- Charlotte Trolley
-
Charlotte Trolley 
Overview Type Heritage Streetcar System Charlotte Area Transit System Locale Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina Termini Atherton Mill (south)
9th Street (north)Stations 11 Operation Opened 1996[1] Owner Charlotte Area Transit System Operator(s) Charlotte Area Transit System Technical Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) Electrification Overhead catenary Route map 
9th Street 
7th Street Charlotte Transportation Center/Arena 3rd Street Stonewall 
Interstate 277 
Morehead Carson Bland Street East/West 
Tremont Atherton Mill 
LYNX continues The Charlotte Trolley is a heritage streetcar which operates in Charlotte in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line runs along the former Norfolk Southern right of way between Tremont Avenue in the Historic South End in a northerly direction to its terminus at 9th Street Uptown. It runs on tracks shared with the LYNX Blue Line.
Contents
History
The Charlotte Trolley represented the return of streetcar service to the city of Charlotte since the closure of its original network on March 14, 1938, which had been in operation since May 18, 1891.[2] The return of the trolley came on August 30, 1996, running in the evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons for an initial six month trial period. The trial period occurred on a 1.8-mile rail line between the Atherton Mill trolley barn and Stonewall Street.[3]
Through the initial six months of operation ending on February 28, 1997, the trolley saw a ridership of 25,000.[4] As a result of the success of the trial run of the trolley, Norfolk Southern awarded the trolley a one-year extension of the agreement to use its track.[4]
After a new bridge was completed over Stonewall Street, 7-day a week service commenced between Atherton Mill in the South End and 9th Street Uptown on June 28, 2004.[5] Operations prior to that date was run by a group of volunteers (some retirees) where some of them was hired by CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System) which has operated the Trolley since that time. At that time, CATS purchased 3 replica trolley to Car #85, a vintage trolley dating back to the 1920's.
Service was temporarily halted on February 5, 2006, when construction began on a new track system for the Charlotte LYNX light rail system.[6] Initially service was to only be halted for a year, with the trolley running approximately a year before light rail service commenced.[7] However, by November 2006 CATS determined it would be unfeasible to run the trolley service with the corridor still under construction.[7] Service resumed on April 20, 2008, and the vintage trolley cars now run on the same tracks as the LYNX trams.[8]
On October 3, 2011, it was announced that the trolley system had received a $25 million grant from the federal government to build a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) extension and six new stations.[9]
Rolling stock
There are three replica trolleys that operate on the streetcar line. They were delivered to Charlotte Trolley from Gomaco in the fall of 2004. They are numbered 91, 92 and 93.[10]
Non-operating stock
Streetcar #1
Trolley No. 1 was originally built in Philadelphia by J.G. Brill in 1907 and originally used in Athens, Greece.[11] The trolley's restoration was complete in 1989 by trolley restorer Bruce Thain of Guilford, Connecticut.[11]
Streetcar #85
This historic significance of Car 85 was that it was the final electric streetcar to run in Charlotte on March 14, 1938. Following its final journey, the city would rely solely on bus transit to serve its citizens.[12] After retirement it was sold for $100, along with all the remaining cars, and lost into obscurity for nearly 50 years before its discovery in a Huntersville neighborhood in November 1987.[12]
Upon its discovery, the Charlotte Historic Landmarks Commission led the charge in its restoration. Its restoration commenced at SpringFest `89, and was completed in 1991 at a cost of just over $100,000.[12]
Beginning service again in 1996, this served riders through 2006 when service was temporally halted.[1] In March 2007, it was announced that due to safety concerns, Car 85 would not be utilized as part of the historic trolley network at its reopening in 2007. Charlotte Trolley, Inc., owns Car 85 and entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2008 with the City of Charlotte to allow special excursion service for Car 85 up to two times per year. It is currently housed in CATS' light rail maintenance facility on South Blvd.[1]
Streetcar #407
Trolley No. 407 was originally built in Philadelphia by J.G. Brill and originally used in Richmond, Virginia from 1922-1945 before being used in Fort Collins, Colorado from 1947-1951 before being retired.[13] No. 407 was purchased in 1999 by the non-profit Charlotte Trolley Inc. for $120,000.[13]
Streetcar #117
Asheville Trolley Car #117 was manufactured in 1927 by J.G. Brill and is commonly known as a "Birney Safety Car." In the fall of that year, the Carolina Power & Light Company purchased ten of these cars to operate on the streets of Asheville, North Carolina.
Car #117 awaits restoration in its new home at the Charlotte Trolley Car Barn.
References
- ^ a b c Whitacre, Dianne (July 10, 1996). "Trolley Ho! Vintage car will roll between Uptown and Dilworth.". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ Del Pino, Oscar (August 16, 1995). "Clang, clang go the trolleys". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 1C.
- ^ Whitacre, Dianne (August 28, 1996). "Clang! Clang! Clang! - Trolley back on track starting Friday". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 1C.
- ^ a b Smith, Doug (March 1, 1997). "Trolley gets a one-year extension". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 1D.
- ^ Whitacre, Dianne (June 27, 2004). "Why one track? and other trolley trivia - 7-day-a-week service, costing $1, officially begins on Monday". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 2B.
- ^ Coto, DaNica (February 6, 2006). "History on Hiatus: Trolley makes last run for a year". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 3B.
- ^ a b Rubin, Richard (November 15, 2006). "Trolley running late on restart". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 1B.
- ^ Harrison, Steve (April 16, 2008). "Trolley joining Lynx on light-rail tracks". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 1B.
- ^ "$25m awarded to Charlotte Streetcar in North Carolina". Rail.co.. October 3, 2011. Archived from the original on October 3, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62AfYH19f. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- ^ "Charlotte, North Carolina, Debuts New Trolley Cars, October 16, 2004". Gomaco Trolley Company. http://www.gomacotrolley.com/resources/charlotteopening.html. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ a b Whitacre, Dianne (August 23, 1989). "Trolley time! Blowout gala to accompany streetcar's return.". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ a b c Gubbins, Pat Borden (March 4, 1990). "Ol' No. 85, last trolley to roll, leads way back to track.". The Charlotte Observer.
- ^ a b Whitacre, Dianne (March 9, 1999). "For $120,000, Charlotte acquires a desirable streetcar". The Charlotte Observer: pp. 3C.
See also
External links
Lynx Rapid Transit Services of Charlotte, North Carolina Current Line Future Lines Stations 3rd Street • 7th Street • Archdale • Arrowood • Bland Street • Carson • CTC/Arena • East/West Boulevard • I-485/South Boulevard • New Bern • Scaleybark • Sharon Road West • Stonewall • Tyvola • WoodlawnOther Currently operating light rail and streetcar systems in the United States ArkansasArizonaCaliforniaMUNI: Cable Car, F Market & Wharves, and Metro lines · Metro Rail: Blue Line, Green Line and Gold Line · Sacramento RT · San Diego Trolley · Sprinter · Santa Clara VTA · Waterfront Red CarColoradoFloridaGeorgiaRiver Street StreetcarLouisianaMassachusettsMarylandMinnesotaMissouri / IllinoisNew JerseyNew YorkNorth CarolinaLynx Rapid Transit Services · Charlotte TrolleyOhioOregonPennsylvaniaPittsburgh Light Rail · SEPTA Routes 15, 101, 102, and Subway–Surface LinesTennesseeTexasUtahVirginiaWashingtonLink Light Rail · Seattle Streetcar NetworkWisconsinCategories:- Heritage railroads in North Carolina
- Heritage streetcar systems
- Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Visitor attractions in Charlotte, North Carolina
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
