Comments on: DC Mythbusting: The DC Streetcar System

By: Eric Stuart

Eric Stuart — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:58:08 +0000

The French seem to have got close to perfecting systems that allow cars to run without overhead for considerable distances, either by stored energy (Nice) or connections below street level (Bordeaux).
Proposers and supporters do well to find out more.
Conduit operation was expensive, but these new systems seem more practical and cheaper!!!!

By: This Week: DC Streetcar Showcase | TheCityFix DC

This Week: DC Streetcar Showcase | TheCityFix DC — Tue, 04 May 2010 16:43:26 +0000

[...] been much anticipation of the revival of D.C.’s streetcar system, which ran on 200 miles of track around the city for a hundred years starting in 1862. Now, 50 [...]

By: Binh

Binh — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:09:48 +0000

Five of the cars went to Fort Worth and operated on the Leonards department store subway (later known and the Tandy Center subway) until 2002. Remodeled into a completely different carbody in the mid-1970’s, three of them still sit in a vacant lot in Fort Worth as we speak.

By: Binh

Binh — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:09:23 +0000

Five of the cars went to Fort Worth and operated on the Leonards department store subway (later know and the Tandy Center subway) until 2002. Remodeled into a completely different carbody in the mid-1970’s, three of them still sit in a vacant lot in Fort Worth as we speak.

By: Dan Dalke

Dan Dalke — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:50:50 +0000

When I visitede Washington DC in 1967,there were still streetcar tracks in the streets downtown.

By: Richard Layman

Richard Layman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:45:32 +0000

P and Q Streets in Georgetown. Some is still buried here and there. After an accident, a bicyclist sued the city, stating that the tracks were a hazard, and except for a couple blocks in Georgetown, all the tracks were removed.

By: eric stuart

eric stuart — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:24:27 +0000

I noted a bit of DC conduit streetcat track in a clip from The West Wing” and wondered where exactly it was and if there was much more track like it.
We have just a short piece of track in London, leading into a tram subway, closed in 1951 or 1952.
Her in Lyon, france, we have some mixed-gauge (3-rail) sections dating from about mid-1950s.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:31:04 +0000

The Silver Sightseer was at the Capitol Trolley Museum until it was destroyed by arson.

By: shannon

shannon — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:25:22 +0000

Richard– shoot me an e-mail (shannon at welovedc.com) and I’ll send a copy over!

By: Richard Layman

Richard Layman — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:48:13 +0000

You do a nice job of linking (and summarizing the issues). And I love your photo image (the Metro pylon). Is it possible to get a copy?

By: Irwin From

Irwin From — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:39:55 +0000

Two books. 100 Years of Capital Traction by King and Capital Transit by Kohler. Corgi toys built several models of the PCCs.

By: mrmoonpie

mrmoonpie — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:12:26 +0000

Irwin, I have a framed map from the 20s at home, and it shows street-car routes. At first, I couldn’t figure out what the thick red lines on the map indicated, until I noticed that one terminated at the Car Barn on East Capitol Street.

By: Irwin From

Irwin From — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:20:03 +0000

I was a child when the subway was built. It eliminated the cars going around Dupont Circle. I remember the construction and believe several men were killed in a construction accident. My Grandfather’s store was Lorraine’s (around the corner from Riggs Bank). Because traffic tried up, many of the small merchants had to close. There remains a lot of track under the pavement and I wonder if there is a map of that which was not destroyed. Congress forced the closure of the system-major mistake. There was an air conditioned demonstration car called the Silver Sightseer. Many of the cars were sold overseas.

By: Barry G. Smith

Barry G. Smith — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:48:25 +0000

This picture was taken in the late ’40’s looking east on F St. NW at 11th NW with Woodward & Lothrup’s department store cattycorner from the photographer. What dates the photo is the street
car at the head of the line on this side of 11th
St. It was one of the very last group of cars built for DC in late 1945 or early 1946. When I
was a boy in the ’50’s I stood on that same safety
island to get a Route 40 or 42 car east to go home!

By: Contrarian

Contrarian — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:35:29 +0000

“And some of today’s Metrobus lines still run along old streetcar routes”

And… Those still use the same route numbers as the streetcar routes. Funny how some things don’t change.

By: Glen Bottoms

Glen Bottoms — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:08:19 +0000

In asnwer to Mr. McMahon, the deal fell through because were questions as to whether CSX owned the right of way in fee simple. These questions were never satisfactorily resolved that would have allowed the entire alignment to be acquired. One stretch that was acquired is near Bolling AFB and is being used for access to the proposed vehicle storage and maintenance facility (soon to be or maybe already under construction).

By: John McMahon

John McMahon — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:40:40 +0000

At one point in the streetcar project, the Anacostia alignment was chosen because CSX had an unused rail spur in place which would make a good demonstration line. However (as I recall), the demonstration project never managed to make an offer to CSX that they would accept.

By: Quigley

Quigley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:07:53 +0000

I’d date that photo as late 1940 or 41.

By: Jenn Larsen

Jenn Larsen — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:36:18 +0000

Dupont Down Under was pretty wretched.

By: leah

leah — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:50:46 +0000

underground liars… what a cool concept for a speak-easy. or a museum even.