First electric street cars

[Rye Miles #13621]

Between 1879-93, the Cleveland transportation system was electrified and consolidated. As early as 1872, when the EPIZOOTIC epidemic struck area horses and brought most street railways to a halt (a few lines used mules, which were unaffected by the epidemic), street railway owners had sought other forms of motive power. The first local attempt to use electricity to power the cars came in July 1884, but proved unsatisfactory. Electrical power was used successfully by the East Cleveland St. Railway Co. on 18 Dec. 1888; it began running 4 electrical cars the next day and extended its electric service to Public Square on its Euclid line in July 1889. The first electric car to reach the Square, however, had been on the South Side Railroad's Jennings Ave. (W. 14th) line on 19 May 1889. By 1894 all but 2 lines in Cleveland had been electrified; these were the Payne Ave. and Superior St. lines of FRANK ROBISON's Cleveland City Cable Railway Co. Cars on these lines were powered by cable ropes pulled through concrete tubes by large flywheels located in powerhouses. The city's first cable car appeared on 17 Dec. 1890 on the Superior Line; the change from horse-drawn cars to cable cars was gradual, but Robison had adopted cable cars after they had become outmoded by electricity. The Superior line was electrified in July 1900, the Payne line in Jan. 1901—the latter carried the last cable car in Cleveland on 19 Dec. 1901.

[Father Kit Cool Gun Garth]

Research shows there may have been other cities that claim the first electric streetcars; however,  one must know the difference between a streetcar,  a cable car and a trolley before making that claim.

I for one will heed this..

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Still see a lot of these in Russia and Ukrain and, I imagine, a lot of the former Soviet world. One I remember best was a trolley (russian, trolleybuss) on the side of a large traffic circle because its poles had lost contact with the overhead wires. It was waiting for a support vehicle to reconnect it.

 

In the USA these modes of transportation almost do not exist anymore because the rubber and steel companies bought them up and closed them down.

 

 

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

59 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Still see a lot of these in Russia and Ukrain and, I imagine, a lot of the former Soviet world. One I remember best was a trolley (russian, trolleybuss) on the side of a large traffic circle because its poles had lost contact with the overhead wires. It was waiting for a support vehicle to reconnect it.

 

In the USA these modes of transportation almost do not exist anymore because the rubber and steel companies bought them up and closed them down.

 

 

 

How so, Marshal???

 

There is a mix of almost all of these vehicles in the Boston system (MBTA), including subway cars (rubber and steel wheeled), trolleys and street cars.  Why would a rubber or steel company buy them up and shut them down?  And given the state/local ownership, how could they?  Am I missing something?

 

LL

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

8 minutes ago, Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438 said:

 

How so, Marshal???

 

There is a mix of almost all of these vehicles in the Boston system (MBTA), including subway cars (rubber and steel wheeled), trolleys and street cars.  Why would a rubber or steel company buy them up and shut them down?  And given the state/local ownership, how could they?  Am I missing something?

 

LL

There were many such transportation systems throughout the USA. In Cambridge, for example, you can see trolly wires that are no longer used. There is a lot of infrastructure there that is going to waste.

 

why?  To sell cars and tires.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

There were many such transportation systems throughout the USA. In Cambridge, for example, you can see trolly wires that are no longer used. There is a lot of infrastructure there that is going to waste.

 

why?  To sell cars and tires.

 

The demise of light rail systems was hastened by a conspiracy between GM, Firestone and Standard Oil.

 

In 1949, National City Lines were convicted in Federal court (and in 1951 the conviction was upheld) for  destroying the electrified rail and electric bus transit systems in 44 American cities.  Beginning in 1937, National City Lines embarked on a nationwide campaign to induce cities (by aggressively pushing “an offer you can’t refuse” of G.M. /National City Lines financing – at the height of a 12 year long, world-wide economic depression) to scrap electrically powered streetcars and trolley-buses, which G.M. did not make, and to substitute gasoline powered buses manufactured by G.M., burning Standard Oil gasoline, and rolling on Firestone rubber tires.  When National City Lines would aquire a transit system, the trolley rails would be ripped up, the overhead wires would be cut down, and the system would be converted to buses within 90 days.  It's noteworthy that New York City's electrified surface transportation system was National City Lines first victim (see the video “Taken For A Ride”). 

[Pat Riot]

58 minutes ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

 

The demise of light rail systems was hastened by a conspiracy between GM, Firestone and Standard Oil.

 

In 1949, National City Lines were convicted in Federal court (and in 1951 the conviction was upheld) for  destroying the electrified rail and electric bus transit systems in 44 American cities.  Beginning in 1937, National City Lines embarked on a nationwide campaign to induce cities (by aggressively pushing “an offer you can’t refuse” of G.M. /National City Lines financing – at the height of a 12 year long, world-wide economic depression) to scrap electrically powered streetcars and trolley-buses, which G.M. did not make, and to substitute gasoline powered buses manufactured by G.M., burning Standard Oil gasoline, and rolling on Firestone rubber tires.  When National City Lines would aquire a transit system, the trolley rails would be ripped up, the overhead wires would be cut down, and the system would be converted to buses within 90 days.  It's noteworthy that New York City's electrified surface transportation system was National City Lines first victim (see the video “Taken For A Ride”). 

This is absolutely true. This happened in Los Angeles. The Pacific Redcar was decimated. That system went all over the greater LA area and into adjoining counties. What was done here was criminal and lots of politicians and bureaucrats lined their pockets with GM, Standard Oil and Firestone dollars. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

I remember as a kid, visiting San Francisco, the Street Over-Heads being crisscrossed by electric transmission lines and the city busses all having sprung poles and contact bars.  Very Quiet.  Very efficient.  The only transportation found more efficient were the San Francisco Cable Cars.  Some of which are still in use.