Tuesday, March 2, 2010

PDP #184: Old Timey Trolley

I mentioned yesterday in the course of my fulmination that streetcars ("trams" if you're European, "trolleys" if you're American, from what I understand) were common across North America and Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While a number of the European tram systems did survive, or have since been rebuilt with more up-to-date technology, most of the survivors in North America were "heritage" lines run for nostalgic purposes and to catch tourists' eyes. One such trolley runs today in Los Angeles, a privately-operated line that glides between the Farmers Market at 3rd and Fairfax and the adjacent retail development at the Grove.

I'll admit, it does have a way of catching the eye, but even back in the glory days of streetcars or trolleys or whatever you want to call them, they never did look quite like this. For one, they tended to be powered by overhead wires. That's why they're called "trolleys."

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1 comment:

  1. The TTC would REALLY have to raise the price of tokens to have those!

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