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I just finished reading three fantastic books about trolley car systems:

New York & North Shore Traction Company by Vincent F. Seyfried;

New York & Long Island Traction Company by Vincent F. Seyfried;

A History Of The Hudson Valley Railway, Saratoga Through Car by David F. Nestle.

These books are available on the used book market, and they are great reading about rise and fall of interurban systems in the period of 1895 through 1928. I find it incredible that so many efficient electric railways were squandered away.

My next search is for a copy of the Long Island Electric Company by Vincent F. Seyfried. Ironically, Mr Seyfried was my English teacher in Martin Van Buren High School, but I had no idea of his interest in trolley car lines at the time.

For the record, I discovered in "A History Of The Hudson Valley Railway, Saratoga Through Car" by David F. Nestle that this mishap took place in Mechanicville, New York. The car was a runaway down that went down Park Avenue in Mechanicville.

 

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  • mceclip0
Last edited by Bobby Ogage

Although the New York & Long Island Traction (NY&LIT) Company's rolling stock long ago perished, one car that operated over the line has survived because it was a BRT (Brooklyn Rapid Transit) car that was converted it into a sand car, No. 9730, and purchased by the Branford Trolley Museum in 1950.  Members of the Branford Museum did a great job of restoring the car back into her BRT 1792 configuration.

Built for the BRT by the Laclede Car Company of St. Louis in 1899, No. 1792 on loan to the NY&LIT, once operated through Long Island towns such as Rosedale, Springfield, Lynbrook, Baldwin, Freeport, Hempstead, Garden City, Mineola and along the Jamaica Avenue Branch (AKA Jericho Turnpike) through Queens Village, Bellerose, Floral Park and New Hyde Park.

Sole Surviving Car That Operated On The New York & Long Island Traction Company's Railways

BRT 1792 [6)

 

 

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Last edited by Bobby Ogage
Bobby Ogage posted:

New York & North Shore Traction Company Car southbound to Mineola. This is likely a Kuhlman built car. The Roslyn Clock Tower was a trolley stop and the tower still stands today.

$[KGrHqVHJBkFBR0-nyn2BRr2U+Okjw~~60_1

This may be the same car northbound to Port Washington. It is about to climb a hill and cross Northern Boulevard (Rt 25A).

Have any Kuhlman cars of the early 1900s been saved?

Great photos Bobby! I used to live not very far from the old town of Roslyn, NY. and this photo brought back memories of many good times. Looking at the top photo, if you went down the road to the right, which goes down hill and is a one way street, you would be at the Roslyn movie theater. Also many interesting shops, cafes and lots of history to be found in that town too. The clock tower still stands today and was a memorial to Ellen E. Ward, which was built in 1895.

Last edited by N5CJonny

Once upon a time there was a street railway that ran along the Rockaways which are the south shore beach communities of Long Island. Like the fate of most of the trolley lines on Long Island, the Ocean Beach Railway wound up under the control of the Long Island Rail Road.

Berkshire Railway No 3211

          Ocean Electric Car 3211

FAIRVIEW AVENUE WHERE TROLLEYS ENTERED AND LEFT THE L.I.R.R.frstac1920

The Ocean Electric Railway Had Trackage Rights On The Long Island Rail Road In The Rockaways

OERY2carsSoerycar21

          Brill Built Convertible No. 21

OERYcarARVmirrorS

 

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  • Berkshire Railway No 3211
  • FAIRVIEW AVENUE WHERE TROLLEYS ENTERED AND LEFT THE L.I.R.R.
  • frstac1920
  • OERY2carsS
  • oerycar21
  • OERYcarARVmirrorS
TomlinsonRunRR posted:

MWB,

Your last two posts with the close-ups of the conductors and their uniforms is a nice idea.  It really brings it home that those fellows were somebody's father, husband, uncle, grandfather.  They all look so proud of their cars, too.

Tomlinson Run Railroad

Thanks!  While the trolleys alone are very interesting, they were a part of the lives of people then.  Those old photos and RPPC's capture interesting people that are a part of our past and everything about them adds both detail and information pertaining to the times.  I have a few more that I managed to find and expand that I will post up in the near future.

Here are 2 photos of Pittsburgh Railways #3487, a Double Truck, Double End High Floor Car built by St. Louis Car Company in 1905.  This car has been preserved and is on display at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.  The first photo from the PTM website shows it in service on the #13 Emsworth Route around 1909.  The second photo shows it at the Museum as pictured on a postcard during the early years of the Museum. 

 

And now that we’re focusing on uniforms, note that the conductor and motorman’s jackets appear to button down the middle but with the left side on the outside.

 

Bill

3487-Emsworth-1909PRC_#3487_Postcard0001

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  • 3487-Emsworth-1909
  • PRC_#3487_Postcard0001
Last edited by WftTrains

It was standing room only on this Pittsburgh Railways Street Car on a July afternoon in the early 1900’s at Kennywood Park.  Back in those days that was how most park visitors arrived at and returned home from the park.  Note the long dresses and suit on the man.  Back then this park had to compete with 13 other “trolley parks” in the Pittsburgh area for customers.  And among those 13 trolley parks, only Kennywood survived!

Early_1900's_Car_at_Kennywood

Many years later than this photo I rode PCC streetcars to Kennywood when I was a kid.  I also rode a passenger train with my grandparent's to Idlewild Park in Ligonier as my grandfather worked for the Pennsy and had a pass.  BTW Idlewild also survives to this day but it was not a trolley park having been started by the Ligonier Valley Railroad, a short narrow gauge coal-hauling railroad.  Bill

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  • Early_1900's_Car_at_Kennywood: Pittsburgh Railways Street Car Dropping Off Passengers at Kennywood Park in the early 1900's

Trolley cars at or in route to parks.Type Five streetcar making its way up Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester away from Mattapan Square and towards Franklin ParkOn The Way Up Blue Hill Avenue, Dorchester Towards Franklin Park

1955 SAN FRANCISCO @PLAYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK         1955 SAN FRANCISCO @ PLAYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK

Asheville and Craggy Mountain Railway. Trolley cars and on the line up Sunset Mountain to Overlook ParkAsheville & Craggy Mountain Railway Cars On Sunset Mountain In Route To Overlook Park

AT RIVERSIDE, Rhode Island 1910 Going TO CRESCENT PARK        AT RIVERSIDE, Rhode Island 1910 Going TO CRESCENT PARK

Glen Echo Park          Glen Echo Park
Idora ParkIdora Park TrolleyLakewood-Park-1910, Charlotte, NCLakewood-Park-1910, Charlotte, NC

Portland 506 was hauled up to Council Crest Park on Nov. 22, 1950 and it stayed there till vandals damaged it on Halloween night in 1972eybw506

Portland 506 was hauled up to Council Crest Park on Nov. 22, 1950 and it stayed there till vandals damaged it on Halloween night in 1972Trolley Cars @ Washington Park, Westville, NJ

Trolley Cars @ Washington Park, Westville, NJ

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  • Type Five streetcar making its way up Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester away from Mattapan Square and towards Franklin Park
  • 1955 SAN FRANCISCO @PLAYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK
  • Asheville and Craggy Mountain Railway. Trolley cars and on the line up Sunset Mountain to Overlook Park
  • AT RIVERSIDE, Rhode Island 1910 Going TO CRESCENT PARK
  • Glen Echo Park
  • Idora Park
  • Lakewood-Park-1910, Charlotte, NC
  • Portland 506 was hauled up to Council Crest Park on Nov. 22, 1950 and it stayed there till vandals damaged it on Halloween night in 1972eybw506
  • Trolley Cars @ Washington Park, Westville, NJ
Greg Nagy posted:

Between this thread and the diner car thread, if you are not following Brian Butko on Facebook and some of his groups, you are missing out on a lot of stuff. 

     I don't know how much trolley content will be in it, but his book on Luna Park in Pittsburgh is dropping now.

Greg,

Yes, Brian Butko has done a good job of picking up the torch from Randy Garbin, Richard Gutman, and others who photograph, record, and track diner buildings.  I avoid Facebook, but Mr. Garbin has a useful web blog.  Is there another O gauge diner car thread out there that I missed? We've had several here and I do hope to post some new information to my trolley-railcar-diner "the real story" post -- this weekend in fact, as it's been a while (too busy!).

Thanks for the heads up on the book release.

Tomlinson Run RR

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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