Old Pueblo Trolley
Encyclopedia
The Old Pueblo Trolley is a heritage streetcar
system operating in Tucson
in the U.S.
state of Arizona
.
Service is provided Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons on over a mile of line recovered from Tucson's original street railway. Starting at 8th Street in the Fourth Avenue Business District, with its eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, the trolley proceeds north and turns east onto University Boulevard, passing homes and boutiques, to near the University Marriott and the Main Gate of the University of Arizona
.
It reported that two new electric cars left the corner of Stone Avenue and Congress Street at 2:00 P.M. for the University of Arizona filled with dignitaries and invited guests while an orchestra played a few tunes at the corner. The return trip was to Elysian Grove via Seventeenth where Emanual Drachman provided seats and refreshments for the banquet that followed. One car wore the banner, "The Goods Are Delivered L. H. M.", demonstrating that Mayor Manning had come through on his campaign platform to "promote and establish an electric streetcar system." Hence, Tucson was brought up to date, into the electric transportation era.
The streetcars were replaced by buses on December 31, 1930.
At 4:00 PM on August 20, 2009 the new 4th Avenue Underpass and 5th Avenue Loop were opened for traffic. The new 5th Avenue Loop runs west along Congress Street to Fifth Avenue, south on Fifth Avenue to Broadway Boulevard and west on Broadway Boulevard to the intersection of Congress Street and Fourth Avenue. New Car Stops on the Fifth Avenue Loop are at Ninth Street, Fifth Avenue and Congress Street.
This longer term project will not begin construction until at least fall of 2010.
Heritage streetcar
Heritage streetcars or heritage trams are a development of the heritage railways that are becoming popular across the world. As with modern streetcar systems, the vehicles are referred to as trams or tramcars in the United Kingdom, Australasia and certain other places , but as streetcars or...
system operating in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Service is provided Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons on over a mile of line recovered from Tucson's original street railway. Starting at 8th Street in the Fourth Avenue Business District, with its eclectic mix of shops and restaurants, the trolley proceeds north and turns east onto University Boulevard, passing homes and boutiques, to near the University Marriott and the Main Gate of the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
Tucson's original streetcar system
Electric streetcars began operating in Tucson on June 1, 1906 and replaced the horse- and mule-drawn cars as a mark of Tucson's "modernity". The event drew quite a crowd including the mayor, L.H. Manning and C.K. Durbin, owner of the new line. The Tucson Citizen ran an article "Electric Cars Running in Old Pueblo" in its Friday, June 1, 1906 edition.It reported that two new electric cars left the corner of Stone Avenue and Congress Street at 2:00 P.M. for the University of Arizona filled with dignitaries and invited guests while an orchestra played a few tunes at the corner. The return trip was to Elysian Grove via Seventeenth where Emanual Drachman provided seats and refreshments for the banquet that followed. One car wore the banner, "The Goods Are Delivered L. H. M.", demonstrating that Mayor Manning had come through on his campaign platform to "promote and establish an electric streetcar system." Hence, Tucson was brought up to date, into the electric transportation era.
The streetcars were replaced by buses on December 31, 1930.
The heritage streetcar line
Revival of the line began as the dream of Ruth Cross, director for the University of Arizona's Centennial Celebration in 1983, to see the historic street cars returned to the Old Pueblo for the University's centennial. The dedication of a core of enthusiasts made that dream a reality, with the grand opening of today's Old Pueblo Trolley on April 13, 1993.At 4:00 PM on August 20, 2009 the new 4th Avenue Underpass and 5th Avenue Loop were opened for traffic. The new 5th Avenue Loop runs west along Congress Street to Fifth Avenue, south on Fifth Avenue to Broadway Boulevard and west on Broadway Boulevard to the intersection of Congress Street and Fourth Avenue. New Car Stops on the Fifth Avenue Loop are at Ninth Street, Fifth Avenue and Congress Street.
Plans
In May 2006, the Regional Transportation Plan was adopted by a vote of almost 60% in favor. This election also passed a 20-year, 1/2-cent sales tax to finance the transportation improvements. Among the items in the plan was $75 million for a modern streetcar system along the present Old Pueblo Line, with extensions west to the developing Rio Nuevo area immediately west of downtown, and an extension through the north side of the University of Arizona campus to the north side of the Health Sciences Center at the University. The approved funds are a match to an equal amount of Federal Transit Administration funding. The street railway system will be double-tracked, replacing the original OPT single track. A maintenance facility will be located just west of the present OPT car barn and yard on 9th Street west of 4th Avenue. Historic trolley operation will continue during weekends and special events, supplementing the modern streetcars.This longer term project will not begin construction until at least fall of 2010.
See also
- List of Arizona railroads
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- List of town tramway systems in the United States
- Sun TranSun TranSun Tran is the public transit system serving the city of Tucson, Arizona. Sun Tran traces its history to 1905, when the Tucson Rapid Transit Company assumed operations of the horse-drawn streetcar system in town, converting it to electric streetcars. By the 1930s, the streetcar lines were...