| Rock Creek Railway |
Website Links For Washington |
Information AboutRock Creek Railway |
|
Streetcars and Interurbans operated in Washington, D.C. , between 1862 and 1962. The first streetcars were drawn by horses, and later Cable Car s were used. By the beginning of the 20th Century, the streetcar system was fully electrified; Conduit Car s were used downtown, and Trolley cars were used in the outer areas and for the interurban streetcars. The streetcar lines were soon extended into Maryland, and a separate system was established for Northern Virginia. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA NETWORK Horsecars (1862–1900) 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). 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 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 to 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 neighborhood. 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 ''. 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 (1888–1962) Eckington and Soldiers’ Home Railway Company 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 Mt 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. 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 Florida Avenue (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. 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 . On September 21, 1895, the Rock Creek Railway acquired the Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company. The new company was named the '''Capital Traction Company'''. 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. 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 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 's in ''North American Company v. Security and Exchange Commission'' in 1946. On December 14, 1949 the Connecticut Avenue trolley stop and tunnel was 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 NETWORK Lines in Maryland were established as separate legal entities, but they all were eventually owned or leased by DC Transit, and the Washington and Maryland lines were scheduled as a single system. The Virginia lines were never incorporated into the Washington system. Tenallytown and Rockville Railroad The Tenallytown and Rockville Railroad, which opened in 1890, was an extension of the Georgetown & Tenallytown Railway. It ran from the terminus of the Georgetown & Tenallytown at Western and Wisconsin Ave NW to Rockville via Wisconsin Avenue, Old Georgetown Road and its own right-of-way. It was acquired by the Washington and Rockville Electric Railway Company in 1897, and again by '''Washington Railway and Electric Company''' in 1902. In 1935, it converted to buses.
The Glen Echo Railroad Opened on June 10, 1891 and connected Glen Echo with the Tenallytown & Rockville Railroad in Friendship Heights . In 1896 it was expanded to Cabin John and renamed the Washington & Glen Echo Railroad. Shortly thereafter, it was extended eastward from Willard Avenue to Chevy Chase Circle, where it connected with the '''Rock Creek Railway'''. It was abandoned in 1900, but the section from Glen Echo to Cabin John was incorporated into the '''Washington & Great Falls Electric Railway'''. 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 . City and Suburban Railway The City and Suburban Railway was chartered in 1890 to run a streetcar from just east of the White House at New York Ave and 15th St NW to what is now Mount Rainier on the D.C. line. On March 31st, 1892 the Maryland and Washington Railway incorporated to build a rail line connecting any passenger railway in the District of Colmbia to Branchville and eventually Laurel On April 4, 1896 The Maryland and Washigton, having difficulty raising money, merged with several other struggling streetcar companies to create the Columbia and Maryland Railway. Meanwhile, the City and Suburban was laying down track, reaching Mount Ranier in 1897. In 1898 it merged with the Eckington & Soldiers Home Railroad. It continued building tracks, now into Maryland, reaching Brentwood in 1898; and Hyattsville and Riverdale in 1899. The Columbia and Maryland renamed itself the Berwyn and Laurel Electric Railroad Company and started building tracks from the end of the City and Suburban in Riverdale to College Park and Laurel by 1902 - at which time it changed its name again, this time to the '''Washington, Berwyn and Laurel Electric Railroad Company'''. Eventually, the City and Suburban took over control of the Washington, Berwyn and Laurel until it was itself absorbed by the Washington Railway and Electric Company. It had stops in the following cities.
Washington, Woodside and Forest Glen Railway Power Company The Washington, Woodside and Forest Glen Railway, aka the "Forest Glen Trolley", was incorporated on July 26, 1895, and built a 2.9 mile line that opened on November 25, 1897. A single ride cost five cents. The streetcar ran from the terminus of the Brightwood Railway at Eastern Avenue and Georgia Avenue along the east side of Georgia Avenue and then along what is now Seminary Road to the National Park Seminary , a fashionable School for girls in Forest Glen , at Forest Glen Road. This line faced competition from passenger service on the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore And Ohio Railroad . The line was shut down on December 15, 1924 in preparation for construction of the first Georgia Avenue Underpass under the B&O Railroad. The underpass was built with one lane for the trolley tracks, but the trolley never resumed operation. Stations on the line were:
The Kensington Railway The Kensington Railway was incorporated in 1894 as the Chevy Chase Lake & Kensington Railway. It began operation on May 30, 1895. In 1902 it changed its name to the Kensington Railway. It was a single-track line beginning at the northern terminus of the Rock Creek Railway at Chevy Chase Lake along Connecticutt Avenue. It traveling north along what is now Kensington Parkway to a station on University Boulevard in Kensington. From 1923 to 1933 the line was leased by '''Capital Traction''', but in 1935 it was abandoned. The Baltimore and Washington Transit Company The B&W Transit Company was incorporate on April 7, 1896. In 1897, it began construction on an electric street railway system, known locally as the Dinky Line , that began at 4th and Butternut Streets, NE, traveled south on 4th to Aspen Street and then east on Laurel Street into Maryland. It continued on Ethan Allen Avenue to and eventually to the hugely popular Wildwood Resort and Glen Sligo Hotel on Sligo Creek , which would be about midway between Elm Avenue and Sligo Creek Parkway, on what is Heather Avenue today. In 1903, the Takoma Park city council took over the lease given by the B & W Transit Company and the resort was closed for illegal gambling. The tracks were removed some two years later and the right-of-way reverted to the town. In 1920, the hotel was torn down and the property subdivided into individual lots. In 1937, the tracks were completely dismantled. The Washington, Spa Spring and Gretta Railroad Company Began in 1910 as a single-track trolley line. It ran from a car barn at 15th and H Street, NE in Washington along Bladensburg Road to Bladensburg . The line was initially planned to run as far as Gettysburg , Pennsylvania but service was only extended as far as Berwyn Heights (This happened in 1912 using battery cars). The line became the Washington Interurban Railway in 1912 and the '''Washington Interurban Railroad Company''' in 1916. In 1923 the streetcars were replaced by buses and the tracks removed when Bladensburg Road was paved. The Washington and Great Falls Railway and Power Company Beginning on July 2, 1913, this single-track line began operating from a junction with the Tenallytown and Rockville Railroad at Bradley Lane in Bethesda and ran on the north side of the road to River Road. From there, it ran on its own right of way to Great Falls. Service was discontinued on February, 12 1921, and the tracks were removed in 1926. NORTHERN VIRGINIA See Also: Northern Virginia trolleys INTERURBANS
TECHNOLOGY The first streetcars were pulled by horses. Later, Cable Cars were used. By 1900, all trains were powered by electricity. Because Overhead Wires were forbidden, Trolley Cars were not used, and instead all Washington streetcars were Conduit Car s, where electric power was delivered to the cars by way of an underground delivery system that can be thought of as a " Third Rail " but was in fact technologically different. The streetcar drew power from this mechanism through a Plow , 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 used only in Washington, Manhattan , and London . Because the underground conduit system was much more expensive to build than a typical trolley system, the ban on overhead wires applied only to what was then the city of Washington. The ban did not apply to the rest of the District. To accommodate this hybrid power system, Washington streetcars had a Trolley Pole attached to the top of the cars for use outside of the city center. When leaving 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. See photo of a plow pit here . REMNANTS OF THE SYSTEM
, features conduit streetcar tracks that were installed in the 1890s.]]
SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS Washington
Maryland
|
|
|