I am here in Steamtown and they are claiming the oldest eletric trolley...but wait Richmond VA also claims the title....whos right?
This wikipedia artical has my head spinning-
The first electric street car in America was put into service on Michigan Street in South Bend, Indiana in 1882.[11]
In 1883 Leo Daft built Ampère, an experimental 2 ton electric locomotive in Newark, New Jersey that was intended to pull passengers through the city's streets. Daft's locomotive used one rail to supply and the other rail to return current to the generator. One of the wheels on each axle was insulated from the axle with "vulcanized fiber".[12]
The World Cotton Centennial was held in New Orleans, Louisiana from December 16, 1884 to June 2, 1885. It featured displays with a great deal of electric light illumination, an observation tower with electric elevators, and several prototype designs of electric streetcars.[13] On April 15, 1886 Montgomery, Alabama established its electric streetcar system nicknamed the Lightning Route.[14] Another early electrified streetcar system in the United States was established in Scranton, Pennsylvania by November 30, 1886; it was the first system to be run exclusively on electric power, giving Scranton the nickname "The Electric City".[15][16] In 1887 an electric streetcar line opened between Omaha and South Omaha, Nebraska.[17] The Omaha Motor Railway Company began operation in 1888.[17]
Along the east coast a large-scale electric street railway system known as the Richmond Union Passenger Railway was built by Frank J. Sprague in Richmond, Virginia, and was operating by February 2, 1888. The Richmond system had a large impact upon the burgeoning electric trolley industry. Sprague's use of a trolley pole for D.C. current pick up from a single line (with ground return via the street rails) set the pattern that was to be adopted in many other cities. The North American English use of the term "trolley" instead of "tram" for a street railway vehicle derives from the work that Sprague did in Richmond and quickly spread elsewhere.
Sprague's installation in Richmond is considered to be the first electric streetcar system to be a long term success. He was the first to use "nose-suspended" motors, which are still used on American diesel electric locomotives. Sprague's motors were noted for being among the first to be designed specifically for motor use as opposed to modifying a dynamo.
A short lived product of Sprague's Richmond installation was the double reduction gear drive. About 5 years later, a relatively new hire at Westinghouse, B.G. Lamme, re-designed traction motors to need only single reduction gearing. Lamme was also instrumental in developing the synchronous converter and for making practical motors out of Tesla's designs.
- Erik
The South Bend operation was a Van Depoele setup that used what were for all practical purposes trolley poles. The failure in South Bend had more to do with the chain drive from the rheostat-controlled motors that used copper brushes than with the pickup, though if I remember right they also had some problems due to the failure to bond the rails together for electical return. One of Spragues contributions to motor design that's relatively unremarked was the introduction of carbon brushes. GEs L and K controllers also contributed a great deal to making streetcar and rapid transit operation possible.
Leo Daft actually invented an electric locomotive to haul horse cars in place of horses. It was not an unreasonable idea but Frank Sprague's street car with a self contained motor was a much better idea.
A little more on South Bend: Van Depoele didn't use his underrunning pole (first used at Toronto in 1885, invention by Van Depoele validated as a result of a patent suit in 1895). In South Bend he used a "Troller", like Daft's, sort of a roller skate with a tail. Surprisingly that device wan't much of a problem, but dust and horse manure in the motors definitely was. See the CERA bulltin "Northern Indiana" for more info.
Suhs, Richmond Virginia had the first PRACTICAL, SUCCESSFUL trolley system in the country, and don't let some day-yum Yankee tell you otherwise!
Firelock76Suhs, Richmond Virginia had the first PRACTICAL, SUCCESSFUL trolley system in the country, and don't let some day-yum Yankee tell you otherwise!
But it was a hugh mistake. If we had just kept our horse cars we would still have them. With no overhead wires they would be much cheaper to operate. And we would have all that fertilizer too boot. New Jersey Transit could make so much money selling horse manure they wouldn't need any state subsidy.
They said the guy here in Scranton hated horses.....much like some railfans hate steam or diesal...As a PETA fan I dont like the idea of horses in transit either...Dont like the way they are treated in New Orleans today on the carriges there.
John WR Firelock76Suhs, Richmond Virginia had the first PRACTICAL, SUCCESSFUL trolley system in the country, and don't let some day-yum Yankee tell you otherwise! But it was a hugh mistake. If we had just kept our horse cars we would still have them. With no overhead wires they would be much cheaper to operate. And we would have all that fertilizer too boot. New Jersey Transit could make so much money selling horse manure they wouldn't need any state subsidy.
Well John, ya know ever since Sandy New Jersey Transit's been slinging a lot of horse manure anyway.
In fact, Richmond didn't have any choice but to put in an electric streetcar system. After the "Late Unpleasantness" there weren't any horses left! What the Yankees didn't run off with the surviving Confederates ATE!
There was Traveller of course. He was still around but no-one would countenance such a noble steed being used for such a plebean purpose as hauling a streetcar.
Wayne
Firelock76ell John, ya know ever since Sandy New Jersey Transit's been slinging a lot of horse manure anyway.
Wayne,
I shall not dignify your CONTUMELY by repeating it. We New Jersians stand as one in supporting the decision of our transit leaders to destro...... I mean save our rolling stock.
John
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