The history of trams, streetcars, or trolleys spans multiple centuries, and closely coincides with the history of rail transport. It began as a form of local freight rail, with horse-drawn carriages used in the mining industry in quarries; its first use as public transport began as the horse car tramway system of the Swansea and Mumbles Railway in Wales, United Kingdom, initially opening in 1807 and running on grade-separated tracks. The first street-running tramway system, the new York and Harlem Railraod's Fourth Avenue Line, was opened in New York City, New York, United States in 1832, becoming the first tramway in North America; New Orleans, Louisiana followed suit, opening their own tramway in 1834. Shortly after, Europe's first street-running tramway opened in Paris, France in 1855, followed by Birkenhead, United Kingdom's system in 1860; the latter system, however, was removed a few months later as a result of opposition from omnibus operators against American inventor and businessman George Francis Train. South America's first tramway was opened in Santiago, Chile in June, 1858.
Electrification of tramways became a point of interest in 1853, with the introduction of electrified rails by Werner von Seimens at the Berlin Trade Fair in 1879, held in the namesake city; it was first implemented into the Lichterfelde tramway in 1881. Trolley pole electrification, running off electrified overhead lines, was developed that same year by Frank J. Sprague, and the technology was first implemented in the Richmond, Virginia tramway network in late 1887, before rapidly becoming the standard for tramway electrification.
In the post-war decades after World War II, auto buses quickly grew in popularity, becoming the primary form of local public transit due to the ability to maneuver around obstacles, route flexibility, and less capital costs and infrastructure required. As a result, many cities began replacing tramways with bus routes, removing existing tram infrastructure in the process. At the same time, private car ownership quickly grew in popularity, as private vehicles became significantly more affordable with cars such as the Ford Model T, further contributing to lower tram ridership, and public transit ridership as a whole. Many governments began opting to shift funding towards newer highway and road infrastructure, serving the growing number of private vehicle traffic in cities and suburbs.
Interest in tramways began to re surge in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, becoming increasingly desired as a means of reducing traffic, reducing car dependency, and improving air quality and affordability. France and the Netherlands were among the first cities to begin reinvesting and modernizing their tramways, with the Nantes tramway and Grenoble tramway in France opening their tramways in 1985 and the Netherlands rapidly modernizing their existing networks.
Horsecars
The world's first passenger tram was the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, in Wales, United Kingdom. The Mumbles Railway Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1804, and the first horse-drawn, or horsecar, passenger tramway began operations in 1807. It later was developed to run on steam engines in 1877, and from 1929 to its closure in 1961 ran on electric motors powered by trolley poles and overhead lines.
The first streetcar in the United States, developed by John Stephenson, was the New York and Harlem Railroad's Fourth Avenue Line running along the Bowery and Fourth Avenue in New York City, New York, which began service in the year 1832.The John Stephenson Car Co. Retrieved 25 February 2009. It was followed in 1835 by New Orleans, Louisiana's tramway, the oldest continuously operating streetcar system in the world.
The first tram in Continental Europe opened in France in 1839 between Montbrison and Montrond, operating in the streets within the town and on the roadside in the outer farmlands. Though it was permitted to run on steam engines, the system was entirely run with horsecars. In 1848, it was closed down following economic failure.Santiago, Chile opened the first South American tramway on 10 June, 1858. The first trams in Australia opened in 1860 in Sydney, New South Wales, followed by Africa's first tram service started in Alexandria, Egypt on 8 January, 1863. The first trams in Asia opened in 1869 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Beginning in the late 19th century, horse cars were largely replaced by electric-powered trams. Several inventors and companies were involved in the transition. Werner von Siemens pioneered electric traction in the early 1880s in Berlin. In the US, Frank J. Sprague's groundbreaking work collecting power from overhead wires using trolleys kickstarted the transition. His spring-loaded trolley pole used a wheel to travel along the wire. In late 1887 and early 1888, using his trolley system, Sprague installed the first successful large electric street railway system in Richmond, Virginia. Within a year, the economy of electric power had replaced more costly horse cars in many cities. By 1889, 110 electric railways incorporating Sprague's equipment had been begun or planned on several continents.
Horses continued to be used for light shunting well into the 20th century. New York City had a regular horse car service on the Bleecker Street Line until its closure in 1917."New York Loses its Last Horse Car" The New York Times 29 July 191, page 12 Pittsburgh, had its Sarah Street line drawn by horses until 1923. The last regular mule-drawn cars in the US ran in Sulphur Rock, Arkansas, until 1926 and were commemorated by a U.S. postage stamp issued in 1983. The last mule tram service in Mexico City ended in 1932, and a mule tram in Celaya, Mexico, survived until 1954. The last horse-drawn tram to be withdrawn from public service in the UK took passengers from Fintona railway station to Fintona Junction one mile away on the main Omagh to Enniskillen railway in Northern Ireland. The tram made its last journey on 30 September 1957 when the Omagh to Enniskillen line closed. The van now lies at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
Horse-drawn trams still operate on the 1876-built Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on the Isle of Man, and on the 1894-built Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram, in Adelaide, South Australia. New horse-drawn systems have been established at the Hokkaidō Museum in Japan and in Disneyland.
Steam
High-pressure steam engine
The advantages of high-pressure engines were: They could be made much smaller than previously for a given power output. There was thus the potential for steam engines to be developed that were small and powerful enough to propel themselves and other objects. As a result, steam power for transportation now became a practicality in the form of ships and land vehicles, which revolutionized cargo businesses, travel, military strategy, and essentially every aspect of society. Because of their smaller size, they were much less expensive. They did not require the significant quantities of condenser cooling water needed by atmospheric engines. They could be designed to run at higher speeds, making them more suitable for powering machinery.
The disadvantages were: In the low-pressure range they were less efficient than condensing engines, especially if steam was not used expansively. They were more susceptible to boiler explosions.The main difference between how high-pressure and low-pressure steam engines work is the source of the force that moves the piston. In a high-pressure engine, most of the pressure difference is provided by the high-pressure steam from the boiler.
A number of municipal and company-owned street tramways were built or extended with the application of cognate technology related to high pressure steam innovations.
Cognate technology
Traction engines in steam vehicles Tractors Rollers Reduced mass steam motors and launch-type boilers in: Towed pump engines for firefighting Marine engines for a larger ship's carried-boats, canal boats, small watercraft work-boats. Lighter railmotors in general Railcars (UK) or Motorcars (US) Minimum-gauge railway Light railway – properly distinct from a tramway which operates under differing rules and may share a road.
Tram engine
The tram engine was a product of technical innovations with a convergence of increased demand for public transportation systems.
Tram engines usually had modifications to make them suitable for street running in residential areas. The wheels, and other moving parts of the machinery, were usually enclosed for safety reasons and to make the engines quieter. Measures were often taken to prevent the engines from emitting visible smoke or steam. Usually, the engines used coke rather than coal as fuel to avoid emitting smoke; condensers or superheating were used to avoid emitting visible steam. A major drawback of this style of the tram was the limited space for the engine so that these trams had to replenish fuel and water more frequently compared to other locomotives.
Tram engines began to be used after popular promotion by George Francis Train of the United States, so called, "Street Railway" car companies using successful citywide horse-drawn railway transportation systems and passage of Tramways Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 78).
The first mechanical trams were powered by steam. Generally, there were two types of steam tram.
Detached Engine Combined Engine and Car
The first and most common had a small steam locomotive (called a tram engine in the UK or Steam dummy in the US) at the head of a line of one or more carriages, similar to a small train. Systems with such steam trams included Christchurch, New Zealand; Adelaide, South Australia; Sydney, Australia and other city systems in New South Wales; Munich, Germany (from August 1883 on), British India (Pakistan) (from 1885), The Hague, Netherlands, 1878,Stoomtram in en om Den Haag en Gouda, R. F. de Bock, Wyt Publishers, 1972, ISBN 90 6007 642 7. and the Dublin & Blessington Steam Tramway (from 1888) in Ireland. Steam tramways also were used on the suburban tramway lines around Milan and Padua; the last Gamba de Legn ("Peg-Leg") tramway ran on the Milan-Magenta-Castano Primo route in late 1958.
The other style of steam tram had the steam engine in the body of the tram, referred to as a steam tramway car. The most notable system to adopt such trams was in Paris. French-designed steam trams also operated in Rockhampton, in the Australian state of Queensland between 1909 and 1939. Stockholm, Sweden, had a steam tram line at the island of Södermalm between 1887 and 1901.
Cable-hauled
Another motive system for trams was the cable car, which was pulled along a fixed track by a moving steel cable. The power to move the cable was normally provided at a "powerhouse" site some distance away from the actual vehicle.
The London and Blackwall Railway, which opened for passengers in East London, England, in 1840 used such a system.
The first practical cable car line was tested in San Francisco, in 1873. Part of its success is attributed to the development of an effective and reliable cable grip mechanism, to grab and release the moving cable without damage. The second city to operate cable trams was Dunedin in New Zealand, from 1881 to 1957.
The most extensive cable system in the US was built in Chicago between 1882 and 1906. New York City developed at least seven cable car lines. Los Angeles also had several cable car lines, including the Second Street Cable Railroad, which operated from 1885 to 1889, and the Temple Street Cable Railway, which operated from 1886 to 1898.