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GOOD GOLLY MISSED TROLLEY!
by Bob Mintz (Updated 3/25/08)
The first forms of public transportation were horse car lines.
One hundred fifty years before the NYC subways were built, most
of those horse car lines in the outer boroughs terminated at the
various ferry lines that would eventually bring their riders into
Manhattan. Running at a 4-cent fare, each car was usually pulled
by four horses that were decorated with rows of bells to warn
pedestrians, similar to what one would see today on Main Street
USA at Disneyland or Disneyworld. A horse stable was usually built
at the end of the line.
With the disadvantages and limitations of horse cars obvious,
cable car lines started to appear. Electric cars were the next
progression and by 1895, almost all of the horse car routes had
been converted. Those same horse stables were now renamed car
barns.
By 1905, convertible trolley cars started appearing. These cars
has side panels that were removed in summertime, thus doing away
with the necessity of maintaining two fleets of cars, one with
closed bodies for winter service and the other with open benches
for summer service.
 These
center door trolleys had no front door and thus required a two-man
operation, one set of controls in the front and another in the
rear.
By 1919, there was a fleet of lightweight double end cars designed
by Charles O. Birney and were the first cars of this popular design
to be built by the J.G. Brill Company. The idea was that passengers
boarded at the center door and exited at the front, paying their
fare as they passed the conductor stationed just forward  of
the center door.
The concept was to operate two cars with the same two men assigned
to the bigger single trolley and instead run two small cars without
using more electricity that would be needed for the larger car.
By doubling the service, the thought would be that there would
always be another car in sight. Thus the saying “men/women
are like buses (trolleys), another one comes along every few minutes.
The Depression forced the conversion to a one-man operation.
To make this alteration more seamless, track loops were used rather
than have the motorman move to the opposite end of the coach.
The first Lionel issue #60 Lionelville Trolley came in five different
versions, all were yellow and variations had black, blue or red
lettering, with and without roof vents, and the earliest production
run had disappearing motormen at each end, whose appearance would
be determined by the direction the car was traveling.
Later versions included and excluded the poles and rubber bumpers.
Most were part of no longer offered Christmas sets that included
the trolley, track, bumpers and power track. Dealers are not happy
about this decision though, because it had made a relatively inexpensive
and ready to run mini-starter set.
The Lionel version of the Brill trolley has included variations
with and without the poles and rubber bumpers.
See also:
Hello Trolley by Bob Mintz
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# 60 Lionelville |
# 8690 Lionel Lines |
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| #11809 Village Trolley Co |
#11850 Quaker Oats San Francisco |
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| #11981 Merry Christmas 1998 |
#18404 San Francisco |
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| #18419 Lionelville Electric |
#18431 Lionel Transit |
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| #18452 Boston Mass. Transit |
#21916 Lionel Village |
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#21924 Santa’s Town Shoppers |
#21945 Garland Holiday Town
Transit |
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#21969 Lionel Village |
#18481 Christmas Yuletide Trolley |
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#28430 2006 Wellspring Trolley |
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#28415 Third Avenue Trolley
“1651” |
#28421 Fort Collins Trolley |
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#28434 Christmas Trolley |
#28442 Transylvania Trolley |
Although a slightly different design from the Lionel version
of the Brill trolley and more prototypical, 2nd Runner Up prize
for best Lionel wannabe trolley in typical Lionel color scheme
goes to Industrial Rail #14003. Seen at the former Green Hall
at York for only $45, a nice alternative.
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