Streetcars in St. Paul and Minneapolis

Matt Anderson, Objects Curator at the Minnesota Historical Society, looks at the history of streetcars in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Trolley-related artifacts, photos and film footage in the Society's collection are featured.

Visit our blog and podcast site at http://discussions.mnhs.org/collections for more highlights from the Collections!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• streetcars
• twin_cities
• minnesota
• transportation
• history
• museum
• automobiles
• rail
• transit
• MHS

[captainmorgan757]

@AppleSouffle if you are trying to insult me for being a "Rebuplican" try again (strike one)! I do not affiliate myself with any political group. "Encourages business along their rails"? Try telling that to those businesses that have closed due to the light rail (strike two)! "Trams can run on solar, wind, or water"? What physics class did you fail? (strike three)!!!

[AppleSouffle]

Captainmorgan, that's typical, Republican, self-absorbed, anti-community minded hog swill.

The light rail encourages businesses along their rails because it's guaranteed to be there for many years to come. A bus line could move tomorrow. The trams run on electricity, which can be generated by solar, wind, water or, alas, coal. Buses send money to the Middle East for their fuel.

Trams add to the quality of life of a city. They're smooth, clean and efficient. Buses are loud and pollute.

[captainmorgan757]

@Jeffbear1 very good, sir! Someone has done his homework. Now, take your comment and think...could it not be said of the same shameless politicians of today???  The Light Rail System is nothing but another travesty for the over-taxed tax payer, except in the mind of liberals.

[1400deadwood]

RESTORE AMERICA TO HER HISTORIC GREATNESS --- BRING THE TROLLEYS BACK!!!

[Jeffbear1]

The story of why Minneapolis lost its street car system is a widely known scandal. It even had Mafia connections. It's far too long of a story to relate here. The Twin Cities Rapid Transit Co. was purchased by an unscrupulous business man who bled the company to death. There was no maintenance done to the cars or infrastructure. Practically new trolleys were sold at bargain prices and buses substituted. It was an actual travesty.

[Jeffbear1]

They're actually called strain insulators. SEPTA in Philly got rid of all PCC cars except the 18 heavily rebuilt ones for Girard Ave. There are no cars left at the Germantown depot. The State completely rebuilt Germantown Ave. with new tracks and wires. But SEPTA flatly refuses to run trolleys on it. And there is nothing left to run on it anyway. SEPTA loves buses...hates trolleys. Many of the ex-Luzerne cars are now running in San Francisco. SEPTA said they were "too old to run anymore".

[italobambino43]

I did not even notice that I used the word "Cleat", lol. I meant to say insulator. Well, what really erked me is this, they went and spent all that money to ourchase those PCC cars for the Route 15 on Girard avenue. To my understanding they sold off the fleet of PCC'S that were housed at the now closed Luzerne depot in North Philly. Luzerne was one location, there was also a small fleet stored at a secluded loop just off Germantown ave. and Crescham valley road, which has since been closed.

[Jeffbear1]

Many of the Twin Cities 1948-49 PCC "streamliner" trolleys were sold to Public Service in Newark, New Jersey. They operated in Newark for fifty years. Many of them were resold to the MUNI in San Francisco. They were beautifully restored and run up and down San Francisco's Market Street. So you can "still" ride Minneapolis-St. Paul street cars in regular service.

[Jeffbear1]

That item that you call a "cleat" is actually a wooden "strain" insulator. Philly's SEPTA restored a fleet of 1947-48 PCC "streamliner" trolleys and they operate on Girard Ave.

[Teigen64]

Interesting. Thanks.