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The Capital City Street Railway, also known as the Lightning Route, was the first citywide system of
It was on this system that Montgomery's segregated racial seating was established in the early 1900s, which continued on the city buses after 1936. There was a Montgomery streetcar boycott from 1900 to 1902 to protest segregated service. However, the city council passed the Montgomery Streetcar Act in 1906 that further mandated a continuation of segregation. Segregation ended with the famous
The Capital City Street Railway, also known as the Lightning Route, was the first citywide system of streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
s established in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, on April 15, 1886.The Alabama Department of Archives and History page mentions streetcar development in 1886 at "Oak Park Montgomery’s First Public Park" and "Smith-Joseph-Stratton House" at This early technology was developed by the Belgian- American inventor Charles Joseph Van Depoele
Charles Joseph Van Depoele (27 April 1846, Lichtervelde, West Flanders, Belgium – 18 March 1892, Lynn, Massachusetts, US) was an electrical engineer, inventor, and pioneer in electric railway technology, including the first trolley pole.
Bi ...
. Joseph Arthur Gaboury was the owner of the horse-drawn system that was converted to electricity. One trolley route ended at the Cloverdale Cloverdale may refer to:
Place names
;Australia
*Cloverdale, Western Australia
;Canada
*Cloverdale, Edmonton, Alberta, a neighborhood
*Cloverdale, Surrey, British Columbia
* Cloverdale, New Brunswick
* Cloverdale, Nova Scotia
*Cloverdale Mall in T ...
neighborhood. This early public transportation system made Montgomery one of the first cities to "depopulate" its residential areas at the city center through transportation-facilitated suburban development. The system operated for exactly 50 years, until April 15, 1936, when it was retired in a big ceremony and replaced by buses.
Racial segregation
It was on this system that Montgomery's segregated racial seating was established in the early 1900s, which continued on the city buses after 1936. There was a Montgomery streetcar boycott from 1900 to 1902 to protest segregated service. However, the city council passed the Montgomery Streetcar Act in 1906 that further mandated a continuation of segregation. Segregation ended with the famous Montgomery bus boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States ...
started by Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "th ...
and led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and E. D. Nixon that lasted from December 2, 1955, to December 20, 1956.
City ownership
In 1974, the City of Montgomery took over ownership of the system that was then known at theMontgomery Area Transit System
Montgomery Area Transit System is the operator of mass transportation in metropolitan Montgomery, Alabama. The organization was founded in 1974, after years of tumultuous relations between private bus operators and passengers.
Route list
See al ...
or MATS. Since the centennial of the Lightning Route in 1986 there have been various initiatives to re-establish a light-rail system in Montgomery. In place of light rail a system of tourist trolley
A tourist trolley, also called a road trolley, is a rubber-tired bus designed to resemble an old-style streetcar or tram, usually with false clerestory roof. The vehicles are usually fueled by diesel, or sometimes compressed natural gas.
The ...
s (diesel buses) known as the Lightning Route Trolleys currently operates in the city's historic districts.
See also
*Berlin Straßenbahn
The Berlin tramway (german: Straßenbahn Berlin) is the main tram system in Berlin, Germany. It is one of the oldest tram networks in the world having its origins in 1865 and is operated by (BVG), which was founded in 1929. It is notable ...
- a Berlin electric streetcar system that started operation in 1881.
* '' Browder v. Gayle''
* History of trams
The history of trams, streetcars, or trolleys began in the early nineteenth century. It can be divided up into several discrete periods defined by the principal means of motive power used.
Horse-drawn
The world's first passenger tram was ...
* Richmond Union Passenger Railway
The Richmond Union Passenger Railway, in Richmond, Virginia, 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 milestone in engineering.
Th ...
- a Richmond, Virginia electric streetcar system that started operation in 1888.
* Union Station (Montgomery) - a preserved Lightning Route streetcar is housed in a building near the old railroad station.
References
Capital City Street Railway
The Capital City Street Railway, also known as the Lightning Route, was the first citywide system of streetcars established in Montgomery, Alabama, on April 15, 1886.The Alabama Department of Archives and History page mentions streetcar develop ...