   #copyright

Washington streetcars

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography;
Road transport

   15th Street in the early 20th century
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   15th Street in the early 20th century
   Horsecar crossing Rock Creek
   Enlarge
   Horsecar crossing Rock Creek

   For just under 100 years, between 1862 and 1962, Washington, D.C.
   streetcars and interurbans transported people across the city and
   region. The first streetcars in D.C. were drawn by horses, but later
   cable cars were used. By the beginning of the 20th Century, the
   streetcar system was fully electrified. A number of the District's
   streetcar lines were extended into Maryland, and a separate system was
   established for Northern Virginia. Over the years, the various
   companies were party to numerous mergers and bankruptcies, until all of
   the streetcars were part of one company, Capitol Transit. Labor strife,
   the popularity of the automobile and pressure to replace the streetcars
   with buses led to the demise of streetcars in Washington, D.C. In
   January of 1962 the last car went on it's last run. Elements of the
   system remain as roads, bus barns, Metrobus depots, rail trails and
   unused abandoned infrastructure.

District of Columbia Network

   Horsecars on Pennsylvania Avenue
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   Horsecars on Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company

   Chartered on May 17, 1862, during the American Civil War, to build
   three street horsecar lines using the same track gauge as the Baltimore
   and Ohio Railroad ( Standard gauge). The first streetcars were
   installed on Pennsylvania Avenue from Georgetown to the Washington Navy
   Yard.

   The first day of operation was July 29, 1862, and the entire system was
   completed on November 15. Later, lines were built along 7th Street and
   14th Street. The system was so successful, that the initial three lines
   were extended and new lines were built.

   In 1865, Sojourner Truth successfully led the fight to allow blacks to
   ride freely on Washington's streetcars. The streetcars were one of the
   few places in Washington free from racial segregation.

   After switching to cable cars in 1890 it was acquired by the Rock Creek
   Railway in 1895 and the new company was named the Capital Traction
   Company.

   In 1897 Capital Traction built the Georgetown Car Barn ("Capital
   Traction Company" is still written above the main door).

   Remnants of the line
     * The Georgetown Car Barn at 3600 M Street, NW. Like the East Capital
       Street Car Barn it was designed by Waddy B. Wood. The " Exorcist
       Steps" were built as part of the car barn's construction. They
       connect Prospect Street to M Street. The building is now owned by
       Douglas Development and leased to Georgetown University.

     * The facade of the Washington & Georgetown car barn at 3222 M
       Street, NW, now the main entrance to The Shops at Georgetown Park
       The car barn was previously the stables for Gilbert Vanderwerken's
       omnibus line. It was purchased by the Washington & Georgetown line
       and used first as stables.

     * The " Blue Castle" or Navy Yard Car Barn at 770 M Street, SE. It's
       now the home of the KEY Academy, Washington Math Science Technology
       Public Charter School, and the Eagle Academy. See photo on this
       page. The building was purchased in January 2006 by Preferred Real
       Estate Investments who intend to change its colour and turn it into
       retail space. Further information in Washington Post story.

Metropolitan Railroad Company

   Incorporated in 1864. Its first line ran from the Capitol to the War
   Department via F Street, NW. Later lines ran along Connecticut Ave; 7th
   St, NW; E. Capitol St; from Dupont Circle to Georgetown via the P
   Street Bridge and along O & P Streets in Georgetown. In 1896
   Metropolitan built the Waddy B. Wood designed East Capitol Street Car
   Barn and in 1899 merged with the Washington Traction and Electric
   Company, which quickly went bankrupt. It was then purchased by the
   Washington Railway and Electric Company.
   Columbia Railway Company Car Barns, Fifteenth Street & Benning Road
   Northeast
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   Columbia Railway Company Car Barns, Fifteenth Street & Benning Road
   Northeast

   Remnants of the line
     * The East Capitol Street (or Lincoln Park) Car Barn at 1400 East
       Capitol Street, NE, now a condominium.

Columbia Railway Company

   Founded in 1870. It started opearations in 1872 at New York Avenue NW
   and 15th St NW, and ran east along New York Avenue NW to K Street NW,
   along K Street NW t o Massachusetts Avenue NW, along Massachusetts
   Avenue NW to H Street, NW, and along H Street to Benning Road NE
   (formerly Columbia Pike). On October 28, 1895, it converted to a cable
   car system. In 1898, the route was extended out Benning Road, NE, to
   the Deanwood neighbourhood. This extension was built as an electric
   line, and in 1899, the rest of the cable car line was converted to
   electricity. From Deanwood, passengers could transfer to the Chesapeake
   Beach Railroad or the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad both
   of which stopped at Seat Pleasant just outside the District. It
   eventually became part of the Washington Railway and Electric Company.

Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad Company

   Incorporated in 1872. In 1875, it constructed a streetcar line across
   the Anacostia River. The line ran from 7th Street and M Street SW,
   along M Street and 11th across the Navy Yard Bridge (now the 11th
   Street Bridge) to Uniontown (now historic Anacostia). The route then
   ran down Nichols Avenue (now Martin Luther King Avenue) to V Street SE.
   A car barn and stables were maintained by the company at Nichols Avenue
   and V Street SE. It eventually became part of the Washington Railway
   and Electric Company.

Capitol, North O Street and South Washington Railway Company

   Incorporated and opened in 1875. It operated streetcar lines primarily
   on NW 4th St. and NW 11th St. In 1893 it was renamed the Belt Railway
   Company, and in 1899 it was acquired by the Anacostia and Potomac River
   Railroad Company. See a photo here.

   These lines were later converted to electric operation. The last
   horsecar ran on May 26, 1900.

Eckington and Soldiers’ Home Railway Company

   Opening day, Eckington & Soldiers’ Home Railway at the terminus of the
   line at Seventh Street and New York Avenue, NW
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   Opening day, Eckington & Soldiers’ Home Railway at the terminus of the
   line at Seventh Street and New York Avenue, NW

   The first electric streetcar in D.C. was run by the Eckington and
   Soldiers' Home Railway. It was chartered on June 19, 1888 and started
   operation later that year. It started at 7th & New York Ave. NW, east
   of Mount Vernon Square and travelled a distance of 2 ½ miles to the
   Eckington Car barn at 4th and T NE via Boundary Street, Eckington
   Place, R Street, 3rd and T Street. A one week pass cost $1.25. In 1889
   it was extended to Glenwood Cemetery and in 1895 to Soldiers' Home. The
   Glenwood Cemetery extension was shut down in 1894. In 1898, it merged
   with the City and Suburban Railway.

   Remnants of the line
     * The Eckington Car Barn at T Street, NE, between 4th and 5th
       Streets; now a postal facility

Brightwood Railway Company

   On October 18, 1888, Congress authorized the Brightwood Railway Company
   to build a streetcar line on Georgia Avenue (then known as Seventh
   Street Extended or Brightwood Avenue) from Boundary Street to the
   District line at Silver Spring. Four of the five founders were partners
   in the Petworth subdivision, including the line's president, A. A.
   Thomas.

   The Metropolitan Railroad Company had run a horse-drawn line on Georgia
   Avenue to Rock Creek Church Road since about 1873. The Metropolitan was
   authorized to run the streetcar line all the way to the District
   boundary, but the area was sparsely developed and the horsedrawn cars
   offered a long, slow trip to and from the city. Business was slow. So
   the Brightwood Railway Company bought the Metropolitan's Georgia Avenue
   line in 1890 and electrified it. Because all wiring in the city was
   required to be underground the line used storage battery cars. Maximum
   fare was 5 cents/passenger or 6 tickets for 25 cents.

   The Brightwood line was extended to Takoma Park in 1892. In 1895 the
   Washington, Woodside and Forest Glen Railway and Power Company was
   organized to carry the Brightwood line into Montgomery County.
   The former powerplant on the Georgetown waterfront
   Enlarge
   The former powerplant on the Georgetown waterfront

   Remnants of the line
     * The Brightwood Car Barn, 5929 Georgia Avenue, NW; parts were
       incorporated into Curtis Chevrolet

Georgetown and Tenallytown Railway Company

   The Georgetown and Tenallytown Railway Company was chartered in 1888
   and had electric lines running along Wisconsin Avenue to the District
   line in 1890. In 1897, the line merged with the Tenallytown and
   Rockville Railroad, which ran to Alta Vista and Rockville. Together
   they formed the Washington and Rockville Electric Railway Company.

Rock Creek Railway

   Starting in 1890 it ran between the Cardoza/Shaw neighbourhood and
   Chevy Chase Lake in Maryland. It started at 7th & Boundary Street,
   traveled east on Florida, U Street, north on 18th Street, west on
   Calvert Street, and north on Connecticut Avenue to Chevy Chase Lake. It
   was built by the Chevy Chase Land Company, whose principal owner was
   Francis G. Newlands. On September 21, 1895, the Rock Creek Railway
   acquired the Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company. The new
   company was named the Capital Traction Company.

   Remnants of the line
     * The Decatur Street Car Barn at 4701 14th Street, NW. Also known as
       the Capital Traction Company Car Barn, it is now a Metrobus barn.

The Washington & Great Falls Electric Railway

   Incorporated in 1892 and opened in 1895, The Washington & Great Falls
   Electric Railway began in Georgetown at 36th and Prospect Streets and
   ran in a private right-of-way along the lands of the Washington
   Aqueduct to Glen Echo and from there along the old tracks of the Glen
   Echo Railroad to Cabin John. Because the railroad never reached Great
   Falls, but instead terminated at Cabin John, it was often referred to
   as the "Cabin John Trolley". It was acquired in 1902 by the Washington
   Railway and Electric Company. The railway was dismantled in the 1960s,
   but the former roadbed is still discernable in The Palisades and in
   Montgomery County, Maryland. More details and photos are available at
   this website.

   Remnants of the line in Washington, D.C.

Capital Railway Company

   The Capital Railway Company was the first electric railway line to
   cross the Anacostia. It was incorporated in 1895 and ran over the newly
   constructed bridge at Pennsylvania Avenue and along Nichols (now Martin
   Luther King) Avenue past St. Elisabeths. In 1900 it was sold to the
   Anacostia and Potomac River Railroad. By 1902, the streetcar line had
   been extended along Nichols Avenue to Congress Heights, ending at Upsal
   Street. In 1935 it was converted to buses.

The East Washington Heights Traction Railroad

   Opened sometime after 1900 and ran on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, across
   the Anacostia River on the bridge that was replaced by the John Philip
   Sousa Bridge. In 1923, it became the first streetcar in D.C. to convert
   to buses.
   Token
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   Token

Washington Railway and Electric Company & Capital Traction Company

   In 1900, Congress passed the Reorganization Act. This paved the way for
   an extensive series of mergers and acquisitions, through which
   ownership of all streetcars in Washington was divided between two
   companies: the Washington Railway and Electric Company' and the Capital
   Traction Company. The Washington Railway and Electric Company had been
   formed in 1900 for just this purpose. The combined system reached its
   greatest size in 1915.

   In 1925, the North American Company acquired, through stock purchase, a
   controlling interest in the Washington Railway and Electric Company and
   a minority interest in Capital Traction. At about this time, the system
   (as in other cities) began to decline in quality and ridership because
   of competition from the private automobile and buses. At the time,
   streetcars were viewed by many as old fashioned, impractical and less
   desirable than buses. With the coming of the Depression, revenues and
   maintenance suffered. Unlike today, most transit systems were privately
   owned and received no government subsidy.
   Capital Transit weekly passes
   Enlarge
   Capital Transit weekly passes

Capital Transit Company

   In December 1933, the Washington Railway and Electric Company merged
   with Capital Traction forming the Capital Transit Company. For the
   first time, all street railways in the Washington were under the same
   management.

   On August 28, 1937, the first PCC streetcar entered service in
   Washington on 14th Street. Over the next two years, Capital Transit
   would replace all cars with the PCC model.

   On September 12, 1949, Louis Wolfson purchased from North American
   45.61% of the company's stock for $20 per share. The sale allowed North
   American to comply with the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,
   which prevented North American from owning other businesses along with
   the Potomac Electric Power Company. This came about after a decision by
   the United States Supreme Court in North American Company v. Security
   and Exchange Commission in 1946.

   On December 14, 1949, the Connecticut Avenue trolley stop and tunnel
   were built under Dupont Circle as a step in moving the entire streetcar
   system underground. The idea never caught on.

DC Transit

   In 1956, in response to a carmen's strike, Congress and the District
   Commissioner revoked Capital Transit's franchise. The franchise was
   sold to O. Roy Chalk, a New York financier who owned controlling
   interest in Trans Caribbean Airways. He purchased the assets of Capital
   Transit under the corporate title of DC Transit. Part of the agreement
   was that he would eliminate the streetcars and replace them with buses.
   Streetcar service ended on January 27, 1962, and most of the cars were
   sold to Barcelona and Sarajevo.

   Most of DC Transit's assets were purchased by the Washington
   Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) in 1973.

Suburban Maryland

Northern Virginia

Interurbans

     * Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Electric Railroad, 1908 – 1935

Technology

   Underground conduit system at 14th & G Streets, NW
   Enlarge
   Underground conduit system at 14th & G Streets, NW

   The first streetcars were pulled by horses. Later, cable cars were
   used. By 1900, all trains were powered by electricity.

Horsecars (1862–1900)

Cable cars (1890–1899)

   As was true in many US cities at the end of the 19th century, cable
   cars briefly ran down D.C. streets. They were run by two existing
   streetcar companies. In 1890, the Washington and Georgetown Railroad
   Company converted to cable cars and built the Navy Yard Car Barn for
   that purpose, but on September 29, 1897, the company's powerhouse at
   14th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue NW burned down. An electric conduit
   car system replaced the cable cars the next year. The Columbia Railway
   Company also operated cable cars before converting to electrical
   operation. It ran them between October 28, 1895 and 1899.

Electric cars

   Thomas Circle, 1943
   Enlarge
   Thomas Circle, 1943

   In the downtown area overhead wires were forbidden on the streets, so
   standard trolley cars could not be used. But outside of downtown an
   underground conduit system was too expensive to build. To meet both
   needs, an unusual dual system of power supply was utilized.

   In downtown, the cars acted as conduit cars. Electrical power was
   delivered to the cars by way of an underground delivery system. This is
   similar to a " third rail" system though it's technologically
   different. A conduit slot was located between the two riding rails and
   the streetcar drew power from this mechanism through a plow. The plow
   was an electrical contact which was attached to the underside of the
   carriage and extended more than one foot beneath the surface of the
   street through a slot running down the middle of the track. This
   technology was initially used in Blackpool, but later only in
   Washington, Manhattan, and London.

   In the outer areas and for interurban travel, the streetcars acted as
   trolley cars. At the outskirts of downtown, the cars would stop at a
   plow pit, a manned space under the tracks, where the plow could be
   removed by the pitman. At the same time, the conductor would attach the
   trolley pole to the overhead wires and switch to overhead power. See
   photo of a plow pit here.

Trolley parks

     * Suburban Gardens
     * Luna Park

Appearances in motion pictures

     * The Day the Earth Stood Still
     * Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
     * Sherlock Holmes in Washington

Remnants of the system

   Georgetown car barn
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   Georgetown car barn
   Station at 14th and Colorado, NW
   Enlarge
   Station at 14th and Colorado, NW
   Abandoned Trestle of the Cabin John Trolley over Foundry Branch
   Enlarge
   Abandoned Trestle of the Cabin John Trolley over Foundry Branch
   P Street NW, in Georgetown, features streetcar tracks installed in the
   1890s.
   Enlarge
   P Street NW, in Georgetown, features streetcar tracks installed in the
   1890s.
     * Stations
          + 14th and Colorado, NW, now a Metrobus depot
          + 1900 block of Calvert Street, NW, now a Metrobus depot. The
            white building now standing was a Toddle House restaurant. See
            further information here.
          + Connecticut Avenue and Northampton, NW, now a Metrobus depot

     * Tunnels
          + Connecticut Avenue under Dupont Circle and abandoned
            underground station
          + C Street between New Jersey Avenue, NW, and Delaware Avenue,
            NE
          + Turnaround loop under 14th Street, SW, south of C Street

     * Trestles
          + Over Arizona Avenue, NW, between Dorsett Place and Sherier
            Place
          + Over Foundry Branch in Glover Archibald Park, near Georgetown
            University

     * Visible train tracks in the centre of O and P Streets in Georgetown
     * Potomac Electric Power Company
     * Manhole covers like this one from the Anacostia & Potomac River
       Railroad

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_streetcars"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
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