November 22, 2007
a history of Richmond
6 Comments »
I picked up Carlton McKenney’s Rails in Richmond (Interurban Press, 1986) a while back. Having always been fascinated that there used to be trolley lines all over the city, I couldn’t pass up this history of Richmond’s horse-drawn and electric trolleys.
The book goes into great detail explaining the beginning of Richmond’s trolleys and the various changes over the 62 year life-span of this unique part of the city’s past. There are contemporary newspaper articles (Father of the Trolley [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Dec.29, 1935] and You’ve Missed the Last Trolley [Richmond Times-Dispatch, Nov.27, 1949]) that give the story if you want a shorter version than the book provides.
Rails in Richmond has some wonderful pictures and maps. With the exception of photos set along Broad Street and Main Street, though, there aren’t any pictures from the neighborhoods in a currently-identifiable setting. This is surprising given how many photos of the trolley cars themselves have Fulton, Church Hill or Chimborazo on the marquee.
The maps are fascinating in their own right. The “Spring Street Viaduct” may be pictured above, identified at another trolley site as being on “the Fulton trestle”.
Having both lived in New Orleans and recently visited San Francisco, I’ve known working trolley lines being used by people on a daily basis. The experience is definitely different than riding the bus… I can’t imagine how the trolley lines would have held up over the city’s more trying years, but I so wish that Richmond had been able to to preserve some of this.
I know a young boy who will be receiving a copy of Rails in Richmond this winter!
He is always lamenting that there aren’t trolleys here anymore.
Thanks for the post.
I would love to get a copy of “Rails in Richmond.” I am the grandson of W J Hicks, who was the Master Mechanic for the streetcar company and who is in the photo in the Times Dispatch article, “You’ve Missed the Last Trolley.” What a wonderful childhood I had growing up with the streetcars and my Granddad in Richmond.
My family came from Fulton with my father and his silbings being born in the early 1900’s on Lousiana St. Your book was of great help to me in my search for my family..It is a well documented book. Very good…
I now own that book (thanks Burt!) as well and I am fascinated with it. What’s left of Louisiana St, you can still see the tracks.
I don’t know if these will work here but I’ll try.
Click either image to view larger.
Oh and Gene, I sent you an e-mail a while ago after Ryan at RCW said you were looking for me. I didn’t know what happened to you when I didn’t get a reply. You can send me a message at RCW.
its very sad that the very place were trolley cars were invented ,has no more trolley cars that is like jerusalem with no religion or disney land wish no rides or hershey pa with no chocalate coney island with no rollercoasters for heavens sake this is were the trolley car was born are city of richmond crazy? are trolleys that repolsive? no attemped to presurve a little of the trolley car aleast a museum line something? any thing? they just commit trolleycide just aniyalatethem them from the place they were born very sad!