⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Unlike many large cities in the United States, public transportation services in Phoenix didn’t keep pace with its rapid population growth during the mid-20th century. Fortunately, this situation has changed dramatically for the better during the past eighteen years. As a person who often utilizes public transport, a recent visit to the Phoenix Trolley Museum provided valuable insight into the early history of how these services began, and how it continues to influence the development of the Phoenix region. Although Phoenix doesn’t have the world’s greatest track record of preserving it’s history, the Trolley Museum has existed since 1975 as dedicated citizens saved Car #116 from oblivion as their first project.
This was one of the few original streetcars left which could be restored to its former glory and put on display so future Phoenix residents could get an idea of how people used to get around back in the day. There are many other artifacts that people have found over the years as these streetcar routes were discontinued and torn up after 1948. The trolley or streetcar system began humbly enough in 1887 when the first cars were placed in operation by Moses Hazeltine Sherman a local businessman and civic booster. During the first seven years they were pulled by mules. By 1895, as the system grew and improved it was electrified and served several down streets, most prominently on Washington Street which was the main drag back then. By that time the Phoenix population was close to 6,000 people.
Other streetcar lines gradually extended to residential neighborhoods like Coronado Willo linking them to downtown. The streetcar system reached its peak by about 1929, having been purchased by the city three years earlier which was now approaching a population of 50,000. However, the Great Depression and the high level of auto ownership in Phoenix was slowly driving the streetcar system into decline. Then to top things off, a suspicious storage barn fire in late 1947 destroyed most of the remaining streetcars. By this time many Phoenix residents that still didn’t have cars switched over to traveling on the new city buses.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The demise of the streetcars and the major rise in auto ownership after World War Two accelerated the urban sprawl of the Phoenix region which continues unabated to this day. Nevertheless, it was the streetcar lines which helped the city develop beyond its immediate downtown core, and carried many residents to work and back home or to shopping trips, the movies and other fun things for many years — and costing merely a nickel per ride. Over the next decades, though, the city bus system didn’t keep pace with the rapid growth of Phoenix (especially during the 1980s and 90s). For instance, a big problem was the lack of Sunday bus service which was virtually non-existent between 1956 and 2000.
Thankfully, this poor state of affairs has improved dramatically since then with many new routes added and service that runs up to midnight on the most traveled routes. This is a great help to riders who work late and cannot afford cars or hate driving — like myself! Besides the larger, much improved bus network in Phoenix (and to a substantial degree in its suburbs) there has been a resurrection of streetcar service which opened in 2008 and is still expanding as voters like myself continue to approve this. Today this modern trolley or streetcar system is better known as light rail and spreads much farther beyond the central Phoenix core served by the original trolleys. The light rail routes now extend well over 20 miles, linking the downtown Phoenix area to suburbs like Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert.
Even though the original trolley/streetcars are long a thing of the past, it’s legacy still lives on in the current network and the Phoenix Trolley Museum is an important part of that heritage. Unfortunately, though, this museum is facing a similar predicament like many other smaller ones face throughout the country. A chronic lack of funding prevents it from improving its physical space and adding more exhibits to offer a more complete story of public transportation history in Phoenix. Some of the specific goals as part of the “Yard Activation Project” include bringing the one fully restored car #116 mentioned earlier out of storage to be proudly displayed again.
There are a few other vintage streetcars (which survived the 1947 fire) still needing complete restoration so they can also be displayed outdoors with protective coverings. Landscaping on the property is needed along with creating event space, among other projects which are still on hold for lack of funds. How to raise money for the Phoenix Trolley Museum is something I’ve become curious about after speaking to one of the volunteers there and I may be sharing what I find out in a follow up post.
For more information about the Phoenix Trolley Museum check out this sites:
