Intrepid Trolleys of the 1950s, Washington, Baltimore, Atlantic City, Boston

See trolleys of the 1950s in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Atlantic City and Boston. In cities and across suburban America, people once relied on trolley systems for transportation. Although “light rail” is the buzzword in urban transportation today, this film shows its origins rooted in the intrepid trolley travel of the 1950s!

Trolley service in Washington DC ran for 100 years, 1862 to 1962. A conduit buried beneath the streets powered the cars in lieu of overhead wires that would have marred historic sights, including the Capitol Building and White House shown in this film. Heading out of town, trolleys stopped at Plow Pits to transfer to overhead power.

The 5′ 4-1/2″ gauge of the Baltimore trolley system was the widest in America. The brightly painted PCC cars on the high speed Sparrows Point Line cross the picturesque Bear Creek Trestle to the steel mills.

In Atlantic City, “The Miss America Fleet” runs down Atlantic Avenue along the boardwalk. Ride inside the cars, dodging people and traffic!

In Boston, the orange and cream PCCs of the fabled “MTA” ran on many of the routes still in service today, starting from Park St. Station, the oldest subway stop in the nation.