Trolley Tuesday 1/25/22 - The British Columbia Electric Railway

The province of British Columbia has always been known as the "Final Frontier" of Canada's westward expansion. To the railroads like Canadian Pacific and Canadian National, there was nothing more imperative or essential than gaining a connection to the Pacific Ocean. The strongest outpost in that province proved to be Vancouver, whose reputation as a Canadian jewel city and popular filming location ensures its longevity and legacy in the eyes of many. Yet, before the Hollywood cameras, British Columbia was known for another rolling icon that took after the utility-owned interurbans of Midwest America: the British Columbia Electric Railway. On today's (belated) Trolley Tuesday, we look back on the BCER as it grew in the Saltwater City and prospered by land until the inevitable end.

Trolley Tuesday 1/17/21 - The Toronto Transit Commission (Part 2)

On last Thursday's trolleypost, we took you through the privatised history of the Toronto Railways, back when it was just a gaggle of independent companies providing a variety of quality services across the Queen City. Today, we're taking you through the modern history of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) that you know and love so much. From its beginnings in the 1920s all the way through to the "Lean Years" of the 80s and 90s, the history of the TTC is as engaging, as varied, and as beautiful as the Peter Witts, PCCs, and CLRVs we all love so much. Now climb aboard, let's get rolling, and please stand clear of the doors!

Trolley Thursday 1/13/22 - The Toronto Railways (Part 1)

What more can be said about the city of Toronto? It's the capital of Ontario, it's Canada's most populous city, and it's the one place everyone thinks of when they imagine the big cities of the Great White North. But among the canyons and crags of Toronto's skyscrapers lie another large and iconic transit system: the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). This modern municipal railway may seem so old and permanent like its contemporaries such as the San Francisco Municipal Railway and the Chicago Transit Authority, but not so. Out of the ashes of several different private street railways, the TTC rose like a phoenix to become the iconic home of Peter Witts, PCCs, and CLRVs we know today, and on today's (belated) Trolley Thursday, we see how the TTC first got formed in the Queen City where "diversity is strength".

Trolley Thursday 1/6/22 - Montreal Street Railway

Bienvenue, mes amies, dans un autre "Trolley Thursday" post! As one of Quebec's largest and most-populous cities, Montreal holds a special place in the realm of French Canada as the home of the most successful ice hockey team in the NHL, the "Canadiens", and that wonderful savoury delicacy, poutine. Prior to 1959, however, Montreal also laid claim to having one of the largest, most iconic and sophisticated transit networks in the Dominion, with well over 500 kilometers of track at its peak and boasting such cars as the famous Peter Witt and PCC cars in its roster. On today's Trolley Thursday, climb aboard this Golden Chariot and tip your hat to old Notre-Dame du Montreal, as we try to avoid being caught speaking English aboard the Montreal Street Railway! 

Trolley Tuesday 10/19/21 - Chicago's Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster

There are some disasters born of trial and error, there are some of many factors that culminate in one fatal act, and then there are some that are just freak accidents where a streetcar found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Long considered to be one of the deadliest midwestern streetcar disasters, and certainly the most violent, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) "Green Hornet" streetcar collision of May 25, 1950 is best remembered for the absolute carnage that followed its fatal route and the trauma inflicted on Chicagoans, many of whom still pass through the intersection of 63rd and State Street today. On today's Trolley Tuesday, we look back on the "Green Hornet" disaster and the lessons it taught us.

Trolley Tuesday 8/31/21 - Cars of the San Diego MTS

Welcome to the last Trolley post of this very inconsistent month! On behalf of my editor and I, thank you to all our generous rider and supporters who continue to read our articles and learn more about everything that we write here. We promise September will be a return to form with no gaps or inconsistent posting times.

For our last Trolley Tuesday of the month, we thought it would be a good idea to look at the light-rail cars of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and see how forward-thinking this pioneering system really was. Because they were among the first real light-rail comebacks in America (as systems like Muni never really stopped running at all), San Diego's light rail fleet was able to pioneer a lot of light rail tropes that we take for granted today while also handling eventual problems that many of us see as normal. So, without further ado, let's jump right into the cars!

Trolley Tuesday 8/10/21 - The Cars of the San Diego Electric Railway

On Thursday, we covered the general history of the San Diego Electric Railway (SDERy), a sprawling 100-or-so mile electric railway system that helped grow America's Finest City into the international port it is today. On this Trolley Tuesday, we'll be opening up the Adams Avenue Carbarn and looking at the many varied streetcars the SDERy rostered. From the usual smatterings of horsecars and cable cars, to home-grown designs and pioneering streetcars, we have it all! So sit back, ride and relax, and enjoy today's post!

Trolley Tuesday 4/20/21 - Muni and MSR's Streetcar Fleet

No, we're not doing a weed joke today. After all, you shouldn't operate public transit while high.

Whenever we talk about the types of streetcars a company's used over its lifetime, it's always a struggle to find out which ones to talk about. Sometimes, a fleet may be a little too boring or too under-reported to write something interesting about, while others may have one or two significant cars with the rest being generics or home-builds. For San Francisco, however, it seems almost every car they've had from the first electric cars in the 1890s all the way to the modern day has been significant in some way. Thus, bear with us (and the length of this report) on this lovely Trolley Thursday as we open up the Muni Geneva Division Carhouse and appreciate the artful cars of the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) and the Market Street Railway (MSR)!

Trolley Thursday 3/25/21 - The Los Angeles Railway's PCC Cars

It's quite telling that the last streetcar to operate in Los Angeles was also the one meant to save it. It was a car built from measured desperation, hoping to fight back against the menace of buses and promise citizens all over the United States that rapid transit and light rail had a chance. However, several factors affecting the Los Angeles Railway held back further development of the famous President's Conference Committee Car (or PCC Car) until the last car rolled into Division Four on March 31, 1963. Modern, timeless, and like nothing else in the Yellow Car Fleet, the role of the PCC in the company's history cannot be understated, and in order to understand just how such a newcomer greatly affected this once-mighty company, let's take this Trolley Thursday to ride aboard the PCCs!