Talk:History of Trams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is within the scope of WikiProject UK Trams, a collaborative effort to improve Wikipedia's coverage of trams and tramways around the United Kingdom. For more information, visit the project page, or sign up here and contribute to one of the many articles within this project's scope. | |
| B | This article has been rated as B-Class on the quality scale. [FAQ] | |
| Top | This article is on a subject of top-importance within WikiProject UK Trams. | |
[edit] Merge Histories
Due to the complexities the history of Trams Tramways and Light Rail being stretched over 3 pages it was necessary to merge the three sections into a single page which enables the article to flow better. If you have any problems with this please let me know. L blue l 01:19, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
A link has been place to all sections which where used in this article and with no objections the other sections will be removed or summarized to reflect the change. L blue l 01:25, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Information that has been removed from the article due to the merge
There is also a small line operated on Main Street at DisneyWorld, outside of Orlando Florida. A small horse-drawn service operates every 40 minutes at Victor Harbour, South Australia, daily with 20 minute services during tourist seasons. This service runs between the mainland and Granite Island across a causeway.[1]
Many original Tram and Streetcar systems were decommissioned in the 1950s and onward as the popularity of the automobile increased. Britain abandoned its last Tram system except Blackpool by 1962.[1] Although some traditional trolley or tram systems still exist to this day, the term "light rail" has come to mean a different type of rail system. Modern light rail technology has primarily German origins, since an attempt by Boeing Vertol to introduce a new American light rail vehicle was a technical failure. After World War II, the Germans retained their streetcar networks and evolved them into model light rail systems (stadtbahnen). Except for Hamburg, all large and most medium-sized German cities maintain light rail networks. [2]
Later, cable cars were attached to a moving cable underneath the road. The cable would be pulled by a steam engine at a powerhouse. The Monongahela and Duquesne Inclines in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, have some of the appearance of trams, but are more accurately funiculars.
[edit] Golden Age
Trams experienced a rapid expansion at the start of the 20th century until the period between the two world wars. There was a rapid increase in the number of lines and increase in the number of riders: indeed, it became the primary mode of urban transportation. Horse-drawn transport virtually disappeared in all European, American and Indian cities by 1910. Buses were still in a development phase at this time, gaining in mechanical reliability, but remaining behind compared to the benefits offered by trams. Even in the United States, the automobile was still reserved mostly for the well-to-do prior to World War I. A great number of these were destroyed in the Great American Streetcar Scandal. L blue l 23:47, 7 July 2007 (UTC)
