Remember these running downtown at Christmas,looking in the windows of Stix And Famous Bar at their train layouts.Thanks for the memories.Grew up in Collinsville I’ll.
What a crime the removal of these trolleys! Buses couldn't begin to be as fast as these. I often wonder how much their abandonment contributed to the decline of downtown St. Louis and other big cities.
brushcreek42 Unfortunately the city was already in decline long before these were taken out of service. I don’t know the story about how BiSate Development Agency came about. I’m guessing that they were no longer sustainable❓ I’m sure removing them wasn’t helpful for the city community. I’m sure it cost quite a bit to make the switch. Though much of the tracks were not taken up, but remained-at least as far as I know. The section that ran along Millbrook, and Pershing Ave.was still there,up until at least 1996 .( This was the line that went from U.City Loop, up into Downtown Clayton (and ran past my apartment) .
@@jeffking4176 There are many reasons for the decline of STL, as well as other cities, yet I never hear a peep about losing the lines added to the mix. I do know that those lines went everywhere, and there was substancial economic activity all along those lines. Look at Delmar Ave. It was once lined with shops, cleaners, barbers, and everything you can think of, along the entire route...now mostly gone. Or downtown Wellston, a shopping mecca, because of the station and turn arounds. The discontinuation of the lines may have only been a small part, but one that should be examined. After all when people can't get there, they will not be going there.
That’s the St. Louis of my childhood and teens. I’m old enough to remember when the PCC cars were modern. Dad and Grandpa both were motormen back in the day; I knew every route in the city.
I remember these going up and down Easton Avenue ( aka. Martin Luther King Blvd.) To Wellston with my grandma 👵. I had relatives living off Hodiamodt & Romaine Pl. Which was my grandma brother.
To pilsudski36: Actually, a significant number of them did make it to another operator--the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which ran them in regular service until 1981. Some of them are still on the property, and they may be restored.
Thanks John this is great! I live right next to the old Hodimont line which Trialnet is hoping to turn into a walking and biking greenway. Sure would love to have the streetcars tho! Thanks again.
I remember these. Lived on Pershing Ave. They would come up the street heading to Clayton. Would make it up to a point jus passed our apartment and hit a slick spot (or something) and slide back down to about 3 apartments back. Would take 2-3 tries to make it. As a young kid,this fascinated me. I also rode on one with my grandma a few times. Thanks. 🙂👍‼️
I also remember the Grand Avenue street cars. One every minute. You could stand in front of the Fox and see a street car in each direction in front of you, and look to the left and see one coming and one going. Look to the right, and see one coming and one going. From Forest Park Blvd, looking South, you could see maybe 6 street cars, a minute apart, on the great Grand Avenue suspension bridge, and working their way up & down the hill toward Fermin Desloge Hospital. Best place to see streetcars was Grand & Olive, outside the Woolworths 5 & dime. Many people changing cars there. Of course you could eat at the lunch counter inside and wait for less crowded transportation. Geeperz, I hated crowded streetcars because I was just a kid surrounded by big people, and I couldn't reach the straps to hold onto. Streetcars, to a kid like me, were overwealming in the real Downtown area, but I did like the christmas displays at Famous, Scruggs, & Stix.
Streetcars were made right here at the United Railways shops at 39th Street & Park. Our shops were constructed shortly after those in Chicago, and every modern mechanical contrivance was incorporated into the St. Louis shops - compressed air hoists and machine tools, extensive blacksmith shop, service pits, etc. United railways evolved into the Public Service Co, and then merged with County Transit to become Bi-State. Street cars wer gone by then.
Great color photos! I just wish that you had narrated it , or labeled under the photos of where each picture was taken. Where most of the Loop pix at the Delmar Loop? Thanx for sharing!
I was a child in the 50s and often rode the Jefferson street car with my mother from St Louis ave down to Franklin ave and Jefferson to get fish off one of the many fish trucks across from the Cass bank. Some time we would transfer and catch the Easton ave street car to Wellston or downtown. I don't believe it would go over good today standing in the white box in the street to board the streetcar. The Loop trolly has had one problem after another from cars hitting it or not parking close enough to the curb. it is hard to belive that this went so well back in those days.
@@soularddave2 You are so right because I use to stay on McPherson at Sarah. My brother and me shined shoes up and down Olive, but most times we stationed at the liquor store on the corner of Olive and Sarah. I was their the evening they were filming a part of the sitcom Route 66 . What I remember is the crew and all the equipment around and the streetcar being used . God those were the days.
I wonder what the drum brake actuators looked like? Because I've heard the St. Louis cars had crappy brakes (which is the reason PTC withdrew them from service not soon after acquisition from SLPS).
Many had shoes that pressed to the rails between the wheels. I lived on the WU campus above the Millbrook line and was fascinated by the sparks they threw in the dark while slowing to cross Big Bend Westbound.
Great photos. Just Google Viewed the Butler Brothers Building and surrounding area--seems like attempts are being made to get people living downtown. I hope it works out.
According to the Morning Sun Book titled "St Louis Trolleys," a few other cities, besides San Francisco, purchased former St Louis PCC streetcars. These include Philadelphia, PA, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (Cleveland, Ohio area) and Tampico, Mexico.
![Summer Walker - Heart Of A Woman [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SFddctbZzw8/mqdefault.jpg)
Remember these running downtown at Christmas,looking in the windows of Stix And Famous Bar at their train layouts.Thanks for the memories.Grew up in Collinsville I’ll.
What a crime the removal of these trolleys! Buses couldn't begin to be as fast as these. I often wonder how much their abandonment contributed to the decline of downtown St. Louis and other big cities.
brushcreek42
Unfortunately the city was already in decline long before these were taken out of service.
I don’t know the story about how BiSate Development Agency came about. I’m guessing that they were no longer sustainable❓
I’m sure removing them wasn’t helpful for the city community.
I’m sure it cost quite a bit to make the switch.
Though much of the tracks were not taken up, but remained-at least as far as I know.
The section that ran along Millbrook, and Pershing Ave.was still there,up until at least 1996 .( This was the line that went from U.City Loop, up into Downtown Clayton
(and ran past my apartment) .
@@jeffking4176 There are many reasons for the decline of STL, as well as other cities, yet I never hear a peep about losing the lines added to the mix.
I do know that those lines went everywhere, and there was substancial economic activity all along those lines. Look at Delmar Ave. It was once lined with shops, cleaners, barbers, and everything you can think of, along the entire route...now mostly gone. Or downtown Wellston, a shopping mecca, because of the station and turn arounds.
The discontinuation of the lines may have only been a small part, but one that should be examined. After all when people can't get there, they will not be going there.
That’s the St. Louis of my childhood and teens. I’m old enough to remember when the PCC cars were modern. Dad and Grandpa both were motormen back in the day; I knew every route in the city.
There’s a surprising number of us who still remember these.
Cool.
📻🙂
I remember these going up and down Easton Avenue ( aka. Martin Luther King Blvd.) To Wellston with my grandma 👵. I had relatives living off Hodiamodt & Romaine Pl. Which was my grandma brother.
To pilsudski36: Actually, a significant number of them did make it to another operator--the San Francisco Municipal Railway, which ran them in regular service until 1981. Some of them are still on the property, and they may be restored.
Outstanding photos! I rode these with my mom in the ‘50s many times.
Thanks John this is great! I live right next to the old Hodimont line which Trialnet is hoping to turn into a walking and biking greenway. Sure would love to have the streetcars tho! Thanks again.
I remember these.
Lived on Pershing Ave.
They would come up the street heading to Clayton. Would make it up to a point jus passed our apartment and hit a slick spot (or something) and slide back down to about 3 apartments back. Would take 2-3 tries to make it. As a young kid,this fascinated me.
I also rode on one with my grandma a few times.
Thanks.
🙂👍‼️
I also remember the Grand Avenue street cars. One every minute. You could stand in front of the Fox and see a street car in each direction in front of you, and look to the left and see one coming and one going. Look to the right, and see one coming and one going. From Forest Park Blvd, looking South, you could see maybe 6 street cars, a minute apart, on the great Grand Avenue suspension bridge, and working their way up & down the hill toward Fermin Desloge Hospital. Best place to see streetcars was Grand & Olive, outside the Woolworths 5 & dime. Many people changing cars there. Of course you could eat at the lunch counter inside and wait for less crowded transportation. Geeperz, I hated crowded streetcars because I was just a kid surrounded by big people, and I couldn't reach the straps to hold onto. Streetcars, to a kid like me, were overwealming in the real Downtown area, but I did like the christmas displays at Famous, Scruggs, & Stix.
Streetcars were made right here at the United Railways shops at 39th Street & Park. Our shops were constructed shortly after those in Chicago, and every modern mechanical contrivance was incorporated into the St. Louis shops - compressed air hoists and machine tools, extensive blacksmith shop, service pits, etc. United railways evolved into the Public Service Co, and then merged with County Transit to become Bi-State. Street cars wer gone by then.
I always thought that was just a garage like the one on Prarie and MLK in North St Louis.
Wow. Thanks for that info. I didn’t know cars were actually built at that facility; figured it was just maintenance.
Great color photos! I just wish that you had narrated it , or labeled under the photos of where each picture was taken. Where most of the Loop pix at the Delmar Loop? Thanx for sharing!
That's Wellston. Loop.
I was a child in the 50s and often rode the Jefferson street car with my mother from St Louis ave down to Franklin ave and Jefferson to get fish off one of the many fish trucks across from the Cass bank. Some time we would transfer and catch the Easton ave street car to Wellston or downtown. I don't believe it would go over good today standing in the white box in the street to board the streetcar. The Loop trolly has had one problem after another from cars hitting it or not parking close enough to the curb. it is hard to belive that this went so well back in those days.
Cars parking too close to the track was a big problem in Gaslight Square too. One badly parked car could tie up several streetcars in a line.
@@soularddave2 That is a problem today with The bus in areas like that.
@@soularddave2 You are so right because I use to stay on McPherson at Sarah. My brother and me shined shoes up and down Olive, but most times we stationed at the liquor store on the corner of Olive and Sarah. I was their the evening they were filming a part of the sitcom Route 66 . What I remember is the crew and all the equipment around and the streetcar being used . God those were the days.
I was born in 1964 and raised in the St Louis metropolitan area I had no idea there were ever street cars
What the name of this music???? It's real relaxing to me
Same here. I want to hear that tune over and over. After three years , I guess we won't get the name.
I wonder what the drum brake actuators looked like? Because I've heard the St. Louis cars had crappy brakes (which is the reason PTC withdrew them from service not soon after acquisition from SLPS).
Many had shoes that pressed to the rails between the wheels. I lived on the WU campus above the Millbrook line and was fascinated by the sparks they threw in the dark while slowing to cross Big Bend Westbound.
Great photos. Just Google Viewed the Butler Brothers Building and surrounding area--seems like attempts are being made to get people living downtown. I hope it works out.
needs some chuck berry in the background!
Guess none of the Saint Louis cars made it to another operator - too bad.
According to the Morning Sun Book titled "St Louis Trolleys," a few other cities, besides San Francisco, purchased former St Louis PCC streetcars. These include Philadelphia, PA, Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (Cleveland, Ohio area) and Tampico, Mexico.
Dan Uscian I think possibly New Orleans also.