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Show .1 Once the backbone of urban transportation, the streetcar is fast dis-appeari- ng from the 1 I .v'-- i 1 TV vrjp ( f i v American scene. 7 ',M)4 V TFIILLEf - wf - ,1- - M by David W. Wright 1 he old vaudeville gag-lin- e, "Honest, mister, I was only waiting for a streetcar," is valid today H only 29 American cities; perhaps fewer than that by the time you read this, because four more cities junked their trolley cars during 1954 and still others have earmarked these venerable old vehicles for the graveyard. Thus vanishes one more vestige of the era of carriage, the the trailing skirt, the horse-drabeaker of beer. good nickel cigar, and the five-ce- nt Time was when, by doling out one nickel after another, you could ride on interconnecting trolley lines from New York to Boston. The cost: $2.40. And there's the story of the man who once worked ry out a trolley and interurban itinerary from New York to Chicago. Needless to say, his route was considerably longer than the traditional crow's flight wn cross-count- The first elacfric trolley enthusiasts and there are many r can be proud of the record set by these sturdy vehicles.-Nevhas a mode of transportation risen so rapidly. The first commercial streetcar system was established in the late 1880's in Montgomery, Ala., followed closely by Richmond, Va. (the two former capitals of the Confederacy have never agreed which was "first"). By 1917, trolley systems had 80,000 cars and 45,000 miles of track! Then, almost overnight, the trolley business began to decline. "Jitney" buses flimsy ancestors of the modern transit coaches began to appear. They could do things the trolley couldn't: pull right up to the curb to take on and discharge passengers, and use routes that had no tracks. Larger and larger cities gradually eliminated their trolley systems. Today, a survey shows that not one city of less than 50,000 population still has But trolley-ca- -- er class, passenger streetcars. In the 100,000-250,0the have and in them, only three cities still two. group, only Some cities had sentimental misgivings about disposing of their trolleys, so they threw "farewell" parties for the old cars. City officials and. rs would gather for a big banquet, then take a final ride over the trolley lines. Not all the old trolley cars were destroyed, however. Many were shipped to cities in South America where, newly painted, they're providing good service in such places as Sao Paulo, Montevideo, and Caracas. A few lucky old trolleys have even found their way into museums where, someday, people will look at them curiously and say, "Isn't that a funny old thing? Can you imagine people actually used to ride in it!" 50,000-100,0- 00 00 old-time- iu irnrm m y 1 Before the electric-powere- d units appeared on the scene, trolley cars were drawn by horses. Here is a typical car that was a common sight on city streets around 1870. 2 Used in medium-siz- e cities-pri- -1 - -- .ii ia, in r H or to World War 1, this trol cumbersome heavy and car lumbered through owed the motor traffic. lioomlagltself to extinction. i'llT" ly I "Nl t nrrr 1 i e city's trolley sys- scrapped, these were - shipped to- - J&Q- - r--1 ?4f in. another, Jetty., fate that has trolley line, y wind up American city restill isja demand or 'transportation FAMILY WEEKLY " MAGAZINE JUNE 12, lilce l?55 this. l I - ", - V 4 i - fjff , C. ' - , ' " l '1',.": J |