Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Early view of Richmond Streetcars

(Click on image for larger view - click on it twice for extra large view)

I got this image from Ebay - the seller did not know the original source. It appears to be from a journal. My guess is the image is from the 1890s.  

Unfortunately, there is not a comprehensive site on Richmond's early streetcar system - but here is one with an overview of its history and some nice images.  And here's a good site on Frank J. Sprague, who came to Richmond in 1887-1888 to install what became the world's first large-scale electric trolley line. The best monograph on Richmond's streetcar history is Rails in Richmond by Carlton Norris McKenney, published in 1986.

Other sites on Richmond's streetcars - Here and Here.

- Ray B. 

2 comments:

Stuart said...
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dmcgrann said...

For those interested, the reprint of Rails In Richmond is available at the Old Dominion Railway Museum, 102 Hull Street. It is also sold at the gift shops at the Virginia Historical Society, Valentine Richmond History Center and the Science Museum of Virginia.