Streetcars in North America - Heritage Streetcar Systems

Heritage Streetcar Systems

See also: Heritage streetcar

Heritage streetcar systems are used in public transit service, combining light rail efficiency with tourist's nostalgia interests. Proponents claim that using a simple, reliable form of transit from 50 or 100 years ago can bring history to life for 21st century visitors. Systems are operating successfully in over 30 U.S. cities, and are in planning or construction stages in 40 more. Heritage systems currently operate in Charlotte, North Carolina; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Dallas, Texas; Tampa, Florida; Kenosha, Wisconsin; and New Orleans, Louisiana are among the larger.

In the province of British Columbia, Vancouver has the Vancouver Downtown Historic Railway system that will be expanded to cover the south downtown area. In Nelson, British Columbia, a small town to the north of Spokane, Washington, the Nelson Electric Tramway Society has rebuilt and runs a restored Streetcar 23 along the lakeside and Baker Street. In Whitehorse, Yukon the Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society has operated the Whitehorse trolley along the Yukon River since 2000.

The new streetcar system which opened in 2000 in Kenosha is a downtown circulator also serving government offices; the upscale HarborPark recreational, cultural, and residential district; and public bus and Metra rail service. It is served exclusively by restored 1940s-vintage PCC streetcars acquired secondhand from Toronto.

Over 50 years after the Tennessee Williams play A Streetcar Named Desire opened on Broadway, the revival of streetcar operations in New Orleans is credited by many to the worldwide fame gained by the streetcars made by the Perley A. Thomas Car Works. These cars were operating on the system's Desire route in the 1947 play and later movie of the same name. Some of the original cars have been carefully restored locally and continue to operate in the 21st century.

Examples in North America include San Pedro, Little Rock, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Tampa, Seattle, Charlotte, the new Canal Street line in New Orleans, and the reintroduction of the historic Girard Street line in Philadelphia.

Other individual heritage streetcar lines include:

  • Astoria Riverfront Trolley, in Astoria, Oregon
  • Charlotte Trolley in Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Chattanooga Choo Choo complex in Chattanooga, Tennessee
  • Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Fort Collins Municipal Railway in Fort Collins, Colorado operates seasonally
  • Galveston Island Trolley in Galveston, Texas
  • Heritage Express Trolley in El Reno, Oklahoma
  • High Level Bridge Streetcar in Edmonton, Alberta
  • MATA Trolley in Memphis, Tennessee
  • Port of LA Waterfront Red Car in San Pedro, California
  • River Rail Streetcar in Little Rock, Arkansas
  • River Street Streetcar in Savannah, Georgia
  • Platte Valley Trolley in Denver, Colorado
  • TECO Line Streetcar System in Tampa, Florida
  • Willamette Shore Trolley in Portland, Oregon

Read more about this topic:  Streetcars In North America

Famous quotes containing the words heritage and/or systems:

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