The Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, was the first practical electric trolley (tram) system, and set the pattern for most subsequent electric trolley systems around the world. It is an

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operati ...

milestone in engineering. The Richmond system was not the first attempt to operate an electric trolley. According to the IEEE, there were at least 74 earlier attempts to provide electric trolley service in over 60 communities in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

, the

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, and continental

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. However, these earlier attempts were not reliable enough to replace the existing animal-hauled street railways. The Richmond system was designed by

Frank Julian Sprague Frank Julian Sprague (July 25, 1857 in Milford, Connecticut – October 25, 1934) was an American inventor who contributed to the development of the electric motor, electric railways, and electric elevators. His contributions were especially ...

. After trials in late 1887, it began regular operation on February 2, 1888, with 10 streetcars. Electric power was supplied through overhead trolley wires (450

volt The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). It is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827). Defin ...

s) for two motors on each car. Large cars weighed , provided 40 seats, and carried up to 100 passengers; small cars weighed with 22 seats and up to 65 passengers. Running speed was , with as a maximum speed. By June 1888 the system contained 40 cars running on some of track, including steep grades, and with 30 degree or minimum radius curves. Its success proved that electric traction was both safe and reliable. The

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

City Council, after inspecting Richmond's system on September 7, 1888, approved construction the second such project by the

West End Street Railway The West End Street Railway was a streetcar company that operated in Boston, Massachusetts and several surrounding communities in the late nineteenth century. Originally an offshoot of a land development venture, the West End rose to prominence ...

. Boston's trolley was closely patterned upon Richmond's, and again demonstrated its practicality. By 1895 almost 900 electric street railways and nearly of track had been built in the United States, and in a little over a decade animal-powered street railways had essentially vanished. Richmond's electric trolley service ended on November 25, 1949. It would not be until 2018 that the city would once again be served by rapid transit, when the

GRTC Pulse The GRTC Pulse (often abbreviated as The Pulse) is a bus rapid transit line in Richmond, Virginia, United States. The line runs along Broad Street and Main Street in central Richmond, between The Shops at Willow Lawn and Rockett's Landing. It ...

opened.

Location

References

* {{cite web, url=http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r3/richmond/railway.htm, title=Richmond Union Passenger Railway, archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070107050327/http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r3/richmond/railway.htm, archivedate=January 7, 2007 Light rail in Virginia Railway companies established in 1888 Railway companies disestablished in 1949 Transportation in Richmond, Virginia American companies disestablished in 1949 American companies established in 1888

Location

See also

References