of operating for 100 years. Today, we look back on the Cincinnati Street Railway with fond memories and find out just what made this system so unique. 

Trolley Tuesday 8/18/20 - The Columbus Railway Power & Light Company

Being a capital city seems to have its perks, as not only is it the seat of state government, but it also is usually a city that best encapsulates what sets the state apart from others. For Ohio, the city of Columbus is exemplary for many reasons, like its beautiful and varied architecture, its aeronautical history thanks to figures like pilot Eddie Rickenbacker, and its Italian-American city heritage. What also sets Columbus apart is its once-thriving streetcar system that lasted from 1863 to 1948, almost 100 years. Today's Trolley Tuesday post is all about that, as we look at the former Columbus Light & Railway Company and what happened to this city designed by and around the streetcar.

Trolley Thursday 8/13/20 - The Big and the Small of the Indiana Electrics

Streetcar systems, interurban railways, and indeed any electric railroad is going to have some kind of elaborate idea that anyone can see is absolutely impossible. As it was the early days of mass rapid transit, damn near anything was possible and people thought the wire could stretch from sea to shining sea. However, reality has a way of putting things into perspective, and more often than not these elaborate plans ended up consigned to the drawing board, or worse, never being built beyond a small town. On the flipside, plenty of tiny electric industrial installations ensured both a business' reliable connection to another railroad, and of course plenty of adorable rolling stock. On today's Trolley Thursday, we look at what made these two types of railroads so special, and so infamous in Indiana, as we look at the Chicago-New York Air Line and the Singer Manufacturing Electric Railway!

Trolley Tuesday 8/11/20 - The Fort Wayne Transit Company

As the second largest city in Indiana, right after Indianapolis, Fort Wayne became a major transit hub in the 20th century thanks to the likes of the Pennsylvania, Wabash, and Monon Railroads. Within the city, a robust transit network was set up under many company names, eventually culminating in the Indiana Railroad we covered last week. However, we're back in Fort Wayne again to look at the local streetcar operations and see what happened to the Summit City's Streetcars, here on Trolley Tuesday!

Trolley Thursday 8/6/20 - The Indiana Railroad and its Constituents

Now we can officially start the month of August right! When you think of Indiana interurbans, you mostly think of the South Shore and... that's pretty much it. However, the "Last and Longest" wasn't the only Midwestern interurban running through the Buckeye State. At one point, there were six other neighbors vying for business all over the state, and even into Louisville, Kentucky! But how could a statewide system, spanning over eight hundred miles, suddenly up and disappear just after the start of World War II? We'll uncover the forgotten lines of the Indiana Railroad and its constituents today, on Trolley Thursday!

Trolley Tuesday 8/4/20 - The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (or New South Shore Line)

Welcome to another new month of Twice-Weekly Trolley History here on Blogger! I know your eyes are probably hurting from last month's deluge of information, but I can assure you we're back to our normal length once again. You may remember from last month, as well, that we covered the old South Shore Line as part of our review of Chicago interurbans and street railways. Today, we're going to continue that story and look at what happened to one of Samuel Insull's "First and Fastest" railways that is now the "Last and Longest". It's America's only true remaining interurban, and it's only on Trolley Tuesday!