Taking the Rivermont Trolley
What Is a Trolley?
The words trolley, trolley car, streetcar, and less frequently tram, are used interchangeably. These vehicles are rail-borne and generally of lighter construction than conventional trains. Trolleys are primarily designed to convey passengers within or between urban areas. Trolley tracks normally run on street surfaces, as compared with elevated trains that run above ground level and subway trains that run below.
The first type of trolley in Lynchburg—and, indeed, in most cities around the world—was the horse-powered streetcar. When the system was introduced in New York City in 1832, the advantage of drawing a vehicle on steel rails was evident, considering the rough, unpaved street surfaces of the era. Dry, dusty, unpaved roads were difficult to maintain, and the problem was compounded by the ice, snow, and rain that churned the streets into mud. Even durable cobblestone or Belgian block streets could not rival rails. The steel-rimmed wheels of horse-drawn vehicles encountered a lot more resistance (not to mention slippage and bumps) on this type of pavement when compared to smooth steel tracks. Streetcar systems were also feasible; it was relatively easy to lay ties and rails on existing street surfaces, and that is exactly what was done in downtown Lynchburg in 1880.
However, the street railway on Rivermont Avenue was always powered by electricity. Most cities, Lynchburg included, quickly converted their horse-drawn systems to electricity after the first practical demonstration of the new powered cars—which happened to occur in Richmond, Virginia, in 1887. The term trolley is thought to derive from troller.
Entire article available only in printed version. Lynch's Ferry is on sale at the following Lynchburg locations: Barnes & Noble, Bookshop on the Avenue, The Design Group, Given Books, Inklings Bookshop, Lynchburg Visitors' Center, Macon Bookshop, Old City Cemetery, Point of Honor, and Walgreens on Boonsboro.
Roger Garfield, a retired Chicagoland high school administrator, moved to Lynchburg with his wife Janice in 2005. An avid history buff, he quickly became fascinated with the history of Lynchburg, especially that of Rivermont Avenue where he and Jan live. Roger and Jan both serve on the Board of the Friends of Rivermont Historical Society.
Graham Garfield resides in Chicago and is a general manager for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). A lifelong urban transit rail fan, he is currently an officer of the Central Electric Railfans Association (CERA) and maintains a website on the history of the CTA’s “L” (elevated) trains (www.chicago-l.org). He is the author of numerous articles and has consulted with the Smithsonian on aspects of CTA history.
This is the first co-authored effort of the father-and-son team. Roger and Graham Garfield have always shared an interest in each other’s vocations and hobbies and, at last, combine these interests in written form.
The words trolley, trolley car, streetcar, and less frequently tram, are used interchangeably. These vehicles are rail-borne and generally of lighter construction than conventional trains. Trolleys are primarily designed to convey passengers within or between urban areas. Trolley tracks normally run on street surfaces, as compared with elevated trains that run above ground level and subway trains that run below.
The first type of trolley in Lynchburg—and, indeed, in most cities around the world—was the horse-powered streetcar. When the system was introduced in New York City in 1832, the advantage of drawing a vehicle on steel rails was evident, considering the rough, unpaved street surfaces of the era. Dry, dusty, unpaved roads were difficult to maintain, and the problem was compounded by the ice, snow, and rain that churned the streets into mud. Even durable cobblestone or Belgian block streets could not rival rails. The steel-rimmed wheels of horse-drawn vehicles encountered a lot more resistance (not to mention slippage and bumps) on this type of pavement when compared to smooth steel tracks. Streetcar systems were also feasible; it was relatively easy to lay ties and rails on existing street surfaces, and that is exactly what was done in downtown Lynchburg in 1880.
However, the street railway on Rivermont Avenue was always powered by electricity. Most cities, Lynchburg included, quickly converted their horse-drawn systems to electricity after the first practical demonstration of the new powered cars—which happened to occur in Richmond, Virginia, in 1887. The term trolley is thought to derive from troller.
Entire article available only in printed version. Lynch's Ferry is on sale at the following Lynchburg locations: Barnes & Noble, Bookshop on the Avenue, The Design Group, Given Books, Inklings Bookshop, Lynchburg Visitors' Center, Macon Bookshop, Old City Cemetery, Point of Honor, and Walgreens on Boonsboro.
Roger Garfield, a retired Chicagoland high school administrator, moved to Lynchburg with his wife Janice in 2005. An avid history buff, he quickly became fascinated with the history of Lynchburg, especially that of Rivermont Avenue where he and Jan live. Roger and Jan both serve on the Board of the Friends of Rivermont Historical Society.
Graham Garfield resides in Chicago and is a general manager for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). A lifelong urban transit rail fan, he is currently an officer of the Central Electric Railfans Association (CERA) and maintains a website on the history of the CTA’s “L” (elevated) trains (www.chicago-l.org). He is the author of numerous articles and has consulted with the Smithsonian on aspects of CTA history.
This is the first co-authored effort of the father-and-son team. Roger and Graham Garfield have always shared an interest in each other’s vocations and hobbies and, at last, combine these interests in written form.
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