Philadelphia Trolleys (PA)

by Allen Meyers, Joel Spivak

Streetcar service arrived in Philadelphia in the 1850s, shortly after the consolidation of the city. After the Civil War, the horse-drawn omnibus gave way to a comprehensive network of streetcar lines with some routes measuring nineteen miles in length. By 1915, the electrification of the streetcar increased the number of routes in Philadelphia to a total of eighty-six. During the trolley's heyday, the city provided a vast test track for such companies as J.G. Brill, Kimball and Gorton Car Manufacturers, and the Budd Wheel Company. The Wharton Railroad Switch Company revolutionized the manufacture of switches and tracks. Of the lines that once operated in Philadelphia, five are still running today. Philadelphia Trolleys contains a variety of rare images, including a postcard of the Point Breeze Amusement Park, photographs of motormen's uniform badges and buttons, architectural drawings, early stock certificates, and a photograph of the Toonerville Trolley used in the silent movies produced by Lubin Studios in the 1920s.

Genres: Trains, History

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2003

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly terrible. Unsourced and unsupportted assertions of fact; an entire chapter of masterbatory self-serving photos of interest to no one but the auth and his friends; and an inexplicable lack of a map of the region being chronicled to give any kind of scale to the subject are three of the more grievous flaws.

[Kurt Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly heavy focus on carbarn architecture

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting information about Philadelphia trolleys! It could have used some maps to give the routes described more meaning. I've lived in Philly for five years and still and some trouble picturing them all.