Streetcar Sunday - Billings, Montana

This card was sent in 1912. The message reads:

Dear Corwin

How do you like the looks of the street scene ? The store is under the sign - "Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm." I like the place fine. My love to papa + mama. Grace

Perry McAdow, an early developer and entrepreneur, started Montana's first streetcar service in Billings with horse-drawn cars in 1882. The fare was 25 cents, and in an effort to get more riders, McAdow offered free beer at his store at the end of the line in Coulson, just outside Billings.  Or, perhaps he initiated streetcar service to bring more customers to his store. In any case, despite the free beer, the streetcar  went out of business within a year and development in Coulson never really flourished.

After that, there was no streetcar service in Billings for many years. Finally, in 1912, a new battery-operated streetcar service was started. It only lasted for five years.

Streetcar Sunday - Newark, New Jersey

Newark already had electric streetcars as early as 1880. They became so popular that there was a serious problem with streetcar congestion at this particular intersection of Broad and Market streets. In 1910, more than 552 streetcars per hour were passing through the intersection during peak times. By 1913, the number had increased to 600 per hour. In 1916, a new trolley terminal was built to divert some of the streetcar traffic from this intersection.

Although streetcar service continued to flourish along with motor buses and later subways, it met its demise as a result of the trolley bus. The trolley bus could follow the same streetcar routes, but was also more versatile because it could run on the overhead electric power or on diesel where there were no overhead lines. Whereas streetcars let their passengers off in the middle of the street, trolleybuses could pull over to the sidewalk. Trolley service on Broad street ended in 1937. Ten years later, there were no more streetcars at all in Newark.

This card shows two different streetcar types side by side.  I am guessing that the larger one was an interurban.

This card was sent to Sadie Rogers in Buffalo in 1906 with the cryptic message on the front:

July 21/ 06

Woman: -

Rocks whereon greatest men have often wreck'd.

ENW

The quote is from Paradise Regained by John Milton.

Streetcar Sunday - Albany, New York

Streetcar service began in New York's capital city in 1863.  Albany had an extensive streetcar system, which is evident even in the picture above. As in a number of other cities, there were ongoing labor issues. These issues resulted in a violent streetcar workers strike in 1921, and the National Guard had to be called in to keep the peace.
Albany's last streetcar ran in 1946.

Here you can see a later view, with the streetcar tracks still visible, but the streetcars themselves gone and replaced by buses.

If anybody else has any additional information on the history of the Albany streetcars, please feel free to post a comment.

Streetcar Sunday - Nice, France

The City of Nice in the south of France seems like the ideal place for a tram system. There are lots of tourists and a great opportunity to connect Nice with neighboring cities such as Monte Carlo and Cagnes-sur-Mer. Starting in 1879 there was a horse-drawn streetcar system in Nice that provided an urban network as well as connections to those neighboring cities and suburbs.

By 1900 the horse-drawn cars had all been replaced with electric ones, and by 1930 the system had expanded to include 90 miles of track and 183 cars. At the same time, competition from buses caused many of the coastal and suburban routes to close. By 1939 only 4 lines remained operational, with a few more brought back during World War II. After the war the streetcars were replaced by trolleybuses, with the last streetcar making its final run in 1953.

Here's another view that doesn't show the streetcar, but shows that you could connect to trains at the Nice train station.

In 2007, Nice introduced a new and very sleek streetcar system. They're very unusual and beautiful cars in my opinion. Originally the system was intended to operate with a ground-level third rail, but they instead opted for the conventional overhead wires, perhaps due to cost. Although there is currently only one line on this new system, there has been discussion about adding a line from the city to the airport.

This photo is courtesy of  Myrabella

Streetcar Sunday - Hot Springs, Arkansas

This card is courtesy of Aimee Dars of The Postman Loves Me, who very sweetly set aside the streetcar postcards she encountered and sent them to me.

Hot Springs was the first city in Arkansas to have streetcar service, with mule-drawn streetcars from 1875 until 1893, and then electric streetcars until 1938.  This card shows a scene from about 1935.

I wasn't surprised to read that the streetcars in Arkansas were segregated by race at the turn of the century, but I was surprised to hear about the protests against it. In fact both white and black passengers seemed unhappy with being told where they could and couldn't sit. Black leaders organized a boycott after the enactment of the racial segregation in 1903.  The number of black riders dropped by 90 percent during the boycott, which lasted for three weeks. Unfortunately, the streetcar providers had little power to overturn the state law and segregation continued.


The depot in Hot Springs has been restored and there are now trolleys to take visitors through historic Hot Springs. If you want to see some older historic postcards of Hot Springs, there is a book entitled Hot Springs Arkansas in Vintage Postcards By Ray and Steven Hanley. It's really worth a look.

Here's the back of the card.

Streetcar Sunday - Amsterdam, The Netherlands

This postcard dates from about 1915. It shows trams crossing a canal in Amsterdam at Plantage Middenlaan. Amsterdam's tram or streetcar system was operated by several private companies until the City took them over and consolidated them into one system in 1900. In that same year, they introduced the first electric trams. They also took over the Amsterdam Omnibus Company, creating  a new corporation called the Gemeentetram (Municipal Tram Corporation.) Decades later, the corporation  merged with the ferry services, creating  a new organization called the Gemeentevervoerbedrijf (GVB) or Municipal Transport Corporation. Today it is simply known as GVB.

Here's a Google Maps view of the same area today. Allow me to add that I have never had so much fun looking for a place on Google maps as I did with this one. I wanted to just keep going down the streets. If you can't afford a vacation this year, you may want to consider visiting Amsterdam via Google maps. The only catch is that it will make you want to hop on a plane for a real visit.

View Amsterdam in a larger map
Here's another view of a streetcar in Amsterdam. Truus, who lives in Amsterdam sent me this card through Postcrossing. Truus also has a postcard blog, called Truus Postcrossing, with all of the cards she has received through Postcrossing. There's another opportunity to travel around the world without leaving your desk. This card is a reproduction of an old one in the Amsterdam City Archives.

 This horse-drawn streetcar is on the Rembrandtplein, viewed from near the Reguliersbreestraat. That's in case you want to see if you can find it on Google maps and see what it looks like today!

Streetcar Sunday - The Christmas Bus

Many people think that there was a conspiracy by General Motors and other companies, starting in the 1930s, to dismantle the nation's streetcar system so the companies could profit from increased sales of buses, tires, and automobiles.  Here is irrefutable evidence, from a 1913 card, that the trend started much earlier and was masterminded by none other than Santa. He looks so determined.

What child would want to ride a streetcar, when he could ride Daddy Xmas' gift-laden party bus instead?  Click here to read more about the Great American Streetcar Scandal.

The message to Walter Till reads:

To Brother Walter from Susan Frank Georgie Robert  + Francis Weaver we all wish you a very Merry XMas + a Happy New year with lots of love.

Streetcar Sunday -Memphis, Tennessee

 
The Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) currently operates vintage trolleys which were re-introduced in the 1990s to help reverse urban decline and increase traffic to the downtown pedestrian mall. The trolleys they use today were originally used in Porto, Portugal, but Memphis also had its own vintage streetcar system in earlier years.

Memphis had streetcars starting 1895 and running until 1947. For a number of years after that, they ran trolley coaches, which are buses that run on electricity, but by the end of the 1950s, they had changed over to diesel buses. Streetcars may have been considered an antiquated nuisance at the time, but they seem to have helped greatly in revitalizing Downtown Memphis in recent years. The system is popular with both residents and visitors, assuring that it is well used at various times of the day and week.

There are several good links with information on the Memphis streetcar system. For a great historical overview, look at Mike Condren's Memphis Street Railway.  For current streetcar information and pictures, take a look at John Smatlak's website, and the American Public Transportation Association.

Streetcar Sunday- El Paso to Juárez

I posted a card  several months ago of a cafe in Juárez that attracted U.S. residents wanting to buy a drink or two during prohibition.  Decades later illegal substances are still supporting the Juárez economy. Based on current events and high levels of violent crime and drug trafficking on the U.S./Mexican border at Juárez and El Paso, Texas, it's refreshing, but also sad, to see the easy and open border pictured on this card.

In 1882, a streetcar line was established between El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico.  Like most streetcars of the time, these were initially drawn by horses or mules. The coordinated service fell under the jurisdiction of two separate operating systems, one in Mexico and one in El Paso, but the service was effectively operated by the El Paso Electric Railway, with the conversion to electricity taking place in 1902. This card dates from sometime after 1910, when the cars were converted from open to closed cars.

Streetcar service was discontinued in 1974. Oddly enough, it was not discontinued for the typical reason - replacement by bus service.  Instead, the Mexican government halted the service because of a perception by Juárez merchants that only the El Paso stores were benefiting from the streetcar. They felt that Juárez shoppers were all heading north.  Recently there has been talk about reintroducing the service, but of course now there are major concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Tram Tuesday - Racine, Wisonsin

Some of you may remember that before I got lazy and stopped posting on weekends, I used to feature streetcar postcards every Sunday. I haven't done that in awhile, but I thought I would experiment with doing it on Tuesday instead. I may not do it every week, but I'll try to do at least a few a month.

Racine, a city of about 82,000 is located on Lake Michigan and has not had a streetcar since before World War II. That streetcar system ran from 1892 until 1940. Like many cities however, Racine has looked at bringing the streetcar back. Plans for a two-mile streetcar loop are included in the 2005 Racine Downtown Plan. It shows the proposed streetcar traveling on State, Main, 6th, and Marquette streets. As far as I can tell there is no target date though, and it's not there yet.

Here's the back of the card, sent to Gladys Knauf in Akron, Ohio in 1921 (?)

The message reads:

Dear Glad

We are working at this place today. Best to all. C +M

See Rialto theatre this is where we are today. with star above it.

The message makes me think that C + M were Vaudeville entertainers, performing at the Rialto.

Angel's Streetcar

It's Sunday, so there should be a Streetcar Sunday post here. It's also Easter, so I wasn't sure what to do. My answer came in the mail like an angel sent from heaven. Well, actually, the card was sent from Angel, a 12-year-old who lives in Taiwan.

This was a Postcrossing card. Do you know about Postcrossing? It's sort of like pen pals without the long-term commitment. The Postcrossing website provides you with a random address of another member somewhere in the world. When that person receives your card and registers it, then your name is sent to someone else, and you receive a card from somewhere in the world.  It's fun for adults, but I think it's especially fun for kids. It's also free. Although you can't demand that people send you certain kinds of cards, you can specify interests.  Mine are listed as streetcars, trains, trams and buses, so Angel was responding to that. This card made my day!

Angel's card shows maps of Taiwan and Taipei County.  At first I thought maybe the picture showed the high-speed train that runs between Taipei and Zuoying at speeds of 186 miles per hour, but those are bullet trains, and they look very different from Angel's drawing.  This car may instead be one from the Pingtung Line, since Angel lives in Pingtung. The Pingtung Line runs between Pingtung and Kaohsiung (61.3 km.) The picture also features what looks to be a cherry tree in bloom. The perfect card for Spring and Easter. Thank you, Angel.

Streetcar Sunday - Celeron Park

Celeron Park was an amusement park in Jamestown, New York. Early on, streetcars were instrumental in creating viable communities outside of cities, because they ensured that residents could easily travel  from their homes in the suburbs to their jobs in the city. But that meant that on weekends the streetcars would sit idle - unless of course they could transport people to amusement parks such as Celeron Park. This arrangement was great for streetcar operators and for residents.

The card probably dates from about 1910, but the message was written much later, in 1966. It's amusing to see a communication like this sent by mail. Now, of course, it would be an email, a text message, or a phone call.  The sender has obviously advertised something for sale and received a card from a prospective buyer. Now he is writing back trying to determine what the prospective buyer wants. Then, the prospective buyer has to write back again...and finally he will get the goods. It's hard to imagine that long-distance telephone rates were once prohibitive enough that it really made more sense to communicate by mail.

Don't forget to vote in the poll regarding Sunday blog posts. See top of blog on the right. Thanks!

Streetcar Sunday - Denver, Colorado

Denver  had horse-drawn streetcars in 1871. It was also one of the few cities that tried cable cars before converting to electric streetcars. Five cable car lines were built in 1888 and 1889, but since there were no major grades in Denver, they were soon replaced with the more efficient electric-powered streetcars.

 The College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado has put together a nice website with information on Denver's streetcar history and new streetcar developments, so rather than repeat the information, I would refer you to their site.

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The message to Mrs. M. Handrick of Binghamton reads:

Dear Mother: Your welcome letter just rec'd - Mine giving all information must have reached you ere this. Wrote soon as I found out. The Elks are here, going to parade now. Snow on streets here for the event brought from mts. - Love Bess 

July 15

Streetcar Sunday - Kharkiv, Ukraine

A pen pal from Kharkiv sent me this card in the 1980s. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine, after Kiev. Kharkiv has a population of just over 1.5 million and an underground metro system with 28 stations and about 35 miles of track. Kharkiv's metro system includes buses, trolleybuses, subway, and streetcars. The streetcars have been in operation for over 100 years!

This is the twelfth week of Streetcar Sundays. Click here to view previous Streetcar Sundays.

Streetcar Sunday - Winnipeg, Manitoba

In 1891, Winnipeg became the third Canadian city to introduce electric streetcars. All was well for a number of decades, but dissatisfaction brewed after the end of World War II. In the early 1950s, the city hired an engineering consultant to look at the various options for streetcars and to explore whether the service could be expected to pay for itself and what entity should control it. As in many North American cities, the Winnipeg streetcars had been operated by the power company, in this case the Winnipeg Electric Company.

The consultant recommended that the government take over operation of the system, which it did.  Unfortunately, people complained more about the service under government operation than they did before. At the same time, people were extolling the virtues of buses over streetcars. So many other cities were changing over to buses. Not surprisingly, Winnipeg's streetcar system was replaced by buses in 1955.

The change to buses seems very odd to many of us today, but at the time it was considered the more modern and appealing alternative. People thought the streetcars were old and clunky and the buses were newer and more comfortable, which is approximately the reverse of public perception today. Buses had greater flexibility and could pull up to the curb, which also provided greater customer safety when boarding or disembarking.  Although measures have been taken to make streetcar boarding much safer today, the appeal is still largely personal and aesthetic. Appeal is not inconsequential either; if transit is expected to draw people out of their automobiles, it has to be appealing.

More recently, the City of Winnipeg has looked at introducing an aerial tram system that would operate above the streets.

Speaking of appeal - the front of the card is fairly simple and straightforward, the back is very ornate.

Streetcar Sunday - Auckland, New Zealand

Last Sunday we looked at streetcars (or trams) in Sydney, Australia. This week we're off to Auckland, New Zealand.
This, from Wikipedia:
Auckland City had horse trams from 1884, and the electric trams was officially opened on 17 November 1902 - public service was delayed because the motormen from Sydney, Australia, were involved in the SS Elingamite shipwreck near Three Kings Islands 9 November 1902, in which three drowned. Public service commenced a week later, on 24 November 1902, and continued to 29 December 1956. They were replaced by trolleybuses and buses. While light rail is discussed as a future option for the city, there is currently only a heritage tram service between two main MOTAT museum sites, which runs parallel to part of the Point Chevalier tram route on Great North Road, but was not part of the original system.
With services running from downtown at the Waitemata Harbour, across to Onehunga on the Manukau Harbour, meant Auckland had the worlds' only 'coast to coast' tramway system.

Streetcar Sunday - Vienna, Austria

This is a relatively long post, because I have three cards from the same sender featuring trams in Vienna. I couldn't bear to post just one.
The first card was sent in 1904. I can't make out the name of the sender, but it was sent to Leopoldine Miller, who lived a block away from Central Park near Madison Avenue in New York City.

You can see the notation at the top of the card that continues with a dotted line to a building at the bottom of the card. The notation says: Stations of the underground 
And, if you look along the quay, you can see where the trains run under the street. The underground, known as the Wiener Stadtbahn, was built between 1894 and 1901. Since the trains were steam powered, a shortage of coal during World War I forced the system to close temporarily. It was reopened with electric trains after the war. Starting in 1976, the system was integrated with Vienna's new subway system. Many of the early Art Nouveau stations designed by Otto Wagner are preserved as landmarks.

There's plenty of action above ground too, with streetcars, horse-drawn carriages, and lots of pedestrians.  You may also notice that at this time left-hand drive was still in effect. Here is the back of the card:

The next card was also sent to Loepoldine Miller by the same sender in 1907 (?)

Vienna has a long history of streetcar service, starting with horse-drawn cars in 1865. The first steam-powered trams were added in 1883, followed by electric trams in 1897.  Although passengers preferred the electric trams over horse- and steam-powered ones, there were still a few steam-powered lines as late as 1922.

On all of these cards you can see that the front and back platforms of the cars were not glassed in; they were still built on the model of horse-drawn cars, where the conductor would need to be able to control the horses from the platform.  To reverse direction, the horses were simply detached from one side of the car and brought to the other - for that reason, both front and back platforms had to be open. By 1910, the electric cars had glass on all sides, providing much better protection from weather.

Here's the back of the card:

And finally, the last card was sent to Mr. Frank Miller in 1908 at the same address, shows the south train station. Originally, the underground Wiener Stadtbahn was supposed to connect to this station too, but the planned line was never built. Still, you can see that it was a hub for streetcars, trains, and horse-drawn carriages.

Here's the back of the card:

The message reads:

2/10/1908

Dear Frank,

Before leaving for Prague, where _____ is staying for a couple of weeks,  I thank you for the pretty card with the elephant's head. Nature is producing often very curious objects and even subjects. No doubt you enjoyed some fine holydays. Hearty greetings to you and your people from truly yours ____

If you're in Vienna, you may want to plan a trip to the Vienna Tram Museum, which displays 100 original vehicles, including  a horse tram built in 1868.

Streetcar Sunday - Auckland, New Zealand - Update

As with most other cities, Auckland initially had horse-drawn trams in 1884. These were replaced with electric trams by 1902, which continued to provide service until the end of 1956, when they were replaced with buses and trolleybuses. Since then, Auckland has had very low levels of transit ridership compared to other cities of similar size - but change is in the air!

Recently, there has been approval to build a new streetcar loop in Auckland, which would introduce heritage trams along Auckland's waterfront. Phase two of the project would connect with the central business district and Queen Street. You can read an interesting discussion of the proposed tram route here and here.
If you're visiting Auckland, you may want to stop and check out the Museum of Transport and Technology.

Streetcar Sunday -Sydney, Australia

According to Wikipedia, Sydney once had the largest tram system in Australia, the second largest in the Commonwealth (after London), and one of the largest in the world. It was extremely intensively worked, with about 1,600 cars in service at any one time during the 1930s. In 1945, the system provided 404 million rides.

As with most cities, Sydney started out with horse-drawn trams (or streetcars) in the late 1880s. These were replaced by steam-powered trams, which proved to be very popular, but by 1910 just about all of the trams were electric. The system was highly successful, despite competition from cars and buses. Still, the government was determined to shut it down. The system was shut down gradually, with the last streetcar making its final run in 1961.

If you want to know more about Sydney streetcars, there are lots of good resources. Dedicated individuals have put a lot of work into the Wikipedia reference for Sydney trams, so be sure to take a look. And don't miss this wonderful video, What Happened to Sydney's Trams:


You might also want to check out the Sydney Tramway Museum.
Oh, and here's the back of the postcard, just in case you want to see it.

Streetcar Sunday - Sayre, Pennsylvania

Sayre, Pennsylvania is located in the Penn-York Valley along with the towns of Athens and Waverly.  The New York-Pennsylvania border cuts through the valley, but there are no physical borders between the three towns, which have seamlessly connecting street grids.  According to Ken Bracken, President of the Sayre Historical Society, the Waverly Sayre & Athens Traction Company provided streetcar service for  the three towns from 1916 until 1930.  Mr. Bracken also mentions that the street looks very much the same today, except for the bank on the corner, which was badly damaged by a gas leak explosion one night in the 1960s.

Sadly, after 1930, there was no public transit for a very long time. Today, the Endless Mountain Transportation Authority provides bus service in the area.

I also would like to mention a great website if you are conducting any history or genealogy research on relatives from Bradford and Tioga Counties in Pennsylvania or Chemung County, New York. Joyce Tice has put together an incredible genealogy and history website for the area.