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A Trolley arrives at Santa Fe Station in San Diego. The train is lovingly called trolley, but actually is part of a modern light-rail network run by the San Diego Metropolitan Transit District.

(Terry Richard/The Oregonian | OregonLive)

It would be a lot easier for transit riders in America if there was a strict definition of terms.

Case in point, San Diego and its "trolleys."

During my recent visit, I walked every day from my hotel to the Old Town transit station to ride the Metropolitan Transit System's Trolley. I had to dodge the Old Town Trolley to get there.

I didn't have to really dodge out of the way, because the drivers of the street trolleys are professional and go out of their way to not run over anyone in the street. Same for the train trolleys. But the street trolleys seem to come by more frequently in Old Town, especially on the busy visitor days, than the trolleys that run on steel rails once every 15 minutes.

So why is there a street trolley and a train trolley, in San Diego? Or, why does Portland have a tram hanging from cables, while the tram at Northwest Trek wild animal park in Washington's Pierce County calls its tour buses "trams."

Map of the San Diego light rail transit lines called the Trolley.

And what is the difference between a street car and a trolley. Not much really, because Seattle's South Lake Union Trolley quickly changed its name to Streetcar when it realized the acronym when trolley was used.

How about gondola and cable car in the mountains? Anyone know the difference?

The MTS "trolley" system in San Diego is the city's light rail line, similar to MAX in Portland. It was very efficient getting me from Old Town to Santa Fe Depot, just four stops south, which puts a visitor within walking range of the Embarcadero waterfront, downtown and the two other light rail lines for getting around town.

Don't mistake this "trolley" for the other one. For some reason, San Diegans call the high-speed Metropolitan Transit System the Trolley, though it is the equivalent of MAX light rail in Portland.

The other trolley is also heavily used in Old Town: the Old Town Trolley, which is fleet of tourist buses that make continual loops of the city's main tourist places, including Coronado and Balboa Park. The two-hour long loop begins and ends in Old Town. The line has recently added another trolley line north called the Beach Town tour. These trolleys run on propane, while the train trolleys run on overhead electricity lines.

The accompanying map here of the San Diego light rail system shows that you can get around town pretty well by riding these kinds of trolleys, though the system hasn't reached Coronado or the beach towns. You'll need to ride the other trolleys to get there.

-- Terry Richard

trichard@oregonian.com

503-221-8222; @trichardpdx