NEW ORLEANS STREETCAR ALBUM

H. George Friedman, Jr.

Below is an album of pictures of New Orleans streetcars and interurban operations in the area of the city. Most of these are not available elsewhere, as far as I know. They are presented for your viewing pleasure, grouped primarily by streetcar line or location.

Group 1: Some Early Streetcars (last updated April 9, 2019: added Picture 1-6.5)

Group 2: West End Line (last updated April 3, 15, and 23, 2020: added Pictures 2-0.6, 2-0.7, 2-3.3, and 2-13}

Group 3: Spanish Fort

Group 4: Magazine Line (last updated August 6, 2019: added Picture 4-5)

Group 5: Arabella Station

Group 6: Freret Line

Group 7: Jackson Line (last updated October 16, 2019: added Pictures 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, and 7-5.)

Group 8: Napoleon Line (last updated July 29, 2020: added Picture 8-8)

Group 9: South Claiborne Line (last updated May 17 and 18, 2020: added Pictures 9-8, 9-11, 9-12, and 9-54; group renumbered May 18, 2020)

Group 10: St. Charles - Tulane Belts (last updated July 29, 2020: added Picture 10-14.5)

Group 10.5: Poland Station

Group 11: St. Claude Line and the 1000-Class Cars (last updated May 28, 2020: added Picture 11-16; group renumbered May 28, 2020)

Group 11.5: Gentilly Line (last updated September 29, 2019: added Pictures 11.5-2 and 11.5-8)

Group 12: Desire Line (last updated February 2, 2020: added Picture 12-12)

Group 13: The Orleans-Kenner Traction Co.

Group 14: The 1915 Hurricane

Group 14.5: The 1920 Strike

Group 15: The 1929 Strike (last updated June 6, 2020: added Picture 15-14.5)

Group 16: Streetcars Misnamed Desire, and Other Misnames (last updated November 30, 2018: added Picture 16-1.3)

Group 17: Work Cars and Napoleon Yard (last updated June 5, 2020: added Picture 17-12.3)

Group 18: Sewerage & Water Board

Group 19: Bogalusa, LA: Gaylord Paper Mill (last updated May 2, 2020: added Picture 19-5)

Group 19.3: St. Tammany & New Orleans Rys. & Ferry Co. (last updated September 19, 2020: added Picture 19.3-11)

Group 19.5: Southwestern Traction & Power Co. (last updated August 10, 2019: added Pictures 19.5-5 and 19.5-6)

Group 19.7: Gulfport & Mississippi Coast Traction Co.

Group 20: Badges, Buttons, and Pins

Group 20A: Badges

Group 20B: Buttons

Group 20C: Pins

Group 21: Tickets, Tokens, and Transfers

Group 21A: Tickets

Group 21B: Tokens

Group 21C: Transfers (last updated May 1, 2020: added Picture 21C-15.8)

Group 22: Stocks and Bonds (last updated September 11, 2020: added Picture 22-2; renumbered group)

Group 23: The Amalgamated Transit Union and the Cooperative Street Railway Employees Assn. (last updated August 17, 2019: added Picture 23-9; edited last paragraph of introductory text)

Links to Other New Orleans Picture Sites

References, credits, and copyright notice



Group 1: Some Early Streetcars

In all the pictures in this article, click on the picture for an enlargement. Picture 1-0. A horsecar of the New Orleans City RR approaches Esplanade from N. Rampart Street, circa 1864. The car could be on the Esplanade line, in which case it will turn to its left and proceed out Esplanade to Bayou St. John; or it could be on the Rampart & Dauphine line (later called simply Dauphine), in which case it will turn right and go in to Dauphine Street, then proceed down as far as Poland. Notice the plank walkway between the rails to provide footing for the horses (or mules) even in rainy weather that would otherwise make footing difficult. The man standing next to a little booth (for protection from the elements) is probably there to set the track switch for the cars. The neutral ground is narrow for a double track, but room has been made for trees.  Marshall Dunham photograph, LSU Digital Picture 1-0.5. Horsecars of the St. Charles Street RR approach Lee Circle from Canal Street along the company's namesake street. The right hand track, leading to Canal St. from Lee Circle, belongs to the Crescent City RR Coliseum line.  S. T. Blessing Picture 1-1. A little six-window electric streetcar, number 332, passes around Lee Circle, perhaps some time between 1896 and 1905. It is probably on the Annunciation line, on trackage shared at that time with the Coliseum line. The car number, together with its square windows and its roof line, identifies it as one of the Pullman-built cars 320-336 acquired in 1896 for Annunciation line service. Picture 1-1.5. We have a glimpse of Saint Charles Street RR (SCSRR) Clio car 9 heading uptown on St. Charles St. just past Canal St. The St. Charles Hotel is in the background. A marching band is passing, having come down the street, and apparently is turning into Canal Street. The crowd seems too sparse for this to be Mardi Gras. It might be a funeral, or perhaps something else entirely  after all, this is New Orleans! Car 9 is part of an 1895 order of cars numbered 1-40 from the Pullman Co. This group inaugurated electric service on the SCSRR. The picture could have been taken any time between 1895 and 1904. Picture 1-2. New Orleans City RR car 97 in a car barn, probably either Magazine Shops or Arabella Station. 22-E maximum traction This was one of the 1894 Brills, seen on its original Brill 22-E maximum traction double trucks. This car was part of an order of 50 cars, numbers 66-115, placed with the J. G. Brill Co. in February 1894, for delivery in June and July. Later, this class of car was changed to a single truck, because the maximum traction trucks were prone to derail in New Orleans. Note the Magazine route sign and, above the platform hood, a removable wooden sign saying Station Only. We see quite a range of people: the very serious motorman standing at attention at his controls; the uniformed and non-uniformed company men standing in the doorway and by the side of the car; the sweeper with his broom; and a derbied gentleman with two children sitting inside the car. One can even make out some of the advertising signs inside the car. Picture 1-2.5. Builder's photo from the Brill Co. of car 233, one of the group of 1894 Brills numbered 230-239, part of order number 5521, delivered to New Orleans in January and February 1894. Car 233 was originally intended for service on the Canal Street line, as indicated by the label on the side of the car: Canal St. and Cemeteries. Below is painted the name of the company that owned the car: N. O. C. & L. R. R. CO.  New Orleans City and Lake RR Co. The cars were ordered by New Orleans Traction Co, which owned the NOC&L and the Crescent City RR Co. at this time. We see the original Brill 22-E maximum traction trucks, with the smaller pony wheels on the inside rather than the more usual outside position under the car. Picture 1-3. A view of the Mississippi River levee. The location is not stated, but there seems to be a leftward curve ahead in the river, which would put this picture somewhere near the eastern (downriver) boundary of New Orleans, near Chalmette, looking upriver. Postcards are known marked Levee at Chalmette having very similar pictures. The presence of a streetcar at the right side of this picture suggests that we are looking at a car on the N. Peters St. trackage approaching the American Sugar Refinery, on the Dauphine line. (Eventually, this trackage would be part of the St. Claude line.) The streetcar is an early Palace car with an open platform, which dates the picture to between 1901, when the first Palace cars arrived in New Orleans, and 1905, by which date all open platform cars had been rebuilt with closed platforms.  Underwood & Underwood Picture 1-3.5. New Orleans & Carrollton car 84, probably in the Carrollton Station car barn, August 8, 1896. This was one of the last pre-Ford, Bacon & Davis cars bought by that railroad, a group of six cars, nos. 83-88, acquired from St. Louis Car Co. the previous year. Instead of solid sides with windows, these cars were open, with wire screens for the safety of the passengers, and curtains that could be pulled down in case of rain. Note the open wicker seat backs. The cars clearly were intended to provide passenger comfort in the hot, humid summers of New Orleans. The glass in the side of the clerestory shows St. Charles Ave, while the name Carrollton is painted on the lower side of the car behind the car number. The conductor on the front platform with his coat open is John William Stroud. The other men are unidentified. About 1903, the bodies of these six cars were rebuilt by being spliced together to create long trailers for West End and (later) Spanish Fort train service.  Jeff Junker collection Picture 1-4. Two New Orleans & Carrollton R.R., Light & Power Co. cars pass on the Carrollton Ave. bridge over the New Basin Canal, about 1901 or 1902. They are running on the St. Charles and Tulane Belt lines: St. Charles operated a clockwise loop, and Tulane a counter-clockwise loop. These cars were part of a group of 70 single truck cars, numbers 160-229, built by the American Car Co. for the New Orleans & Carrollton in 1899. The cars were designed by the engineering firm Ford & Bacon, later Ford, Bacon & Davis (FB&D). This firm designed the electrification and improvements to several New Orleans streetcar companies, beginning in 1894 with the Orleans RR, the Canal & Claiborne RR, and then the New Orleans & Carrollton. (The last two companies merged in 1892.) The work included the specification of an improved electric streetcar, a design which was so successful that it was adopted by the other street railroads in New Orleans, of both track gauges. Eventually 217 of them ran in the city.  New Orleans & Carrollton R.R., Light & Power Co. Picture 1-4.5. New Orleans & Carrollton car 152 stands in the car barn yard with motorman and conductor at the ready to begin its day's run, probably in the 1910s. It is signed for the Claiborne Ave. line (i.e., North Claiborne), both in the clerestory window and by the hanging sign on the dash. The car barn has not been identified with certainty, but seems likely to be the Urquhart car barn, home for the Claiborne line. The car is one of the second order of FB&D cars, delivered to the Canal & Claiborne RR in 1897 as numbers 50-59. In 1899, the C&C was bought by the NO&C, and the cars were renumbered 150-159. By the time of this picture, their vestibules had been enclosed (in 1904), and they had been converted to Pay As You Enter operation  note the dash sign “Pay Conductor On Entering”. Picture 1-5. This picture of a New Orleans City RR transfer station is taken from a tourist guide published by that streetcar system in February 1902. The streetcar is one of the 1894 Brill class, shown on its original maximum traction double trucks. The car number appears to be something-11; the notched windows reveal that it must be number 111, as 211 had arched windows. The car was part of an order of 50 cars, numbers 66-115, placed with the J. G. Brill Co. in February 1894.  New Orleans City RR Picture 1-6. A somewhat damaged picture of New Orleans City RR car 202, another 1894 Brill rolling on its original maximum traction trucks, signed for the Magazine line. The small (pony) wheels can clearly be seen to be facing the inside, with the large wheels facing toward the outer ends of the car. This car was part of an order of 50 cars, numbers 166-215, placed with the J. G. Brill Co. in April 1894. The crew of the car, conductor and motorman, are at the far left and right, with a policeman the next person on the right, wearing an old fashioned tall helmet. Don't miss the sign advertising sailing at West End, visible at the upper right.  Collection of Earl Hampton Picture 1-6.5. "1894 Brill" car 218 of the New Orleans City & Lake (NOC&L) on the Magazine line, some time before 1904. Cars 216-229 were ordered in 1895. With their 8 windows, these were the largest cars on the NOC&L when they were new. They were delivered with Brill 22-E Maximum Traction double trucks, but in this picture, 218 has exchanged those trucks for a single truck. One of the crewmen, perhaps the motorman, is Simon Cahill. (The original photo has been seriously damaged, as can be seen, but the photo is rare enough that it is shown in its current condition. Efforts are in progress to try to Photoshop the image into better condition.)  Courtesy of Thomas Kimbrell, great-great-grandson of Simon Cahill Picture 1-7. Single truck car 241 is seen here at the back door of Arabella Station car barn, about 1917. The photographer is standing in Constance St. At the left rear of this picture, we can see part of a Brill semi-convertible car. Note the large Herr fenders on each end of car 241. It is riding on a Lord Baltimore truck. This car appears to be one of the group of FB&D cars numbered 230-244, built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1900-1901 for the standard gauge New Orleans lines, such as the St. Charles-Tulane belt line. By the time of this picture, the car appears to have been regauged for the wide gauge lines, because Arabella Station was exclusively a wide gauge car barn. The change in gauge probably took place in 1915, when the 400-series double truck cars arrived in New Orleans and displaced FB&D cars from the St. Charles-Tulane belts. Pictures 1-8 and 1-8.5. Single truck cars 213 and 293 are on Jeanette Street at Carrollton Station car barn. Carrollton Station was originally standard gauge, as it housed the standard gauge St. Charles and Tulane cars. About 1920, some wide gauge and some double gauge track was laid at Carrollton, because the Southport Shuttle track which ran next to the car barn was wide gauge. (Carrollton Station was converted to wide gauge when the St. Charles and Tulane belts were converted, in 1929, but dual gauge tracks survived there until quite recently.) Car 213 was one of the standard gauge FB&D cars 160-229 which the New Orleans & Carrollton acquired in 1899 from American Car Co. of St. Louis. Originally equipped with open platforms and gates protecting the entrances and exits, the car vestibules were enclosed in 1904 as mandated by Louisiana law. The cars were eventually changed to wide gauge. It is not clear which gauge trucks were under the car when this picture was taken. Car 293 was part of a group of ten wide gauge FB&D cars, numbers 290-299, ordered by New Orleans Railway & Light Co. in 1906 from the American Car Co. It may be here at Carrollton Barn to serve the Southport Shuttle route; there surely were few wide gauge cars at this car barn. Note the large Herr fenders on each end of both cars, unfolded in the front (at the left of these pictures) and folded up at the back. The cars are riding on Lord Baltimore trucks. Picture 1-9. Single truck car 76, probably some time in the range 1915-1918. The car is equipped with Herr fenders (the left one is down), and is riding a Brill 21-E truck. This car was one of the group of 30 FB&D cars ordered by the St. Charles St. RR in 1901 from the St. Louis Car Co., numbers 51-80. This picture was apparently taken about 1915 after this car series was rebuilt and before they were renumbered into the low 300s.  Collection of Earl Hampton Picture 1-10. Single truck car 394 is passing an early bus, August 20, 1929, on N. Broad St. The Peter E. Courtin Grain Co. in the background was located at 1409 North Broad St. Note how the tracks on N. Broad were on the edges of the neutral ground, not in the center. Car 394 is equipped with a Lord Baltimore truck. This car was one of the last group of single truck cars ordered by a New Orleans company. They were built by St. Louis Car Co. in 1910 as numbers 355-404, although cars 400-404 were eventually renumbered as 350-354. They ran almost exclusively on the Prytania line, and were therefore usually referred to as Prytania cars, until they were succeeded there by double truck cars of the 800 class in 1923. Some cars of the series were retired at that time, with a few retained, mostly for owl car service, into the 1930s. The bus is at the inner terminal of the Gentilly Road bus line. It would have started its outbound run by going one more block and making a U-turn.  Teunisson photo, collection of Earl Hampton Picture 1-11. Prytania car 363 is serving the St. Bernard line, a leg of the Broad line. This group of cars mainly served the Prytania line (hence the name Prytania cars), but were sometimes seen on other lines. 800-class cars took over Prytania in 1923, after which some of the cars in this group were retired, though apparently they were not scrapped. Hennick does not list 363 as one of the group of Prytania cars which was retained after 1923, and this picture appears to be from the later 1920s, so it seems that the car was recalled from its initial 1923 retirement. The St. Bernard line was not returned to service after the 1929 strike (see Group 15). As a leg of the Broad line, St. Bernard cars ran up N. Broad to St. Peter, in to Dauphine, up to Canal, one block on Canal to Burgundy, down to Dumaine, and back out to N. Broad, then down to St. Bernard. Tracks on Broad and St. Bernard were in the neutral ground. This picture could have been taken anywhere along St. Peter, Dauphine, Burgundy, or Dumaine Streets, probably within the Vieux Carré. Picture 1-12. Car 314 is seen here c. 1897 or 1898 in front of a car barn, probably Magazine Barn, which later became a principal shop for the streetcar system. The car is lettered for the Crescent City Rail Road Co., and in very small letters, for the New Orleans Traction Co., which in 1892 had taken over the CCRR and the New Orleans City & Lake RR (formerly the New Orleans City RR). The CCRR name is repeated in the side glass of the clerestory. The front clerestory glass probably displayed the route name, but it is not visible in this picture. The windows are arched in the style of those built by the Brill Co. The people in the photo are unidentified. The man at the controls, and his companion on the front platform, both dressed in suits, are probably high officers of the company. Two of the men visible in the car windows are wearing uniforms, and are perhaps the motorman and conductor assigned to the car. The other men could be dispatchers, foremen, shopmen, etc. The identity of the children is anyone's guess. Note the gutter construction, which runs underneath the exposed rail. Pictures 1-13 and 1-14. A view from a souvenir booklet dated 1906. According to the caption in the booklet, we are looking downtown (downriver) on N. Rampart St., probably somewhere between Canal and Esplanade. However, this looks more like Esplanade Ave. than Rampart St. The second picture is a closeup detail showing the streetcar, number 103. This car was one of the 66-115 group ordered by New Orleans Traction Co. in February 1894 from the J. G. Brill Co. It could have been working the Esplanade Belt or the Dauphine Line.  J. Murray Jordan/F. M. Kirby Pictures 1-15 and 1-16. For many years, the old Clio line ran out its namesake street to Magnolia, which it followed over to Erato and returned. In 1901, it was extended up Magnolia to Seventh Street, and in 1904 was further extended up Magnolia to Napoleon, then over Napoleon to Freret, which it followed all the way to Broadway. It also ran in on Broadway to Maple, where it met the Coliseum Snake line (so nicknamed because it twisted all over uptown New Orleans). However, in 1910, the Carondelet line took over the Freret Street trackage, including the leg on Broadway to Maple. This photo is believed to show Clio car 55 on Broadway at its terminal at Maple Street. The car is facing the wrong way on Broadway; the crew has changed ends, and the car will shortly take the crossover in front of it to the right-hand track as it begins its next run downbound toward Canal Street and the French Quarter. New Orleans had four streetcars numbered 55, one each owned by the New Orleans & Carrollton, the Orleans RR (ORR), St. Charles St. RR (SCSRR), and N. O. Traction Co. This one is most likely the car 55 of the ORR or the SCSRR, both of which were similar FB&D cars. ORR lines were all on the downtown side of the city. On the other hand, Clio was a SCSRR line, so this car is likely the SCSRR car 55. That car was one of a group of cars numbered 51-80 acquired in October 1901 from St. Louis Car Co. As delivered, the cars had open platforms; in 1904, the vestibules were enclosed to the form seen here. The route sign can be seen both above the front center window, and in the glass of the front clerestory panel. The colors are reported by Hennick & Charlton to have been red and white. The second picture is a closeup detail from the first, giving us a better view of car 55 itself.  Michael Mizell-Nelson, Clio streetcar, early 1900s, New Orleans Historical, accessed October 8, 2013, http://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/2

Group 2: West End Line

Over the years, several railroads ran from the Mississippi River out to Lake Ponchartrain. For example, the railroad tracks in the neutral ground of Elysian Fields were originally laid for this purpose. Among streetcar operations, the most significant early road was the West End line of the New Orleans City RR. This was originally a steam dummy line, meaning that trains on the West End line consisted of several trailers pulled by a steam dummy  a small steam locomotive hidden within a streetcar-like body. Conventional wisdom of the time held that this type of vehicle would be less likely to scare horses than an ordinary steam locomotive.

Eventually, in 1898, New Orleans Traction Co. (successor to New Orleans City RR) took delivery of a dozen double truck electric streetcars equipped to replace the steam dummies. Barney & Smith provided cars 500-507, and American Car Co. sent cars 509-512. (Number 508 was skipped.) These cars began pulling the trains to West End on July 17, 1898.

Beginning in 1911, New Orleans Railway & Light Co. switched its excursion traffic from West End to Spanish Fort, and that line used the trains (see Group 3), with Palace cars pulling single Coleman trailers assigned to West End.

In 1935, cars of the 800-900 series were assigned to West End, and trailer operation was dropped. After this, West End was in effect a longer and limited-stop version of the Canal-Cemeteries line. West End cars ran the length of Canal Street from the loop at the foot of Canal all the way out to City Park Ave., but between Claiborne and City Park Ave., they stopped only at Galvez, Broad, Jefferson Davis, and Carrollton. At the outer end of Canal St., West End cars followed City Park Ave. to Julia St., then ran all the way out to the lake. North of City Park Ave., Julia St., connecting to West End Blvd., while theoretically a public street, was mostly private right of way for West End cars. There were passenger shelters at stops along West End Blvd.

Buses took over from City Park Ave. to the lake on January 15, 1950.

Picture 2-0. We are watching the watchers, looking east across the New Basin Canal. The New Orleans Rowing Club is racing on the canal, while spectators watch from the open windows of two chartered streetcars, 877 at left and 804 at right, heading toward the lake. The second picture is a detail view of the streetcars. The picture is not dated, but the automobiles in view date from the 1930s, and two of them are 1939 models. The streetcar roofs are painted differently. The 804 has a scheme tried out briefly in the late 1930s, consisting of a light base color, with a black stripe down the middle. Apparently the stripe was to hide the inevitable stains from sparks from the trolley wire and pole. The 877 has a plain roof painted in a darker color, which had been used earlier and would be used again.  Courtesy of Robert Jahncke, whose grandfather Herbert Jahncke was an active member of the New Orleans Rowing Club

Pictures 2-0.5, 2-0.6, and 2-0.7. The top picture features car 899 on the West End line, probably some time in the 1940s, paused at the crossing of the New Orleans Terminal (now part of the Norfolk Southern), located about a half mile north of City Park Avenue/Metairie Road. This area was known as East City (even though it was on the west edge of New Orleans). After the close of the West End line, car 899 was used in the dismantling of the line, after which the car was itself scrapped. The middle photo shows car 925 at the crossing on October 3, 1949, perhaps heading in the opposite direction, since the background looks quite different. The bottom view looks east across the New Basin Canal, and shows an inbound West End car just after passing the crossing, December 3, 1949.  Otto Goessl photos (middle and bottom) Pictures 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-3.3, and 2-3.6. In the top picture, a passenger is walking away after leaving outbound car 913. A shelter can be seen in the background. The New Basin Canal is out of sight at the rear of the picture. The second picture features outbound car 933 passing a shelter, possibly the same one as in the top picture, with the canal to the left. Note how the shelter is actually built out over the water of the canal. The third picture shows inbound car 936, with the canal to the right. The fourth photo shows a lakebound car from across the canal as it passes Harrison Avenue in Lakeview on December 3, 1949. The New Basin Canal was filled in about 1950, and the right of way eventually become part of the Ponchartrain Expressway (I-10). The fifth photo is later, looking across the filled-in Canal toward West End car 844 as it approaches Downs Street riverbound, just a few blocks south of the lake end of the line. The car has a good load of passengers returning to the city from West End. Prior to the 1948 closing of Arabella Station, 800-class cars were usually assigned to West End and the other lines operated out of Canal Station. So these photos of 900s were probably taken between 1948 and 1950.  Otto Goessl photo (fourth) Pictures 2-4, 2-4.5, 2-5, 2-6, and 2-7. The outer end of the West End line, probably between 1948 and 1950. These pictures show the West End terminal near Lake Ponchartrain late in the life of this line. The top picture features car 933, and shows off the little shelter erected at this spot. The second photo shows car 927 from the opposite side, on January 14, 1950, the last day of streetcar operation on the line. Then we see the sun-dappled sides of cars 900, 926, and 936.  Collection of Earl Hampton (first picture) and of the author (last four pictures) Pictures 2-7.5 and 2-7.6. In the upper photo, outbound West End car 869 pauses at Greenwood Cemetery, having just turned in from City Park Avenue/Metairie Road, February 25, 1947. The track in the right front corner of the photo is the inbound track, which turns left into City Park Avenue/Metairie Road for return to Canal Street. The crossover track across the middle foreground is used primarily by Canal-Cemeteries cars to turn back, as this is their terminal point. The lower picture, taken the same day, shows Cemeteries car 852 starting into that crossover to begin its next inbound run to the foot of Canal Street.  Elliott Kahn photos, collection of J. G. Lachaussee Pictures 2-8, 2-8.5, and 2-9. The connection between Canal Street and Julia Street along City Park Avenue/Metairie Road was actually along the lake side of the roadway (the north side by the compass), as seen in these three 1948 photos. In the top and middle pictures, cars 915 and 928 are inbound heading toward Canal Street, and in the bottom picture, car 924 is moving away from Canal Street toward Julia Street.  Walter Broschart photos Picture 2-10. Cars 915 and 917 in 1948 at the end of Canal Street, at the cemeteries, about where the outer terminal of the Canal line would be a few years later. Car 915 is on the West End line; 917, at the left edge of the picture, is on either the West End or the Canal-Cemeteries line. Cars 917 and 901 collided in dense fog on the West End line November 15, 1949; both cars were retired and cut down into flat cars. Pictures 2-11 and 2-12. Cars 927 and 935 are serving the West End line in 1948, somewhere along Canal St.  Walter Broschart photo Picture 2-13. At the river end of the line, West End cars passed around the loop at the Liberty Monument. In this December 3, 1949 view, car 915 has come around the loop and paused at the stripe on the pavement across the track, while the switchman seen at the lower right sets the track switches to send the car into the desired layover track. Anoher car, probably a Tulane or Cemeteries car, is following 915, and will be switched onto a different track.  Otto Goessl photo

Group 3: Spanish Fort

Beginning March 26, 1911, a branch line was opened from the West End tracks at what became Robert E. Lee Blvd. east to the Spanish Fort area. Spanish Fort had a long history as an amusement resort before being improved by New Orleans Ry. & Light Co. (successor to New Orleans Traction Co.) between 1909 and 1911. During the summer season, the Spanish Fort streetcar line used the trains that West End had been using, the 500-class cars pulling up to three trailers, while West End after that time used Palace cars pulling single trailers. The rest of the year, Spanish Fort was a shuttle service operated along Robert E. Lee Blvd. between West End and Spanish Fort. Buses took over the Spanish Fort run on October 16, 1932.

Spanish Fort was equipped with a Spanish-style station building, an amusement park just behind the station, and sufficient trackage for the trains to be reshuffled and the electric cars to maneuver. There was a pier extending three-quarters of a mile out into the lake, with tracks out to the end, on which a shuttle car operated during the summer for several years. There was also a bathhouse part way out along the pier, over the water. One could walk out to the bathhouse, or take the shuttle car.

Picture 3-1. The station at Spanish Fort.  C. B. Mason Picture 3-2. American Car Co. car 509 pulls its train into the Spanish Fort station.  C. B. Mason Picture 3-3. American Car Co. car 511 has reversed direction and is loading passengers at the Spanish Fort station for return to the City. Picture 3-4. The amusement park at Spanish Fort, with the station at the right. Picture 3-5. The Spanish Fort pier, with the bathhouse built over the lake (in the left background), and the streetcar tracks running out to the end of the pier. Picture 3-6. This 1912 view shows the entrance to the bathhouse, part way out along the pier over the water of Lake Ponchartrain, looking back toward the shore. The actual bathhouse is out of the picture to the right. The streetcar tracks for the shuttle car can be seen at the left, separated from the pedestrian walkway by a railing.  C. B. Mason/H. J. Harvey Pictures 3-7 and 3-8. The reason for the name Spanish Fort. These pictures show what was displayed as the remains of old Fort San Juan, built about 1770 by Baron de Carondelet to protect early New Orleans from attack across the lake.  J. Scordill (upper), C. T. American Art (lower)

Group 4: Magazine Line

The Magazine line was primarily a street running line. The major exception was its uptown terminus, at Audubon Park, where the track was laid at the side of the roadway. Below are some glimpses of that trackage. Most of these pictures were taken from the river side of Magazine Street, which is just the other side of the streetcar right of way, looking into Audubon Park.

The star players in these pictures are all Perley Thomas cars: numbers 913, 916, 922, 923, 926, 928, 930, 941, 954, and 971. All of these cars survive today except 916, 928, and 941. Car 913 was at the Orange Empire Trolley Museum, and has been moved to San Francisco to join the Municipal Railway's historical collection. The others are still giving service in New Orleans.

In several of these pictures, we can see that the poles for support of the trolley wires use bracket arms for the downbound wires, but span wires to support the upbound wires. Probably, the original installation used bracket arms for both streetcar trolley wires. But in 1930, when the pioneering Broadway trolley coach line was started, twin trolley coach wires were installed above the roadway of Magazine Street to connect the Broadway line to Arabella Station, a little over a mile from Broadway Ave. In this stretch through Audubon Park, the span wires for the TC overhead were used to support the upbound streetcar overhead as well. A very close look (for example, at the pictures of cars 916 and 954) reveals a glimpse of the TC wires above the roadway.

After trolley coaches took over operation of the Magazine line, the street was widened in this area to absorb the streetcar right-of-way, and a narrow neutral ground was even created to separate the upbound and downbound roadways.

Pictures 4-1 through 4-4. The top picture shows car 916 at the Magazine line terminal. The car has just arrived from the right. The second picture, from about the same angle, features the motorman standing on the step of car 930, as another car begins its downbound run at the far right. In the third picture, car 954 and another car await their turns to pull up to the stub track, which is just ahead of 954. A motorman or conductor is stretching his legs before returning to his car for its next run. The fourth picture features car 941 in approximately the same location. Note the NOPSI kerosene hand lantern in the left front of the picture. The first three pictures were taken June 10, 1947. The fourth is undated, but probably was also shot in the 1940s.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos (top three) Pictures 4-5, 4-5.5, and 4-6. These three pictures were taken from the other side of Magazine Street, looking toward the river, the opposite viewpoint compared to the other pictures. The top picture features car 928 awaiting its turn to pull into the stub terminal and reverse the car for its return trip. The Magazine Street roadway in the foreground appears wet from one of the city's frequent rain showers. We have just a glimpse of the trolley coach wires overhead for the Broadway trolley coach line access from Arabella Station. This undated picture was probably taken in the late 1940s.  Amandus Drewes photograph The middle picture shows car 923, which has pulled into the stub terminal. Both trolley poles are up as the crew reverses the direction of the car. The pole at the left, which will be the front of the car when it sets out on its trip downtown, will be pulled down momentarily. We can see the roof and bench of a shelter for waiting passengers, at the far right. This picture is a bit older than the others in this group. The car roof is a light color, perhaps intended to make the car cooler in summer, and it has a black stripe down the center, to mask sparks from the trolley wheel. This roof paint scheme was used briefly around 1938. Note also the frosted glass car number in the first window behind the front door. This feature was gradually dropped in the 1940s.  Collection of Leo Sullivan The bottom picture stars car 926, which has pulled into almost exactly the same position as car 923 in the previous picture. The motorman is raising the trolley pole to reverse the direction of the car. Note that the roof is now a single, darker color, and the frosted glass number panel is gone. This picture is undated, but was probably taken in the 1940s. Picture 4-7. Car 971 has pulled forward from the stub track onto the downbound track, and is beginning its next run downtown. Two other cars at the left await their turns in the stub track. A motorman or conductor is seen at the right being unusually casual (for that era), with his necktie off. Of course, it is summer. The date is June 10, 1947.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo Pictures 4-8 and 4-9. The top picture shows car 922 at the very end of the track, where its crewmen have completed changing ends, and some passengers have boarded for the downbound trip. At the far left, we have a glimpse of a Broadway trolley coach in its turnaround loop, doors open to board passengers for its next outbound trip. Three students are strolling down Magazine Street, perhaps on their way to the zoo. The bottom picture shows car 913 and another car behind it in the stub track, shortly to pull out on their next downbound runs. These two pictures were also taken on June 10, 1947.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos

Group 5: Arabella Station

Arabella Station was one of the three largest and most important car barns operated by New Orleans Public Service Inc. (the others being Canal and Poland Stations). It was built in the 1880s by the Crescent City RR to house its then-new Coliseum line. The station was located along Magazine Street between Arabella and Joseph Streets. There was a large building in the block between Magazine and Constance Streets, with an open car storage yard in the next square block between Constance and Patton Streets. Arabella housed most of the uptown streetcar lines, until the Magazine line and Arabella with it were converted to trolley coaches and the rails were removed in 1948. Trolley coaches were replaced with diesel buses between 1963 and 1967. About 2002, Arabella was closed, and all bus lines were housed at Canal Station. The closed car barn was renovated for a second career as a Whole Foods store, opening in 2002. Renovated again after Hurricane Katrina, it was reopened Feb. 1, 2006, and survives in this form today.

Picture 5-1. In front of the car barn, there was a third track in Magazine Street, to which all the car barn tracks connected. This picture appears to show that track under construction, or perhaps under repair. The streetcar at the right-center of this picture is on that third track.  Collection of Mike Walsdorf Picture 5-1.5. The motormen and conductors  the platform men  at Arabella Station car barn gathered for a group photo with Brill semi-convertible car 320, signed for the Magazine line, about 1915. This was one of the group of 25 cars built by Brill subsidiary American Car Co. in 1906. They were originally numbered 300-325, and were renumbered 450-474 about 1918. Picture 5-2. Perley Thomas car 936 peeks out the front door of Arabella Station into Magazine Street.  Charles Franck photo, collection of Earl Hampton Pictures 5-3, 5-4, and 5-4.5. We are looking at the storage yard behind Arabella Station car barn, June 10, 1947. The top picture features Perley Thomas car 941 and the middle picture car 943, while the bottom picture is centered on car 932. For many years, the 900s were housed at Arabella, until with the closing of lines in the late 1940s, they were dispersed throughout the remaining lines of the system.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Picture 5-5. Arabella Station from the rear, looking across the storage yard toward the car barn. This picture was taken in 2002, just about the time the station was closed as a bus garage. The storage yard is seen in the foreground, now paved for rubber tired vehicles. The trolley coach wires have long since been removed, but in the upper foreground, we can see the rear of the tags numbering the lanes for bus parking. Note the rust on the rear wall of the building. This view is no longer possible, as the storage yard has been developed for housing.  Photo by, and collection of, Johnnie J. Myers Pictures 5-6 and 5-7. Arabella Station in its current role as a Whole Foods store, May 23, 2007. The upper picture shows the view from Magazine St. (compare Picture 5-1, above), and the lower view shows the rear of the building, from Constance St.  Photos by the author

Group 6: Freret Line

Picture 6-1. Freret was one of the later streetcar lines to be started. NOPSI created the line September 7, 1924 using portions of the old Carondelet and Clio Lines. It ran as far uptown as Broadway. Originally, it also ran on Broadway from Freret Street to S. Claiborne, but the portion of the line on Broadway was given up to the early Broadway trolley coach line November 30, 1930. This picture shows Perley Thomas car 902, apparently at the end of the line on Freret at Broadway, probably in the 1940s. The crew has changed ends, and the car is facing the wrong way on Freret Street, awaiting departure time for its next trip downtown. We see the conductor with his left rear door open to the sidewalk to board any last minute passengers before departure, when the car will take the crossover ahead of it to switch to the downbound track, and the conductor will change his door controller handle to operate the right-hand door. Freret gave up to rubber-tired vehicles December 1, 1946.

Group 7: Jackson Line

Pictures 7-1 and 7-2. In the upper photo, Perley Thomas car 924 is changing ends at the end of the Jackson line at the river, probably some time in the 1930s. The neutral ground at this point was a foot or so higher than the roadway, so patrons at the terminal used the doors on the other side of the car to exit or enter from the neutral ground. There is a wide black stripe along the center of the roof, perhaps an attempt to hide stains on the light colored roof from sparks from the trolley wheel. The lower photo, taken February 24, 1947, shows car 958 awaiting its turn at the terminal to change ends and prepare for the return trip. Notice the darker roof color, which was the standard for many years. Jackson crossed several of the major uptown lines, then turned downtown and went to Canal Street. After Jackson was converted to trolley coaches later in 1947, the neutral ground on Jackson Ave. was substantially narrowed to provide more lanes for automobiles.  Collections of Earl Hampton and Leo Sullivan (upper); Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee (lower) Picture 7-3. The Jackson and Freret streetcar lines shared double track on Dryades Street between Howard and Jackson Avenues. Here we see car 916 outbound (upbound) on Dryades, waiting to turn to its left into Jackson for the trip to the river. The White bus at the right, heading in the opposite direction, is on the Freret line, which had gone to buses temporarily on December 1, 1946 while trolley coach overhead wires were erected; some of those wires can be seen in this picture. On May 19, Jackson will also go temporarily to buses, pending conversion to trolley coaches in October.  Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee Picture 7-4. Here is car 930 at the Howard Avenue end of the Dryades Street track, where the inbound (downbound) Jackson car is turning to its left into Howard to go one block over to S. Rampart Street, which it will follow to Canal Street. The steeple in the background belongs to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church.  Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee Pictures 7-5 and 7-6. In the upper picture, Jackson car 961 is in the long block of S. Rampart between Common Street/Tulane Avenue and Canal Street, approaching Canal, May 4, 1947. This view looks toward Tulane Avenue. The lower photo shows car 929, also working the Jackson line, in a 1943 photo looking in the opposite direction. The car in front of 929 is a 400-class Southern Car Co. car on the St. Charles Belt line. In 1947, the St. Charles Belt was rerouted from S. Rampart to Liberty Street, and Jackson was converted to a trolley coach line.  Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee (upper); collection of Earl Hampton (lower)

Group 8: Napoleon Line

The original Napoleon line was a branch of the New Orleans & Carrollton RR, started as a horsecar line February 4, 1850. It ran from St. Charles Ave. to Tchoupitoulas Street. When electrified on February 10, 1893, it was extended down St. Charles along the route of the St. Charles line to the terminal in Baronne Street at Canal. From January 30, 1896 to the end of 1902, it ran in on Canal to the loop at the foot of Canal Street.

Another Napoleon line was opened January 1, 1903 running from St. Charles Ave. out Napoleon to Broad to Washington, running out Washington to Carrollton on tracks between the roadway and the Seventeenth Street Canal, down Carrollton to Shell Road (Ponchartrain Blvd.), then out tracks on the west side of that road, ending at Metairie Road. This line was known as the Royal Blue line, from the background color of its stained glass clerestory route signs. In 1906, the original Napoleon line was absorbed into the Royal Blue line, which then operated the length of Napoleon Ave. from Tchoupitoulas to Broad. In 1915, it was extended at the outer end along Metairie Road into Jefferson Parish, on side-of-the-road single track with passing sidings, resulting in a 16.8 mile line.

The Napoleon line was shortened bit by bit, giving up the Metairie Road part of the route to buses December 27, 1934. It was cut back further to Washington and Carrollton July 5, 1937, and again on November 17, 1940 to Broad and Washington. This left a crosstown line running on Napoleon Ave. from Tchoupitoulas to Broad, ending at Broad and Washington.

Napoleon was one of the last four streetcar lines in New Orleans. Buses were substituted February 18, 1953.

Picture 8-0. This view looks north (by the compass) from a point a little north of Carrollton Avenue. The New Basin Canal is at the far right, with a railroad bridge across it. The road between the canal and the Royal Blue streetcar right-of-way was originally called the Shell Road, and was later called Pontchartrain Blvd. Crossing arms can be seen at the point that the railroad crosses the canal, the roadway, and the streetcar line. There is a line of trees in the distance, which was between the roadway and the streetcar line. Beyond the curve seen here, the canal, the road, and the streetcar line ran straight all the way to Metairie Road, just over a mile away. Note the pole in the foreground with a sign “Cars do not stop here.” The railroad line was built by the Louisiana Railway & Navigation Co. in 1907. That road was absorbed into the Louisiana & Arkansas Ry. in 1929, and the L&A was merged into the Kansas City Southern in 1950, which dates this picture to 1929 at the earliest. This streetcar trackage was abandoned July 5, 1937. Today, the overpass connecting Tulane Ave. and Airline Highway occupies part of this view.  Collection of Maunsel White Picture 8-1. Judging by the automobiles, this picture featuring car 958 was taken some time in the 1940s. The car has just cleared S. Claiborne Ave. riverbound. A bit of the Beacon Restaurant on S. Claiborne can be made out to the right of the streetcar. Napoleon Ave. was, and remains, a wide beautiful street with a broad neutral ground eminently suitable for a streetcar line. Thanks to Richard Sharp for identifying the location. Picture 8-2. Long before this picture of car 969 was taken on March 18, 1949, the Napoleon line had been cut back to this point at Broad and Washington. In this picture, the car has changed ends in preparation for its next inbound trip, and the conductor is loading passengers from what is now the left front door. Picture 8-3. Car 952 has changed ends and is awaiting departure time from the Broad and Washington terminal. The motorman is looking out the first window toward the photographer, and the conductor taking his ease is visible through the third window  at least, his elbow is. Originally, there was double track here, which turned left and continued out Washington on side-of-the-road trackage.  Collection of Earl Hampton Picture 8-3.5. Some time in the last few years of the Napoleon line, car 896 awaits departure time for its next trip toward the river. The car is on Broad at Washington. It displays run number 3: at this time, Napoleon was the shortest streeetcar line in New Orleans, and only a few cars would have been assigned to the line. Picture 8-4. Near the river end of the line, car 937 and another 900-class car meet on Napoleon Ave. at the Magazine St. intersection in this June 10, 1947 picture. The photographer is facing away from the river. The streetcars are on the wide, grassy neutral ground. Note the roadways for other vehicles at left and right. The track curves in the foreground provide connections for Napoleon cars to travel to and from the car barn at Arabella Station (see Group 5). There appear to be some extra uniformed NOPSI personnel in front of the streetcars; perhaps the shift is changing. The church steeple in the background belongs to St. Stephen's Church. In recent years, this parish has been combined with others, and it is now Good Shepherd church.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo Picture 8-5. Car 956 waits for passengers on Napoleon Avenue.  Joseph Russo photograph Pictures 8-6 aand 8-7. We are at the Tchoupitoulas Street terminal of the Napoleon line. Cars 953 (in April 1951) and 966 (on March 18, 1950) have just pulled up to the terminal and discharged their last inbound passengers. The conductors are already loading waiting outbound passengers. The motormen, unseen here, are busy reversing the ends of the car: reversing the seats, putting up the trolley pole at this end of the car, and pulling down the pole at the other end. Note the fellow with his brown-bag lunch preparing to board car 966. The track continued to our right across Tchoupitoulas Street, connecting into Napoleon Material Yard.  Otto Goessl photo (lower) Picture 8-8. We see car 967, also at the end of the Napoleon line at Tchoupitoulas Street, but the photographer is facing the other direction compared to the previous photos. The date is April 1951. There is a curving trolley wire behind the car, leading into the track on Tchoupitoulas that connects into Napoleon Yard. Picture 8-9. Here is a St. Charles car crossing Napoleon Ave. in July 1953, just a few months after Napoleon streetcars were replaced by buses. The tracks on Napoleon Ave. have mostly been removed, including the crossing of the St. Charles line at this point, but the rails crossing the roadway of St. Charles Ave. can still be seen. They were removed within a year or two.

Group 9: South Claiborne Line

Pictures 9-1 through 9-7. In the author's considered opinion, the South Claiborne line was the most beautiful line in the City. These first pictures are submitted in support of that view. At 191 feet wide, this avenue was even wider than famed Canal Street. For at least part of its length, the median was occupied by a large drainage canal, an important component of the city's drainage system. (Today, the canal has been covered over, but in streetcar days, part of it was open.) The beautiful part of Claiborne Ave. had a broad, grassy, landscaped neutral ground, with a streetcar track at each edge of the neutral ground, as seen here. The top picture shows car 921 passing azaleas and palmettoes somewhere along S. Claiborne Avenue in 1948. The second picture is from Feb. 12, 1950 and shows car 956 followed by 972 downbound at State Street. The third photo, dated March 11, 1950, looks across the wide neutral ground from the other track toward car 959, stopped to discharge a passenger, perhaps the suited gentleman seen walking around the trailing end of the car. The date and location of the fourth picture, also featuring car 959, are unknown, but it was probably taken in the late 1940s. The fifth picture, looking at car 874, probably dates from the early 1950s. The sixth photo features cars 874 upbound at left, and 948 downbound at the right, some time in the last few years of the line. Buildings of the Baptist hospital can be seen in the background. The photographer is probably somewhere near Soniat Street. There is an unusual car stop sign in the left foreground. The seventh photograph, with car 972 somewhere along S. Claiborne Ave., is dated Jan. 7, 1951. Note the narrow roadway for automobile traffic. This ultimately proved fatal to the line, since the only way to widen the automobile lanes necessarily involved either rebuilding the streetcar tracks further to the center of the neutral ground, or removing them altogether.  Otto Goessl photo (second picture); Fred Victor DuBrutz photo (third picture); D. R. Toye, S. J., Kenner Train Shop (Chris Rodriguez) collection, courtesy of Mike Palmieri (fourth picture); F. J. Bechtel (seventh picture) Pictures 9-8, 9-9, and 9-10. These unusual photos show cars 952, run no. 5, 948, run no. 6, and 961, run no. 7, heading the wrong way on the track, on S. Claiborne near Versailles Blvd., February 12, 1950. The man in full uniform in front of car 948, and in the window of 961, appears to be a supervisor giving instructions to the motormen of the cars. The cars may be extra runs assigned for an expected crowd. Whatever the reason, the cars are being turned back, and are about to switch across the neutral ground to the opposite track. There were several crossovers along the line for just this purpose.  Otto Goessl photos Pictures 9-11 and 9-12. Three extra cars, 942 followed by 948 and a third car, are lined up on the crossover track on S. Claiborne at Versailles Blvd., awaiting the crowds that will be leaving Sugar Bowl Stadium on October 14, 1950 at the end of the football game between Tulane and Notre Dame. Parked like this on the long crossover, they are out of the way of regular S. Claiborne cars, but when passengers have boarded, they can pull out onto the main line in either direction. Meanwhile, the car men are gathered at the left edge of the lower photo for a bull session.  Otto Goessl photos Picture 9-13. The uptown end of the S. Claiborne line was at the unusual intersection of S. Claiborne and S. Carrollton Avenues. Probably only in New Orleans would two major avenues both designated South intersect each other. It happens because, while both cross Canal Street (the dividing line between South and North), Carrollton runs in a completely straight line, while Claiborne bends to follow the crescent of the Mississippi River. At the terminal, the upbound track curved across the neutral ground, connecting to the downbound track in a single-track stub terminal, which continued in a curve to connect to the tracks on Carrollton for access to the car barn at Carrollton Station. (It seems surprising that the track didn't simply curve back on itself to form a loop rather than a stub terminal. There was certainly plenty of room.) Car 947 is at the end of a line of cars waiting their turns to pull forward into the stub terminal, change ends, and load downbound passengers for their next trips to Canal Street. Pictures 9-14 through 9-18. The first two pictures here show cars 964 and 956 just after they have completed their upbound runs and discharged their last passengers. The cars are stopped on the curve, with the upbound automobile roadway glimpsed behind the car. All five pictures are undated, but the automobile in the upper photo suggests an early 1950s date; the others are probably late 1940s or early 1950s. Car 956 sports an unusual Canal St. destination sign.  Lawrence Boehning (second picture) The third picture shows car 961, just a bit forward of the location of 964 and 956 in the first two pictures. The track glimpsed across the bottom of the picture is the downbound track.  D. R. Toye, S. J., Kenner Train Shop (Chris Rodriguez) collection, courtesy of Mike Palmieri The fourth and fifth pictures show cars 960 and 946 on the upbound track, approaching the switch connecting to the downbound track. In the fifth picture, car 964 at our right has already changed ends and pulled forward to the point from which passengers are loaded for the next trip downbound.  Collection of Earl Hampton (fifth picture) Notice the landscaping on the neutral ground. Picture 9-19. We see car 969 looking in the opposite direction from the previous pictures. The car will pull forward (to our left) when its turn comes. Notice the recently replaced and repainted panel in the door.  Bruce Roy photograph Pictures 9-20 through 9-24. These pictures show S. Claiborne cars in the stub track at the very end of the line. Cars pulled up here to change ends and load passengers for the return trip down to Canal Street. Changing ends means that the trolley poles are changed (the raised pole must always trail the car) and the seats are reversed, and the motorman and conductor swap positions in the car, thus reversing the direction of travel for the next run. In the first picture, taken January 29, 1948, car 924 has passed over the switch and is still facing upbound. The car is now facing the curve connecting to the S. Carrollton tracks, from which it could proceed to Carrollton Station, though it will probably reverse and make another trip to Canal Street. At the far left, we can see across S. Carrollton Avenue to a passenger shelter for the bus lines that carried passengers further upriver.  Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee The second picture depicts car 965 after it has pulled into the stub track and changed ends. The motorman is completing the process by hooking down what is now the front trolley pole. A couple of boys have taken the coveted spot in the right front window, from which to enjoy the ride downtown; one is wearing a Boy Scout hat. The date is probably around 1940.  Joseph P. Russo photograph The third picture, from the late 1940s, shows car 969 after it had pulled into the stub terminal and changed ends, ready to depart on its next trip.  D. R. Toye, S. J., Kenner Train Shop (Chris Rodriguez) collection, courtesy of Mike Palmieri The fourth picture shows car 926 on July 13, 1941, and the fifth picture, taken March 14, 1949, shows car 959. Both cars are facing downbound, after having pulled into the stub, changed ends, and then pulled forward to load passengers. Car 926 has just started loading, and car 959 has completed loading and closed its doors, ready to depart downbound. At the far right edge of the fourth picture, one can see the pole and crossarms for the trolley wires on S. Carrollton Ave. Pictures 9-25 and 9-26. In the upper picture, car 877 has passed over the switch and is still facing upbound. The car is now facing the curve connecting to the S. Carrollton tracks. The activity visible in the foreground appears to be the construction of the terminal for the bus line which replaced the streetcar line in early 1953. That would date the picture to late 1952. Note the Katz & Besthoff drug store on the corner, visible behind the streetcar. This was a long time New Orleans chain store, well known in the city and surrounding area. This store building included doctors' offices on the second floor. The lower photo, dated December 30, 1951, features car 800 on a rainy day at the stub terminal, waiting to load more passengers until departure time. The motorman is taking a break, standing on the front steps of the car. During the 1940s, cars 800 and 877 would not usually have been assigned to S. Claiborne service. This would be more likely toward the end of streetcar service on S. Claiborne. Picture 9-27. This is a diagram of the trackage at the intersection of S. Claiborne with S. Carrollton. It is not drawn to scale, but is intended to suggest the general layout. Tracks are shown as black lines, street and neutral ground curbs as green lines. The tracks shown in blue were added about August 1952. This is the configuration of crossovers usually found in reports of the period (1940s), although the author has seen at least one such report with a crossover on S. Carrollton near what would be the bottom edge of this diagram. While such a crossover would make travel from Carrollton Station to S. Claiborne more convenient than this diagram shows, other reports do not confirm it. Carrollton Station is off the bottom edge of this diagram, some blocks away. Assuming this diagram is accurate as to the position of the crossovers, travel from Carrollton Station to S. Claiborne must have involved going across Claiborne to the crossover on Carrollton, switching back and crossing Claiborne again, then changing ends and taking the broad curve into Claiborne. (Return to the station would of course have been much simpler.) In wondering why such a track layout would have been tolerated, it should be remembered that in earlier days, the S. Claiborne line was housed at Arabella Station, and the connecting curve between Carrollton and Claiborne would have been used only rarely. By the time Arabella was stripped of its rails (1948), it was clear that the assignment of S. Claiborne cars to Carrollton Station would last only for a few years. It should also be noted that in August 1952, the St. Charles line was cut back to this intersection, and a new double scissors crossover, still in use today, was installed on S. Carrollton as shown in blue. That would have made the connection from Carrollton Station to the S. Claiborne line more convenient, but S. Claiborne had then less than six months to survive as a streetcar line. Pictures 9-28 and 9-29. These two 1948 views of the line show the neutral ground in nearby areas of the covered canal (upper picture) and uncovered canal (lower picture). Recent research by "Streetcar Mike" Strauch suggests that the cover ended and the area of open canal began around Fourth and Third Streets. He has also determined that the Gallo Theater, seen in the background of the lower photo, was located at 2212 S. Claiborne, which is between Jackson Ave. and Philip St. We have glimpses of a railroad track between the streetcar track and the automobile roadway. (We know it's not another streetcar track, because it has no trolley wire.) My thanks to Mike Strauch for his research on this and several other photos in this section.  Walter Broschart photos Pictures 9-30 and 9-31. Two views of car 958 upbound near Third Street along the open canal. The upper picture dates from 1948, the lower from the following year. There is a school zone sign in the upper photo, near what is now the Harney Elementary School. We see bridges across the canal at Third and Fourth Streets. The railroad track, on the lake side of the canal, is again glimpsed. There are big crowds on the cars.  Walter Broschart photos Picture 9-32. Car 972 is loading and discharging passengers around Washington Ave. in this 1948 scene. We have a good view of the railroad spur glimpsed in the previous pictures.  Walter Broschart photo Picture 9-33. Here is car 952 downbound somewhere above Jackson Ave. along the open canal, seen from across the canal in 1948.  Walter Broschart photo Pictures 9-34 and 9-35. These two photos feature car 963 in 1949, looking across the canal. The upper is probably near Philip Street, one block above Jackson Avenue; the lower is at Jackson. The Gallo Theater, at the left in the lower picture, was at 2122 S. Claiborne, near Jackson.  Walter Broschart photos Picture 9-36. The portion of the S. Claiborne line that was not on S. Claiborne Ave. was mostly street running, inherited from the earlier Clio line. After leaving S. Claiborne Ave., downbound cars followed Erato St. to Carondelet, which they took to Canal Street. They made the loop that St. Charles streetcars still take, from Carondelet to Canal to St. Charles and back to Howard Ave. at Lee Circle, then went out Howard to S. Rampart Street and up to Clio to return to S. Claiborne Ave. Except on Howard and Canal, this was all street running. In this 1949 photo, we see car 954 downbound/inbound on Erato, just passing Magnolia Street. The curve in the foreground was the connection from Magnolia to Erato for downbound Clio cars, until that line was discontinued in 1932. The car is quite crowded, with some passengers forced to stand on the rear platform.  Walter Broschart photo Picture 9-37. Car 952 is on Carondelet Street about at Calliope Street, heading downbound/inbound toward Howard Avenue and Canal Street. The Dodge automobile in the traffic lane next to the streetcar, with the distinctive cross-hatch grill, is a late 1940s model. Picture 9-38. This Nov. 1, 1951 picture shows car 969 on Carondelet, just about to cross Howard on its way to Canal Street. The car is using the right-hand trolley wire of the Freret trolley coach line; in fact, there are double trolley coach wires visible in this picture. Picture 9-39. It is September 1951, and S. Claiborne streetcar 957 has paused for passengers on Carondelet Street at Canal, with a Freret trolley coach behind it. Another streetcar follows, about a block away at Common Street; it is probably on the St. Charles line. The streetcars use the right hand wire of the two-wire trolley coach overhead. There is an automatic switch in the overhead wire ahead of the car, so that when it moves forward, its trolley pole will follow the track onto the Canal Street neutral ground; the double poles of the trolley coach activate the automatic switch such that they will follow the coach into the roadway. Pictures 9-40 through 9-43. S. Claiborne cars came down Carondelet to Canal, then turned into the outer track on Canal Street, ran one block to St. Charles Street, then turned up St. Charles to begin their upbound runs. These four June 10, 1947 pictures show S. Claiborne cars on Canal Street at St. Charles, loading passengers before turning up St. Charles Street. The upper picture features car 928 loading passengers, and Cemeteries car 820 at the left on the inner riverbound track. In the second picture, car 909 has paused on the outer track, and is ready to turn right into St. Charles Street for the trip to Howard Ave. The third photo features car 920 from the opposite direction, waiting to make the turn. At the left we see two White buses, the first signed Freret, the second displaying a Bus Garage sign. In the background there is a Desire or Gentilly car turning into Bourbon St. The car at the right is either a 400 on Tulane, or an 800 on Cemeteries or West End. The bottom picture shows car 924, as the motorman looks back into his car at his passengers. The woman at the right is dressed up, in suit, hat, and gloves, as any lady would do when going shopping at Canal Street. She is waiting for the streetcar to pass in front of her on the inner riverbound track.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Pictures 9-44 and 9-45. After leaving Canal Street, S. Claiborne cars followed St. Charles Street to Howard Ave. at Lee Circle, then took Howard to S. Rampart Street. (For some years in the 1920s, the line used Julia Street rather than Howard from St. Charles to S. Rampart.) The upper photo follows car 953 at it leaves Canal Street and begins its run up St. Charles Street, about 1952. The lower photo shows a 1949 view of S. Claiborne car 957 upbound/outbound on St. Charles near Perdido Street.  Walter Broschart photo (lower photo) Older roll signs on the cars listed both N. Claiborne and S. Claiborne route selections. Later, long after closure of the N. Claiborne line, some cars on S. Claiborne displayed route signs saying simply Claiborne, with a blank space where the S should have been, such as car 964 in Picture 9-14. It seems likely that those rolls were wearing out, and the N had been blacked out on the less-used N. Claiborne sign. Still other roll signs showed Claiborne, with no blank space, such as car 953 here; these were probably newer, replacement rolls. Pictures 9-46 and 9-47. These two S. Claiborne cars are upbound on Howard Ave., on their way to S. Rampart and then to Clio Street. Lee Circle is visible at the right edge of both pictures, although in the upper photo, the statue of the general is out of sight. At the top, car 956 has just turned in from St. Charles Street. The date is January 7, 1951. In the lower picture, car 971 has just crossed Baronne Street, about 1950. Baronne Street itself is out of sight to the left. The other street coming in at an angle at the left is St. Joseph Street. Freret trolley coach 1273 can be glimpsed behind car 971. Like the streetcar, it has also come up St. Charles Street, on its way to Dryades Street on its upbound run. Note the white-painted wooden Car Stop sign, and what appears to be a gravel passenger loading platform at the car stop. The car is not stopping, however, as the motorman's hands show that car 971 is accelerating.  Collections of William Nixon (upper) and of the author (lower) Picture 9-48. S. Claiborne car 964 is stopped on Howard Avenue, upbound, just past Baronne Street, in about the same position as 971 in the previous picture, but looking in the opposite direction, away from Lee Circle. Just behind the streetcar, trolley coach overhead wire can be glimpsed; this was used by the Freret and Jackson TC lines. The conductor of 964 is seated at his position as a passenger boards and pays his fare. The car appears to be fairly full, with passengers visible at most of the windows. The photo is undated, but probably was taken in the late 1940s. Picture 9-49. S. Claiborne car 968 is about to turn left, toward the camera, from Howard Ave. into S. Rampart St., on its upbound/outbound trip, May 28, 1950. A Jackson trolley coach can be seen behind the streetcar, about to turn onto S. Rampart in the other direction, toward Canal Street. The Jackson coach is one of the St. Louis coaches numbered 1222-1321 built in 1947 and 1948.  Otto Goessl photo Picture 9-50. Car 972 has just turned from Howard Avenue, whose neutral ground is seen in the foreground, onto S. Rampart Street, heading for Clio Street. The car is passing in front of the old Union Station, which in just a few years will be replaced by the present-day Union Passenger Terminal. This photo is undated, but was probably taken around 1950.  Collection of Jerry Squier, courtesy of Scott Richards Picture 9-51. Car 952 is in approximately the same location as 972 in the previous picture, but the photographer in this 1949 view is facing in the opposite direction. The car has just turned from Howard Avenue onto S. Rampart Street upbound/outbound toward Clio Street. A downbound/inbound Jackson trolley coach is seen in the background turning toward Canal Street.  Walter Broschart photo Picture 9-52. S. Claiborne car 959 is working its way out to its namesake avenue on trackage inherited from the old Clio line. In this 1949 view, it is passing St. John the Baptist Catholic Church as it turns from S. Rampart Street into Clio Street with a full load of passengers.  Walter Broschart photo Pictures 9-53 and 9-54. In the last few years of the Napoleon and S. Claiborne streetcar lines, their cars were stored at Napoleon Yard, at the foot of Napoleon Ave. on the river side of Tchoupitoulas Street. Here are two photos of cars in that storage yard. The upper, dated September 1, 1950, shows car 954 awaiting its next call to service, amid stacks of ties avalable for track repair or reconstruction. Note the absent ad on the front dash, and the darker, unweathered paint where the ad would be. The second photo, undated but probably taken around the same time, features car 967 on the Yard storage track. Note the stacks of rails stored next to the track: T rails in the stack closer to the streetcar, girder rails in the stack to our left. Girder rail was typically used for street running and in the paved section of the Canal Street neutral ground, while T rail was typically used for unpaved neutral ground trackage.  Otto Goessl photo (upper), Walter Broschart photo (lower)

Group 10: St. Charles - Tulane Belts

For over 50 years, from Feb. 19, 1900 to Jan. 8, 1951, the St. Charles and Tulane lines operated as belts, with St. Charles being the clockwise side of the loop, and Tulane the counter-clockwise side. Putting it another way, cars leaving Canal Street for St. Charles Ave. were marked St. Charles, and cars leaving Canal Street for Tulane Ave. were marked Tulane. One small difference was that, after the 1929 rebuilding of the Canal Street trackage, Tulane served the loop at the foot of Canal, while St. Charles did not.

When belt operation was established in 1900, St. Charles and Tulane were among the minority of New Orleans routes which were standard gauge. In 1915, the first arch roof motor cars were acquired, the 400-449 class designed by Mr. Perley Thomas and built by Southern Car Co. These cars were standard gauge, and were assigned to the belt lines and Jackson. In 1925, Jackson was converted to wide gauge and rerouted, and 800-900-class cars were assigned to it. In 1929, the belts were converted to wide gauge; the 400-class cars were also converted at this time. These cars then ran on St. Charles and Tulane until their retirement in 1948. By 1945, cars 800-818 were also assigned to St. Charles and Tulane to supplement the fifty cars of the 400 class. After retirement of the 400s, other 800-class cars were assigned to the belt lines, having been made available by the bustitution of other streetcar lines in the City.

Pictures 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-4.5, and 10-5. These Tulane cars were photographed on the outer track of the layover area at the foot of Canal Street: from top to bottom, cars 813, 800, 814, 442, 800 (again), and 810. The top three pictures were taken June 10, 1947. Car 837 on the inner track in the top two pictures is working the Cemeteries line, and 855 is probably on that line also. There is a Car Stop sign on the light pole at the right. The third photo neatly lines up cars 814, 906, and 829 (left to right), probably on the Tulane, Cemeteries, and West End runs, respectively.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos The fourth photo features Tulane car 442 on the outer layover track in December 1945. Car 800 is shown in the fifth picture on October 3, 1949 displaying its windshield wiper, probably the only car in the fleet to be so equipped. At this time, it also had window screens installed on the passenger windows. This was an experiment applied to a number of St. Charles and Tulane cars, intended to protect riders from the trees and shrubs along St. Charles Ave. However, they were unpopular with the riding public, and were removed.  Otto Goessl photo In the sixth picture, taken on the last day of streetcar service on Tulane Avenue, January 7, 1951, we see 16-year-old railfan D. R. Toye, later to be a Jesuit priest, in the front window of car 810, holding up an issue of Trains Magazine. Otto Goessl photo When the Tulane cars begin their runs, they will switch to the inner track for the trip to Saratoga Street, which they will then follow up to Tulane Ave. Note that the right front and left rear doors of the 400-class cars, such as 442 here, are sliding doors, but on the 800-class cars, they are folding doors, the same as the other doors. Pictures 10-6, 10-7, and 10-8. These pictures all look out from the corner of St. Charles/Royal and Canal Streets on June 10, 1947. The Tulane Belt cars have just arrived at Canal Street from Carondelet, one block behind, and switched to the inner track for the trip to the loop at the foot of Canal. In the top picture, car 406 is discharging a lady passenger at the front door. To the left, we have a rare glimpse of a White bus on the Freret line. Freret had been converted from streetcars to buses temporarily on Dec. 1, 1946, while trolley coach wires were built for its reconversion to TCs on Sept. 3, 1947. The middle picture features Tulane car 802 and another 800-class car outbound on the Cemeteries or West End line. The bottom picture shows the motorman of car 807 intent on his departing passengers. Notice the light but mostly not-casual summer dress of the shoppers in these pictures.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Pictures 10-9 through 10-13. These June 10, 1947 pictures show St. Charles Belt cars at the University Place intersection with Canal Street, on the outer track. Since March, St. Charles cars have approached Canal from Tulane Ave. via S. Liberty Street. They will continue one more block on Canal and then turn into Baronne St. for the trip up to Howard Ave., which they will then follow to Lee Circle and St. Charles Ave. The top picture features car 435 at the left, with a glimpse of another 400-class car on the Tulane Belt at the right behind the elegant hat of the suited gentleman. In the second picture, the motorman is ready to take car 403 across the intersection, while in the distance, two other cars proceed along the inner tracks. We see car 440 in the third picture, along with cars in the distance on the inner tracks. The fourth picture stars car 443, with Tulane Belt car 808 outbound at the right, and Cemeteries or West End car 826 inbound in the middle. The bottom picture shows car 878 working the St. Charles Belt, apparently a tripper run out of Canal Station, while car 822 is inbound on the West End line.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Picture 10-14. Canal Street is busy with shoppers on this bright day in May 1949. The motorman of car 806 is watching carefully as some of his passengers alight from his St. Charles Belt car at Baronne Street. The car will turn right up Baronne to Howard Avenue on its way uptown via St. Charles Avenue. There is a Jackson trolley coach in the background, about a block away; it will also turn up Baronne Street. Picture 10-14.5. St. Charles Belt car 805 is making its way along Baronne Street from Canal to Howard Avenue, and is coming to Gravier Street, followed closely by a Jackson trolley coach, January 7, 1951. This is the last day of streetcar service on Tulane Avenue, and thus the last day for Belt Line service. That also makes it the last day for regular revenue streetcar operation on Baronne Street, historically the corridor for St. Charles service since the beginning of the New Orleans and Carrollton RR in 1835. Pictures 10-15, 10-16, and 10-17. Tulane Belt car 806 is outbound on Tulane Ave. at S. Liberty St., having just turned in to Tulane Ave. one block back, December 8, 1950. In the second photo, Tulane Belt car 801 is outbound at S. Prieur St., the same day. The third picture features St. Charles Belt car 818 inbound on Tulane Ave. at S. Tonti St., January 25, 1950. The building behind car 818 still stands in 2020. The other buildings in these three pictures have long since been replaced, including the steepled church.  Otto Goessl photos Pictures 10-18 and 10-19. The neutral ground on Tulane Ave. was none too wide for the car line. Here are two views of Tulane Ave., just out from S. Broad St. on June 10, 1947. The building at the left is the Criminal Courts Building. Notice how the span wires are mounted to poles near the outer curbs of the street, rather than on poles mounted on the neutral ground, as was the practice on wider streets such as St. Charles, Carrollton, and Canal. When Tulane Ave. was converted to buses and trolley coaches, and the rails removed, the neutral ground was reduced to nothing more than a narrow strip separating the inbound and outbound roadways. The upper picture shows the conductor's back as he leans against the window of car 441. The lower picture features car 813 as the conductor and some of the passengers look back wondering what that silly photographer is up to.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Picture 10-20. Tulane Belt car 830 is stopped for passengers, outbound on Tulane Ave. At the right, a waiting rider leans out looking for a St. Charles Belt car to take her toward Canal Street. Screens were used on the windows of some 800s around the period 1948 to 1951 on cars assigned to the Tulane and St. Charles Belt lines. They were intended to protect riders from shrubs on the St. Charles Ave. neutral ground, but they were unpopular, and were removed. The window posts of car 830 here show the mounting studs from the screens after their removal.  Collection of William Nixon Pictures 10-21 through 10-25. Here are five pictures of St. Charles Belt cars inbound toward Canal Street on Tulane Ave. at S. Broad St., the top four all taken June 10, 1947. In the top picture, car 857 is displaying a Car House sign, which indicates that this is its last trip for the day. From the car number, we know that this car was operated out of Canal Station, even though most St. Charles and Tulane Belt cars operated out of Carrollton Station car barn. If this is correct, the car will probably turn left at S. Dorgenois Street, one block ahead, to proceed over to Canal Street and the Canal Station car barn. The second picture features car 431 stopped for the traffic light at S. Broad St. In the third picture, car 400 is loading passengers at the same car stop. Note the unusual Car Stop sign seen in this picture. The fourth picture, featuring car 434, is also at S. Broad St., but facing in the opposite direction from the other three photos. Note again how close the tracks are to each other, and how narrow the neutral ground is compared to St. Charles Ave. or Carrollton Ave. The bottom photo shows a side view of car 440, with the Criminal Courts Building in the background.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos (top four) Picture 10-26. This scene is on Tulane Avenue at S. Dorgenois Street. We see St. Charles Belt car 412 inbound on Tulane Avenue. At the left, an 800-class car coming from Canal Station is turning from Dorgenois into Tulane to begin a run toward Carrollton Avenue on the Tulane Belt line. The date is April 7, 1948.  New Orleans Public Library collection Picture 10-27. Car 825 is on Tulane Ave. near S. Carrollton Ave. on the first day of 1951. Streetcar operation on Tulane Ave. will end in about a week.  Otto Goessl photo Pictures 10-28 and 10-29. In the upper photo, car 832 is about ready to leave Carrollton Station as run X3 on the Tulane Belt line for service to the New Orleans Pelicans baseball park on S. Carrollton just off Tulane Avenue, May 5, 1949. There were sidings on S. Carrollton at the ball park where extra-run cars could lay over during a ball game to quickly service crowds at game's end. The shadows suggest a time around noon, so the car is probably intended to make a trip to Canal Street then out Tulane Avenue to the ball park for an afternoon game, then to lay over until game end and take a crowd of fans home down S. Carrollton and St. Charles Avenues. The lower photo features car 864 serving Tulane Belt, paused at Pelican Stadium just after turning onto S. Carrollton from Tulane Ave., Decmber 8, 1950. But it's probably not on a ball park extra run; December seems the wrong time of year.  Otto Goessl photos Picture 10-30. Between Pelican Stadium and the New Basin Canal, near Julia St., the Belt Lines crossed the main line of the Louisiana & Arkansas, which merged into the Kansas City Southern in 1950. (See Picture 8-0 for a view of the bridge on which the L&A crossed the New Basin Canal.) This photo shows car 817 on the Tulane Belt at the KCS crossing on December 8, 1950.  Otto Goessl photo Pictures 10-31. 10-31.5, and 10-32. The Belt Lines crossed the Illinois Central main line along S. Carrollton Ave. near Edinburgh St. The top photo shows car 866 paused at the crossing. The othe two photos look along the IC line toward Carrollton Ave. from opposite sides. The middle picture features car 880 negotiating the crossing, with a waiting shelter for IC passenger trains at the left. The bottom photo shows Belt Line car 825 crossing the IC track. All three photos were taken December 8. 1950.  Otto Goessl photos Pictures 10-33 and 10-34. Tulane Belt cars along S. Carrollton Avenue heading toward the river and St. Charles Avenue. The top photo features car 830 at Nelson St., one block before coming to S. Claiborne, December 8, 1950. The second picture shows car 859 at Sycamore St., in front of Palmer Park, January 7, 1951, the last day of Tulane streetcar service.  Otto Goessl photos Pictures 10-35 and 10-36. Two Tulane Belt cars riverbound on S. Carrollton Ave. at the carbarn lead into Jeanette Street, eight years apart. The top picture features car 401 passing the curve into Jeanette on August 29, 1942. In the second photo, car 857 is dropping off a passenger some time in 1950. Note the white wooden car stop post with its pyramidal peak in the second picture. We have a glimpse of the extra rail for standard gauge operation, obsolete since 1929. The scene today is much the same, with the notable exception that the car is signed St. Charles rather than Tulane. Picture 10-37. St. Charles Belt car 404 is stopped at Broadway upbound on St. Charles Avenue in this 1948 photograph. Picture 10-38. Tulane Belt car 832 rounds the curve from Lee Circle to Howard Ave. on its way downtown, probably around 1950. It will turn into Carondelet Street, one block ahead, just as St. Charles cars still do today. In the distance, we can see a St. Charles Belt car approaching on Howard Ave., after having turned in from Baronne Street. The St. Charles car will take the curve in the left foreground to Lee Circle, going around to St. Charles Ave. for its trip uptown. Picture 10-39. Car 817 on the Tulane Belt is on Howard Ave. at Carondelet St., about to turn right for the trip to Canal St. This photograph is not dated, but we have a glimpse of the Freret trolley coach overhead wire on Carondelet, so this must date to the period 1947 to the end of 1950. The streetcar will wait to turn right for the red light to stop the automobile traffic on Howard. Pictures 10-40 and 10-41. During World War II, NOPSI painted car 832 in this patriotic livery advertising the sale of war bonds. The car moved around the entire system, and from time to time, the message on its side was changed slightly. We see it in the upper view, probably the earlier of these two photos, signed for the Tulane Belt on the ladder track in Jeanette Street at Carrollton Station. In the lower photo, at the same location in April 1943, the car sides carry a different war bonds message. The car is signed Special and Car House, and is probably fresh out of the paint shop.  D. R. Toye, S. J., Kenner Train Shop (Chris Rodriguez) collection, courtesy of Mike Palmieri (top photo)

Beginning January 8, 1951, streetcar service on Tulane Avenue was converted to bus, and the St. Charles streetcar and Tulane bus lines became separate operations. The long-term plan, which was eventually implemented, was to operate trolley buses out Tulane to Carrollton, ending at Carrollton and Claiborne, with streetcars continuing on St. Charles and out Carrollton to Claiborne. But until completion of an underpass on Carrollton where the New Basin Canal had been (for the railroads and, eventually, the interstate highway), NOPSI operated a diesel bus on Tulane, turning back at Carrollton, and operated the St. Charles streetcar all the way out Carrollton to the construction area, ending at Dixon Street. After completion of the underpass and stringing of trolley bus overhead wire, the St. Charles streetcar was cut back to its permanent, current terminal at Carrollton and Claiborne.

Pictures 10-42 through 10-45. Here are a few photos of the temporary terminal on S. Carrollton at Dixon Street. In the first picture, St. Charles cars 840 and 850 are at the terminal, probably shortly after January 8, 1951. At the right edge of the photo, in the background, we can see the old arch that once stood above the bridge over the New Basin Canal. The motorman is holding the switch iron, with which he probably has just set the track switch in front of the car (or is just about to do so). As seen here, one of these tools hung from a hook on one end of each car, with the lower end tucked behind a small clip on the anticlimber. Note the two girls mugging the camera from the windows of car 840, at the left. The second picture features car 846 at the temporary terminal on January 14, 1951. In the right background, we can again see the bridge arch in the distance. The crew of 846 has changed ends, and the car is ready to load passengers and proceed toward the river. The third photo was taken January 27, 1951, and shows cars 850 and 844 ready to proceed in on S. Carrollton Avenue toward the river. The conductor of 844 is standing outside the rear door of his car, where he can board and load passengers when any come by. Note the unique Car Stop sign. The bottom picture, taken in March 1951, shows car 857, run no. 27, which has just arrived at the terminal, and 858, run no. 26, which appears to be ready to leave on its next trip in on Carrollton. The motorman of 858 is alert at his controls, ready to notch up his controller. The crew of 857 has both trolley poles up as they change ends and prepare to pull down the pole at what will be the leading end of their car.  D. R. Toye, S. J., Kenner Train Shop (Chris Rodriguez) collection, courtesy of Mike Palmieri (top photo); F. J. Bechtel (second); Otto Goessl (fourth)

Group 10.5: Poland Station

Poland Station, located at the corner of Poland and St. Claude, was one of the three major car barns (stations) in New Orleans, the other two being Canal and Arabella, until it was closed November 25, 1934, presumably as an economy measure. Pictures of Poland immediately after the 1915 hurricane are in Group 14. Pictures of the station before the hurricane, and the rebuilt station afterwards, can be found in Hennick & Charlton, The Streetcars of New Orleans, page 218.

Pictures 10.5-1 and 10.5-2. In 1941, after Poland Station had been closed for seven years, the City of New Orleans decided to erect a police station on the site. The police station was built first, next to the old car barn, necessitating a long, narrow building, as seen in the top picture. Afterward, the old streetcar station was dismantled, as seen in the lower photo.  New Orleans Public Library (top photo)

Group 11: St. Claude Line and the 1000-class Cars

Picture 11-1. This is the Perley Thomas Car Co. builder's photo of car 1000, the first of what were the most advanced cars that builder provided to New Orleans. Cars 1000-1009 were built by Thomas, and cars 1010-1019 were built by St. Louis Car Co. According to the notes on the original caption of the picture, an order of 100 cars was placed April 17, 1924, and delivery of the first ten was completed October 23, 1924. According to Louis Hennick, however, these dates refer to the 900 series of cars, which was originally planned to include 100 cars, but in the end actually included 73. Hennick & Charlton's book states that cars 1000-1019 were ordered in September 1927. In Appendix III, Hennick reports that NOPSI records show the orders being placed in August 1927, but that the car builder's records show 1926 dates; no explanation for this discrepancy is known. The cars were delivered to New Orleans beginning in January 1928. The 1000s had smaller wheels than their predecessors, the 400s, 800s, and 900s, and thus rode lower to the track. They also had a ramp inside the car instead of a step up from the platforms to the floor of the car body, and they were slightly wider than the earlier cars. They had four motors, instead of two, and so were also somewhat faster. They were initially built as one-man cars, but the city forbade the use of one-man cars, so they were converted for two-man crews, and no more of the type were ordered. Picture 11-2. This apparently posed picture, taken along City Park Ave. in front of Delgado College, shows Perley Thomas car 1001 demonstrating how riders would board and alight from the car in one-man service. The car is signed Special. We see a passenger boarding at the front door and another exiting from the rear door, the opposite of the usual practice in New Orleans at that time. When the city government refused to allow the use of one-man cars, NOPSI eventually reworked cars 1000-1019 for two-man crews, and assigned them to the St. Claude line. Picture 11-3. Car 1003 at the uptown terminal of the St. Claude line, on N. Rampart St. at Canal, June 10, 1947. The motorman is changing ends, pulling down the trolley pole at what will be the front end of the car, prior to beginning the next outbound run down N. Rampart and St. Claude Ave. to the American Sugar Refinery. Note the shelter for St. Claude patrons, sticking out into the traffic lanes of N. Rampart St., a unique feature on Canal Street, but a very handy one with the frequent rains found in New Orleans.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo The entire 20-car fleet of 1000s was usually assigned to the St. Claude line, because it was the only line for which there were enough of these cars to provide base service. Because of their higher speeds, they did not mix well with the somewhat slower cars of the 400, 800, and 900 classes, although 800s were used as necessary for tripper runs on St. Claude. The 1000s were also used in some owl services, where their higher speeds could be utilized effectively. St. Claude was converted to trolley coaches January 1, 1949, and the entire 1000 class was retired and scrapped. Picture 11-4. St. Louis-built car 1013 has just arrived at Canal Street on N. Rampart and discharged its passengers, May 3, 1942. The crew has not yet reversed the trolley poles for the return trip. Note that the shelter, seen in 1947 in the previous and the next pictures, has not yet been built, but the gnarled tree near it is present. The Loew's Theater and its prominent sign are on the far side of Canal Street. Picture 11-5. The conductor of car 1006 is loading passengers at the Canal Street terminal on N. Rampart, June 10, 1947. The photographer's back is to Canal Street, the opposite point of view to the preceding picture. The shadows suggest it is around midday. The car is doing a brisk business!  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo Picture 11-6. Perley Thomas car 1000 is at the St. Claude terminal on N. Rampart at Canal on a rainy day around 1938. Car 872 in the right background is passing on Canal Street, probably on the Cemeteries or West End line. The St. Claude car has changed ends and is ready to begin its downbound (outbound) run to the American Sugar Refinery. Note the roof colors: white or silver, probably to reflect the sun and make the car a bit cooler in summer; and a broad black stripe to hide sparks from the trolley wheel, which otherwise would inevitably stain the light colored roof. This roof treatment was given to at least some cars in all four Perley Thomas car series, the 400s, 800s, 900s, and 1000s, but it did not last long.  Louis C. Hennick collection Pictures 11-7 and 11-8. St. Louis cars 1013, in September 1945, amd 1016, on June 10, 1947, are approaching the uptown terminal of the St. Claude line on N. Rampart at Canal. The photographers are looking down, away from Canal Street, which is at their backs. In front of the cars is the crossover they will use to begin the next downbound (outbound) run.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo (lower) Pictures 11-9 through 11-13. Perley Thomas cars 1001, 1003, and 1006, and St. Louis cars 1010 and 1016, nearing the St. Claude terminal on N. Rampart at Canal. The cars have just crossed Iberville St., and are within a block of pulling up to the stub end at Canal St. to change ends for their next downbound runs. The photographers are standing on the lake side of Rampart, looking in toward the river. Note the distinctive building in the left background of each picture, the New Orleans Athletic Club. The picture of car 1001 (top picture) is dated October 3, 1943. The second picture, showing car 1010, is dated June 10, 1947. In the picture of car 1003 (third picture), dated only about a month later than the second (July 18, 1947), we see construction beyond the car; the building in the right background of the first two pictures has been demolished, and a new building is being put up on the site. The fourth picture, featuring car 1016, is dated November 23, 1947, and shows partially opened front doors as the passengers prepare to alight. The fifth photo shows car 1006, and was taken in January 1948. The construction project is obviously still ongoing.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo (second picture); Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee (fifth picture) Picture 11-14 and 11-15. Perley Thomas cars 1005 and 1007 are shown here on N. Rampart St. at Canal St. on June 10, 1947, with the Woolworth building in the background. The two photos were taken by the same photographer, apparently a few minutes apart. In each photo, the car has pulled into the stub terminal and changed ends. The 1005 has both poles up momentarily, while the motorman of the 1007 has pulled down the front pole. The cars are facing downbound (outbound) in readiness for their next trips.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photos Picture 11-16. Here is the first of the 1000 class cars on the last day of St. Claude streetcar service, December 31, 1948. The car is at the Canal Street terminal on N. Rampart Street, in the process of changing ends for its return trip downbound (outbound); both trolley poles are up momentarily. The photographer is facing away from Canal Street. We have a glimpse of the crossover in the track to our right, which the car will take as it begins its trip. Note the wiper on the center window in the end of the car. Possibly only one or two other cars were so equipped, presumably as an experiment that was not repeated.  Otto Goessl photo Picture 11-17. Perley Thomas car 1002 has just pulled out from the stub terminal, and is beginning its downbound (outbound) run. The motorman of St. Louis Car Co. car 1010 is ready to pull into the stub terminal and change ends for his next downbound run. We are looking down, with Canal St. at the photographer's back, on June 10, 1947.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo Picture 11-18. The highest numbered car, St. Louis Car Co. car 1019, is seen working the St. Claude line somewhere on N. Rampart St., Oct. 3, 1943. Picture 11-19. Car 879 is serving a tripper run on St. Claude, July 23, 1947, probably somewhere along N. Rampart St.  Fred Victor DuBrutz photo Picture 11-20. St. Claude car 1008 is downbound (outbound) on N. Rampart just a few blocks from Canal Street, December 31, 1948. Mossy Motors Oldsmobile dealership, at the right at 420 N. Rampart, was run by Wiley L. Mossy and his family.  Elliott Kahn photo, collection of J. G. Lachaussee Picture 11-21. A St. Claude passenger exits the front door of car 1019 under the motorman's careful eye, some time in the 1940s. The car is on N. Rampart Street, heading toward Canal Street. Notice the automobile sales at Atomic Motors (241 N. Rampart) and next door at Cathey Chevrolet Co. (317 N. Rampart). Picture 11-22. On the east side of the Industrial Canal, the St. Claude streetcar line left St. Claude Avenue and followed narrower city streets, eventually working its way toward the river and its terminal across the St. Bernard Parish line at the American Sugar Refinery. Here, we see downbound (outbound) tripper car 868 turning from Chartres into Tricou as it works its way to N. Peters at the Mississippi River levee. Note the elderly building in the background, with a sign saying Catholic Center. A part of St. Maurice Parish, it still exists today.  Louis Hennick Collection of The Historic New Orleans Collection Picture 11-23. St. Claude car 1006 is probably traveling N. Peters near the Orleans-St. Bernard Parish line, at a point where the right of way was so narrow that there was only a single track which passed very close to the Mississippi River levee. If that is the levee in the background, the car is heading upbound (inbound) toward Canal Street. Pictures 11-24 and 11-25. In the upper picture, downbound car 1006 is coming off of the short (about two block long) stretch of two-way single track along N. Peters at the levee, as an upbound St. Claude car awaits its turn. The lower photo, featuring upbound car 1001, looks down N. Peters in the opposite direction, toward the terminal at the sugar refinery.  Louis Hennick Collection of The Historic New Orleans Collection (both photos); lower photo by Ken Kidder Picture 11-26. Perley Thomas-built car 1002 and its follower are on N. Peters and have arrived at the Refinery terminal, which is behind the photographer. They are waiting for their turns to pull up to the end of track and reverse directi