You City's Demolished Streetcars/Rail Lines

[muertecaza]

I thought it would be cool to have a thread dedicated to forumers sharing information about their cities' demoed/abandoned streetcar or other rail systems. I searched for a similar topic and didn't find one. If one exists, please link and I'll move my information there.

I recently read about Phoenix's old streetcar system in this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Mile-Smi.../dp/B0006CJPDA

Phoenix's streetcar system debuted in 1887 with Washington St., roughly here:



This line was initially pulled by horses.

By 1893, the street car was electrified, and the first expansion took the line to the State capitol, and up grand to the state fair grounds:



Further expansion in 1895:



And in 1909:



And finally in 1912 out to Glendale:



The last extension was one of the things that signaled the beginning of the end of the streetcar line--the operator overextended itself and the Glendale line was never profitable.

At its peak, Phoenix's streetcar had 33 miles of track. Phoenix has yet to re-establsih that same level coverage, with only 26 current miles of light rail tracks (although there are several expansions at various levels of construction/planning).

Like most early rail transportation, Phoenix's streetcars were privately built, financed and owned. In 1925, however, the City purchased the streetcar lines.

In 1947, a fire destroyed the streetcar fleet. Faced with the decision to purchase a new fleet, or transition to buses, the City chose to abandon the streetcar and transition to buses.

Good read on the subject here, with a gallery of pictures embedded below:

http://www.roguecolumnist.com/rogue_...treetcars.html

[Boisebro]

Boise had an electric trolley system that connected the towns throughout the Treasure Valley from 1906 to 1928.


source


source


source


Many of the old rail lines are still embedded under downtown streets, but the only reminder above ground is a kiosk where the old South Street Station was located:


source


Boise is currently considering a new fixed rail streetcar system, starting with a downtown loop and eventually expanding throughout the valley, but it's still a long way from reality.

[left of center]

Chicago's surface lines (in contrast to the elevated lines) used to be one of the most extensive streetcar systems in the world, with over 500 miles of track and hundreds of different marked routes. Ridership declined around WWII, and the CTA eventually absorbed the private companies that operated the lines. By the 1950's, the rails were being ripped up or buried under asphalt as buses began to replace the streetcars.


Source: Chicagoinmaps.com

[SpawnOfVulcan]

This was 30 years after the founding of Birmingham... Imagine if the stupid paving over of of tracks had not happened!


Source: Wikipedia

FML

[Centropolis]

here's the peakish streetcar network for st louis, doesnt include commuter rail or some of the suburban lines but does show the lines leaving the city and *some* of the county streetcar network:


chicagorailfan.com

it does not show the sprawling illinois rail transit system.

[Centropolis]

here is some of the illinois side but judging from the streetgrid on the st. louis side its very early:

showmeinstitute.com

[Centropolis]

the st louis system was biased towards the predominate direction of urban development in st louis ...west and northwest through the once heavier-duty more urban northwest/northside.

[Centropolis]

below the photo in the hidden image is the late 19th century suburban commuter rail (dedicated right of way...non-streetcar) map showing stops and development spilling over the fixed city limits into st. louis county before the turn of the century...you may recognize one 19th century commuter suburb...ferguson. now, some of these lines were electrified rail that looked like streetcar but ran on it's own right of way with fixed stations in both the city and suburbs.

[MonkeyRonin]

Toronto in 1932, probably peak streetcar:




And 2016 for comparison:




Here's the article showing the full progression of streetcars & rail transit from 1923 to 2016: https://seanmarshall.ca/2017/01/11/m...era-1921-2016/

[Centropolis]

here's our (sad) 2018 streetcar network (it's one line) with the light rail schematic. the streetcar line is about at the "crotch" of the split on the below map.


thetransportpolitic.com


wikipedia.com

[Obadno]

The pics of Phoenix always blow my mind.

What the hell was wrong with everyone between 1960-1980 did everyone just lose their minds?

Horrible design, ugly clothes, absolutely no long term planning for anything from federal policy to smoking to how much you should be spending on credit??

Seriously did the Soviets put something in the water? Everyone to busy swinging and being hippy weirdos to do anything of value?

[authentiCLE]

Cleveland's old streetcar map. We have a couple grade separated rapid lines, but none of the original streetcar lines are left.

[JManc]

[PHL10]

Street cars that run…..well, on streets with traffic weren’t abandoned per se. They were replaced by buses which are cheaper and more versatile but function virtually the same. Demo’d rail lines that ran in a dedicated ROW are a different story. I wouldn’t want to combine those two types of transit in the same discussion.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by PHL10

Street cars that run…..well, on streets with traffic weren’t abandoned per se. They were replaced by buses which are cheaper and more versatile but function virtually the same. Demo’d rail lines that ran in a dedicated ROW are a different story. I wouldn’t want to combine those two types of transit in the same discussion.

While they technically function in a similar way on paper, in action they don't seem to, Street cars have a different more train like vibe that more people are willing to hop on and off of.

Idk why, maybe its just the stigma of the bus, maybe its the way its so huge and imposing compared to the more friendly looking streetcar.

IDK but they don't have the same draw for people as streetcars

Also widespread automobile usage and the decline of the cities for suburban growth (until very recently) didn't help either.

[dubu]

oregon city has some tracks still there. its crazy to think that far away suburb had trains. its because its the oldest city in oregon.

i should stop using my xbox. the typing is so messed up. its so slow also

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by PHL10

Street cars that run…..well, on streets with traffic weren’t abandoned per se. They were replaced by buses which are cheaper and more versatile but function virtually the same. Demo’d rail lines that ran in a dedicated ROW are a different story. I wouldn’t want to combine those two types of transit in the same discussion.

Some systems were bought by a private company and deactivated. It was done with the goal of selling buses.

[Pedestrian]

The central Bay Area once was replete with surface rail lines of several types.

The Key System once ran across the Bay Bridge on the lower deck (which was later converted to cars) and throughout Oakland and Berkeley:


http://djjr-courses.wikidot.com/soc1...t13-key-system

And San Francisco had several systems, later municipalized:


http://www.tundria.com/trams/USA/San...sco-1944.shtml

The skeleton of this system has been recreated as both the "historic" E and F lines, using mostly pre-war cars, and the modern LRV system parts of which run in surface streets mixed with traffic, parts in a separate right of way and parts underground. In addition, of course, there is the restored skeletal cable car system with 3 lines.

[Centropolis]

for some reason st. louis started running double decker busses alongside streetcars, im not sure how normal this was in the us midwest.


metrostlouis.org



stltoday.com

[Xing]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

here's the peakish streetcar network for st louis, doesnt include commuter rail or some of the suburban lines but does show the lines leaving the city and *some* of the county streetcar network:


chicagorailfan.com

it does not show the sprawling illinois rail transit system.

This is the East St Louis area:

Brown and Red = streetcars