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streetcar, also called tram or trolley, vehicle that runs on track laid in the streets, operated usually in single units and usually driven by electric motor. Early streetcars were either horse-drawn or depended for power on storage batteries that were expensive and inefficient.
- What were trolleys used for?
- What was the impact of the electric trolley?
- Why was the streetcar so important?
- How did old trolleys work?
- Who invented the trolley car?
- What do they call trolleys in England?
- How do trolleys get power?
- What happened to the streetcar?
- Why was the streetcar invented?
- What is the difference between a streetcar and a trolley?
- Is a streetcar a train?
- What powers most real trolleys?
- How did street cars work?
- What cities have trolleybuses?
What were trolleys used for?
A trolley is an object with wheels that you use to transport heavy things such as shopping or luggage.
What was the impact of the electric trolley?
Washington, one of many American cities that built new electric streetcar systems, began converting from horse and cable cars in 1888. Trolley lines created the modern suburb and the commuter and enabled people to live farther from their jobs in the commercial center of the city.
Why was the streetcar so important?
The line was made viable by the advantages electric streetcars provided over horse-drawn vehicles and cable cars, which were the predominant means of transportation at the time. They cost less to build and operate, could carry more passengers and traverse much longer distances at higher speeds.
How did old trolleys work?
Since the late 19th century, streetcars (and later trackless trolleys) have run along main roads powered solely by electric overhead wires. ... Because streetcars travel along steel rails with metal wheels, the circuit between the overhead wires and a streetcar's electronics is grounded.
Who invented the trolley car?
In 1834 Thomas Davenport, a blacksmith from Brandon, Vermont, U.S., built a small battery-powered electric motor and used it to operate a small car on a short section of track. In 1860 an American, G.F.
What do they call trolleys in England?
In the UK, such things are generally called trams--a term which no longer implies the use of a pulley system. The trams found in the UK would be called streetcars in many dialects of AmE.
How do trolleys get power?
Streetcars (trolleys/trams)
Unlike the mechanical cable cars, streetcars are propelled by onboard electric motors and require a trolley pole to draw power from an overhead wire. ... If it runs on steel rails with an open slot between them, and no overhead wires, it's a cable car.
What happened to the streetcar?
Streetcar systems went bankrupt and were dismantled in virtually every metro area in the United States, and National City was only involved in about 10 percent of cases. It's also not exactly right to say the streetcar died because Americans chose the car.
Why was the streetcar invented?
In 1888, Frank Julian Sprague invented a system on Streetcars for collecting electricity from overhead wires.
What is the difference between a streetcar and a trolley?
Unlike the mechanical cable cars streetcars are propelled by onboard electric motors and require a trolley pole to draw power from an overhead wire. Trolleys looks like regular buses but they are completely electric and have twin poles on the roof of the bus that draw power from double overhead wires.
Is a streetcar a train?
And although streetcars often run as single railcars while light rail often runs with trains made up of multiple railcars, there are exceptions to that too. ... Some might hesitate to call them streetcars. But they both run trains in mixed-traffic with cars, and some of those trains have multiple railcars.
What powers most real trolleys?
Trolleys run on electricity, normally 600 volts of direct current (DC) drawn from overhead wire, as historic trolleys did. In some cases—such as for heritage trolleys running along light rail lines—the voltage may be somewhat higher.
How did street cars work?
The streetcar is a mode of public transportation that is having a major comeback. It involves running short electric trains along tracks in the roadway. Some operate by connecting to an electric cable overhead. While popular in the early 1900s in the US, streetcars' popularity faded by midcentury.
What cities have trolleybuses?
United States
Trolleybus systems are currently in operation in five U.S. metropolitan areas: Boston, Massachusetts, operated by MBTA; see Trolleybuses in Greater Boston. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, operated by SEPTA; see Trolleybuses in Philadelphia.
