• 8"x 12" image size (10"x14" paper size) / 150 prints / 14"x 18" matting size
• Available as a Matted Calendar scene.
• Original available

The last surviving line of a once flourishing network in the city of New Orleans, the St Charles Line is the oldest operating streetcar railway in the world, carrying passengers since 1835. First mule-powered, the railway moved to steam and then to the current electric cars in 1923, making it the oldest fleet of electrical- powered vehicles in service today in the United States.

Trolley service was a major factor in the development of American cities during the early part of the 20th century. City ordinances restricted speeds to between six and 15 miles per hour on routes thourgh New Orleans. Fares in the early 50's were seven cents; today a ride costs a dollar. On the roof of the car were two conduction rods. One was extended and connected to the overhead electric lines to go in one direction and for the return, pulled down and the other connected. The seats could also be flipped over for the return trip.

When the automobile became available in the 1910s and '20s, many street railway companies went bankrupt. In the 1930s, an effort to revitalize street railways was made by the Electric Railway President's Conference Committee. Most cities, however, utilized the gasoline- and diesel-powered bus, because it allowed route flexibility and freedom from overhead wires.

The New Orleans streetcars meander between separated lanes of traffic along grass covered medians. Riders can listen to the chug-chug of the air pumps and feel the lolling of the car as it travels its route through city streets alongside massive buildings of the downtown business area or a leisurely pace under majestic spreading oaks.