A Changing Landscape

For nearly a century, between 1862 and 1962, streetcars in Washington, D.C. carried people across the District. The first streetcars were drawn by horses and could only carry people short distances, but the introduction of the electric streetcars, capable of traversing more imposing terrain, opened up the hilly suburbs north of the old city, including this park at 11th & Monroe. Back in the trolley era, the streetcar entered from Monroe and exited back onto 11th Street. This turnaround was one of only 22 in the entire District.

Streetcar 1587, pictured below, was powered by ground electricity, (notice no overhead wires). This model was produced by the St. Louis Company in 1937, and featured windshield wipers, door engines, compressed air brakes and air conditioning. This car ran on the 14th Street Line for 25 years.

Image captions:
A look inside

Streetcar Token

14th and Colorado

Streetcar at 11th and Monroe

1948 DC Track Map

All photos courtesy of Ed Havens & http://www.davesrailpix.com

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