In the late 1800’s electric motor technology was perfected. The street railway industry immediately seized upon this new source of power, as a way to solve the many problems associated with operating horse cars.

The first successful electric street railway installation in the United States, was in Richmond, Virginia in 1887. It wasn't long, after the initial success in Richmond, that almost all of the horse car lines in North America were converted to electric power. The electric trolleys became so popular with the riding public, that the street railway industry, experienced explosive growth in ridership, almost overnight.

New trolley lines were built, and extended beyond the city limits. This sparked a major housing boom in the suburbs. The trolley allowed people, for the first time, to live outside the city, and commute to their jobs in the city. So, the electric trolley is credited with moving the people who built our modern cities, and developing and populating the suburbs, as we know them today. Back then, everyone rode the trolleys. It was THE way to travel.

Do you know how the trolley got its name? The shoe or wheel at the very end of the trolley pole, the part that actually touches, and runs along the underside of the overhead wire, is called the trolley. So, the trolley is attached to the trolley pole, which is attached to the trolley car, and that’s how the trolley car got it’s name.

Although the early electric trolleys were small, and not very powerful, they were still a lot faster than the horse cars they replaced. The great popularity of the electric trolleys with the riding public, created the need for larger and more powerful trolleys, so that the trolley companies could keep up with the huge demand for service.

During the warm weather months, many trolley companies operated open trolleys, which were very popular with the riding public. The open cars became known as "Breezers" to the people who rode them. They were open on all four sides, to provide a cooling breeze on a warm summer day. It was the trolley company’s way of providing "air conditioned" service.

IMAGE-CLICK HERE >>>Massachusetts Northeastern Street Railway Company open cars load and unload passengers at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.  (Photo from the collection of Rick Russell)

As competition from automobiles and buses increased, many trolley companies were forced to take drastic cost cutting measures. Many trolley lines did away with the conductor’s job, and converted their trolleys for one man operation. And, almost all trolley companies, did away with the open cars. It had become too expensive to maintain two complete sets of cars. An open set for the summer months, and a closed set for the rest of the year.

The companies that built trolley cars, came up with a solution to this problem. It was called the convertible trolley. It had large, rectangular wooden panels, with a window in each one, that could be attached to or removed from the side of the car depending on the season.  However, there was one major problem with this design. The convertible cars had to be brought to the carbarn to have their side panels taken off or put back on. This was a labor intensive and time consuming project, and impossible to do, if the weather suddenly took a turn.