Trolley Tuesday 5/11/21 - The Cars of the Key System

From its opening day on October 26, 1903, until the end of passenger rail service on April 20, 1958, the Key System always stood out from other interurban railroads through its fleet of varied and unique cars that were all built to meet the demands of this Bay Area institution. This iconic fleet ranged from the electrified horsecars, which introduced modern electric traction in Oakland and Berkeley, to the modern articulated interurban cars whose designs informed the light rail vehicles (LRVs) we know today. For today's Trolley Tuesday, let's look back on these iconic cars and get to know them just a little better, shall we?

Trolley Tuesday 2/16/21 - The Pacific Electric Hollywood Cars

In the common person's mind and in popular culture, there is no more an evocative image than a red-and-orange streetcar rolling down Hollywood or Sunset Boulevard in mid-century Los Angeles. After all, who can blame them? Everything can be glamourized in Los Angeles, even and especially its public transit vehicles. The one-hundred-and-sixty "Hollywood Cars" of the Pacific Electric (PE) stood and continue to stand as those immaculate pieces of Angelino-stalgia, from the old folks who used to ride them regularly to modern fans that recognize representations of this car in films like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Gangster Squad". But how did such a legendary streetcar come about and last over 30 years in service AND 60 years in preservation? Find out on today's Trolley Tuesday as we ride in style on the poor man's limousine, the Pacific Electric Hollywood Car!

Trolley Tuesday 10/20/20 - Lowell National Historic Park & Seashore Trolley Museum

Heritage trolley lines have long been a mainstay of American cities since the Bicentennial of 1976, and cities such as Seattle, Dallas, and New Orleans alike have seen their heritage streetcars run well into the 21st Century on their own dedicated routes. With heritage streetcars come the possibility of urban revitalization and that nasty word, "gentrification", but don't underestimate the power of a heritage streetcar. Even the filthiest and most industrialized city can find itself beautified with a street railway, and no heritage trolley exemplifies this more than the longest-running heritage streetcar in America, the Lowell Street Railway in Lowell, Massachusetts.