Columbus, Ohio Trolleybus Scenes - 1965

[@michaelhendrickson5287]

This video sure brings back memories. My brother and I used to take the High Street trolley from 11th Ave to Olentangy Village Lanes to bowl a few games at 35 cents a game. On Sundays they would put a red pin in each rack. If the red pin came up as the head pin, and you got a strike, that game would be free. It was pretty exciting for a kid to win a free 35 cent game. Those trolleys were fun to ride.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi michael, Thanks for watching and for sharing your memories from the good old days. I remember going bowling at the local lanes, they had a special $2.00 for all night from 12-6am. Insane, we bowled about 22 games and our fingers were falling off. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@ampatriot6242]

I remember red pin bowling at a place with about 10 lanes on West Broad St. between Highland and Terrace area on the southside of Broad St.

[@JOYOUSONEX]

I spent many hours on the trolley buses in my youth. We lived in Linden and took the Cleveland Ave. bus to downtown. The bus numbers were usually numbered in the 500 range. I remember the older buses that were numbered in the 400 range. I got my first car in 1961 so my bus riding days were coming to an end. But I distinctly remember two bus drivers commenting on the transition to the diesels. Cleveland Ave still had the trolleys and one driver said to the other that we were lucky not to have the stinking smell of diesel exhaust yet. God I loved those old trolleys and my youth. Better days. Thank you ever so much for posting this video.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi JOYOUSONEX, Thanks for watching and for your comment that shared some nice memories from the good old days. It is my pleasure to be able to share some of my memories, albeit brief, of my visit to Columbus. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@airtow6766]

Joyousonex..I grew up on Hudson St. near Joyce Ave in Linden and and always looked forward to riding the old buses downtown with my Mom to shop. Lazarus at Christmas was always a favorite. Good Luck to you!

[@myrnawashington9057]

Wow this is when downtown was thriving and the place to go. I opened my first credit account at Roy's Jewlers, I brought a topez ring from there. I remember the trolley buses very well, there were so many stores and businesses, Lazarus was the king of them all. Use to take my daughters there for Santa pictures. My friend named David would be the voice for the talking tree sometimes. I think the shopping malls helped in turning downtown into the way it is now. Sad to see all the brick and morter chain stores all gone. Even the city center indoor mall which was nice couldn't survive. I think parking had alot to do with it. At least Cota has buses now for people to ride to the malls and transfers help since you some times have to catch more than one bus. Funny how all things change with time. But memories are priceless.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Myrna, Thanks for watching and for sharing your great memories of the good old days. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@dennis-ul5ht]

This does a great job of capturing the era before freeways and malls...

[@tassiebaz]

Hi dennis, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@ampatriot6242]

I remember riding trollies. When the trollies crossed other trolley lines, the lights on the bus would flicker. Sometimes the driver would have to get out and put a trolley back onto the lines. Most of the trollies were uptown. I used to come downtown with my mom. We caught the bus ( motorized) on Sullivant Ave. and got off at Town and High beside Lazarus. Used to go into Woolworths to the nut counter. One of my favorite places. Good memories, late 50's early 60's.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Am Patriot, Thanks for watching and for sharing your interesting memories. The lights flickered because of insulators (dead spots) on the overhead wire to protect the positive and negative wires where they crossed. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@lynnspeelman5645]

I never got to experience this since I was born in may of 1965. I love seeing how things were and how some small area's are still the same! Some are ran down real bad and some getting renovated back to the way it was! God bless

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Lynn, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Sometimes the streetscapes are as interesting as the vehicles. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@captainmorgan1107]

Cool video, not just for the trolleys, but all of the background scenery too. It's amazing to see how much downtown has changed over the last 50 years. Thanks for posting this!

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Captain Morgan, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I agree that the backgrounds add to the presentation and provide another degree of nostalgia. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@chickey333]

Norge washers and dryers sign at around 4:08. Wow I haven't seen nor heard of them in years!

[@tassiebaz]

Hi chickey333, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Sometimes the backgrounds are as interesting as the subject vehicles. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@brneydgrl1]

The picture of a vibrant downtown. It's nothing like that now -- and it's sad.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi brneydgrl1, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. Yes, it's very sad, but what is even sadder that Columbus is not the only place this has happened to. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@rahimi4762]

End of capitalism. Blame corporate taking power from powerful American families. Blame the car industry shutting down public transportation. The shutting down of business a d brands for greed, malls etc. I remember Columbus was booming when the now defunct City Center Mall opened

[@born2soon]

Right at the end I saw my mother's shoe factory, Julian & Kokenge on Main & Front. What a GREAT video! The cars, the stores, I was 12 at the time. Thank you for sharing this!

[@tassiebaz]

Hi born2soon, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought back some good memories. It's my pleasure to be able to share it. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@drewk1514]

The old trolley buses used proven technology whereas the new battery buses haven't been fully tested for heavy hauling. The trolley buses didn't pollute the air like the nasty diesels that replaced them

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Drew, Thanks for watching and or your comment. Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, many cities made the decision to convert their trolleybus (and streetcar) lines to diesel bus. It's only now, or in the near future, that battery buses may prove themselves. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@LordRegaI]

Oh this is just grand. Thank you so very much for sharing this. I’m a 35 year old Columbus native I’ve always had a lifelong infatuation & interest in this time period.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Steam Boat, Thanks for watching and for your kind words. They certainly were the good old days, back then. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. It's my pleasure to be able to share these memories in a way that I never imagined when I took these pictures almost 60 years ago. All the best for 2023. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@pilsudski36]

The Marmon-Herrington trolley bus and the PCC streetcar are the greatest modern surface transit vehicles in U.S. transportation history.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi pilsudski36, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Agreed, and it's a real testament that many PCCs are still running in regular service in several locations over seventy years after they were constructed. All the best for 2024. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@teresamckeown5594]

I was born in 1964 - so I only know these through pictures. How nostalgic!!

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Teresa, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. I'm glad to be able to share these memories with you. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@sharonharper8613]

Thanks for sharing. I was born and raised in German Village.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Sharon, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'm glad you enjoyed the presentation. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@AlvinKTo]

Why did so many places in North America build trolleybus systems in the postwar years only to remove them in the sixties?

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Alvin, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. The answer to your question is complex and somewhat controversial. Many postwar trolleybus systems were replacements for worn out streetcar lines and equipment. One theory says that General Motors and Standard Oil wanted to sell more cars and denigrate transit systems by getting rid of streetcar and trolleybus operations. Other reasons include postwar residential expansions and the unwillingness to extend trolleybus lines to meet new needs, when buses were more flexible with regard to route structure. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@Davett53]

I was 12 in 1965 and living in Cleveland. I moved to Columbus in 1977, and have steeped myself in the architecture since my arrival. I watched with sadness as Columbus destroyed every building in their downtown areas, destroyed the fabric of many neighborhoods with the building of I-670, and parts of I-71. I watched how the wealthy property owners did nothing to preserve their properties, and just let them rot. In 1977, there were more X-rated books stores in the downtown area than any other enterprise. Those same wealthy property owners, have continued to exploit Columbus, for their insatiable greed. Taking, always taking, and rarely giving back unless there is a kick back, or some graft, some backroom sweetheart deal, heading their way. Many of Columbus' landmark, iconic architecture were mysteriously allowed to burn down. Buildings that were being watched by concerned community members. There always seems to be an endless supply of mysterious homeless people to take the blame for what is clearly organized arson.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Davett, What a sad and unfortunate state of affairs, but not unlike what I have heard and seen about other places. The interstate highway system has a lot to answer for with regard to destroying classic historic neighborhoods in many locations. Put that together with the other things you described makes for an unhappy outcome in the name of progress. Thanks for watching and for taking the time to post your comprehensive comment. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@dorothybolin9074]

Spent some time on these. Remember the sparkles ?

[@ampatriot6242]

Sparkles? You mean from the trolleys as they passed over another set of trolley wires? The lights on the bus would flicker each time.

[@GalileoSmith]

The buses' overhead connectors would drop off the wires particularly during an ice storm requiring the driver to do the reconnecting. .

[@chrissyfoley7361]

I remember these!! They stopped when I was 10.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Chrissy, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@billw.9743]

Many had a lot longer life when Dayton City Transit Co. purchased some of the Marmons and numbered them 541-561.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Bill, Thanks for watching and for the interesting bit of added information you provided. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@kevinlanders4107]

I'm doing a story about trolly buses in Columbus today, may i have permission to use some of this video for our story?

[@tassiebaz]

Hi kevin, Thanks for your comment. You absolutely have my permission to use whatever video you need for your story. Thanks for asking. I hope your project turns out well. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@Davett53]

The most interesting things are the backgrounds,...shows all the older downtown retail shops, all of them have been demolished,....a few escaped and are now condos for the millionaire class. Who are the millionaires? Well, the greedy developers, who didn't give a damn about erasing all the great architecture our city used to have. Some of them are actually criminals in their use of tax loopholes. The greedy wealthy people know how to cheat and not pay a dime in taxes,....they don't give anything to Columbus, they just take and take. They stick the tax bills on the poor and middle class. Some of them set up fake non-profits,...pretending to support "the Arts",..but use them as ways to hide their excessive incomes. While it would be impossible to reveal whether our mayors have been in cahoots with these tax cheaters,....they must get money under the table,...trying figure that out will probably get some people killed.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Davett53, Thanks for watching and for your insightful comment. Although the transport vehicles are the focus of the presentations, I have received many comments, not only about Columbus, expressing interest in the streetscapes, which, of course, are an incidental part of the photography. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@eriks9417]

How did the bus stay connected to power lines if the wheels were not on tracks and the driver could drive the bus in any direction free will? Was there a signal that the driver was about to go off course? Sorry might be a dumb question.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Erik, Thanks for watching and for your comment, which is not a dumb question at all. The driver would just have to stay under the wires within the flexibility allowed by the length of the poles. There was no signal that warned that the driver was close to running out of wire. The poles just came off and the driver had to go out and put them back on via a rope connected to the poles (hopefully he was close enough to the wires to do this). The back of the vehicle had "retrievers" which, when the poles came off, pulled them down (via the rope) to avoid overhead wire damage. Some junctions were power on of power off so the driver might have to do something (push the power/acceleration pedal) to get the poles to follow the desired direction. Some junctions were "directional", where the poles automatically followed the correct path. I hope this brief explanation helps. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@eriks9417]

@@tassiebaz That's awesome! Thank you!

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Erik, My pleasure. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@rogerc.roberts4705]

Several of the Columbus trolleys were still in use up in Cleveland during the late 1980's. The one I saw was still in the Columbus livery. Don't remember if it was Columbus trollies or buses from this era were sent to Hawaii. The trollies WERE NOT JUNKED, they stayed in operation. And for people who think these trolly systems should, battery power is the future. Those overhead lines simply are not practical. Besides that they were eyesores.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Roger, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Actually Columbus sold 32 coaches sold to Dayton in 1965. These became numbers 541-561, with the rest used for parts. Trolleybuses only lasted in Cleveland till June of 1963. While batteries may soon provide a more practical solution, there are many cities that still rely on their overhead wires for trolleybus power, including San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and lots of other locations throughout the world. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@rogerc.roberts4705]

@@tassiebaz The ex Columbus trolley I saw operating in Cleveland was in the 1980's.

[@SpinningbacKFisT]

Shout out and plenty love to all my Columbus Ohio natives. We have a unique city that is rich in fascinating history.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Spinning Backfist, Thanks for watching and I applaud your enthusiasm for your hometown. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@KUSHKllNG]

I love it thank you ❤

[@tassiebaz]

Hi KllNG KUSHY, You are most welcome and thanks for watching and for your kind words. I'm glad you liked the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😃

[@PeterJVogel]

Awesome. Wish I got to ride one.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Peter, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. They were a bit rough riding, but certainly classic. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😄

[@WAL_DC-6B]

@@tassiebaz GM "old look" diesel and gas buses were equally "a bit rough riding."

[@tassiebaz]

@@WAL_DC-6B The Marmon trolleybuses were a bit rough also. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@jesshuey7836]

I kind of miss Columbus.

[@born2soon]

I miss THAT Columbus. Seven cents to ride the bus. Fifteen cents to get in the Southern Theatre.

[@Davett53]

February 2022. I arrived in Columbus in 1977,...a year after "they" tore down the Union train station,...then every week since then the developers went to work destroying every iconic building whether they needed to or not. No building was safe, no matter how architecturally significant it was. Sure, some needed to go for so called progress, but many did not and could have been, "retro-fitted or improved upon". In the process many streets disappeared all together, especially around the Nationwide Insurance building (tower). New building's whose foot print was large, took over those streets and they don't even exist at all.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Davett53. A sad story but, unfortunately, Columbus is not the only place where this has happened. Must've been a lot of money to be made, so it was a done deal. In Philadelphia, they ripped down whole neighborhoods and isolated the waterfront to put in Interstate 95, which was a dinosaur from the day it opened. Some call this type of thing progress, while for other it is sheer vandalism. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@Davett53]

@@tassiebaz Those Trolley buses were popular in many Ohio cities and all across the USA. I grew up in Cleveland and I think they had them there too. I know there were actual electric trolleys both in Columbus and Cleveland that ran on tracks recessed into the roadway. In the 1980s, we saw the trolley buses still in use in Dayton, Ohio. While the use of electricity meant there wasn't as much airborne pollution, at the street level, it didn't do much for the "overhead" views of the sky. To have to constantly look at a web of wires, criss-crossing, overhead in every neighborhood was generally unpleasant.

[@tassiebaz]

@@Davett53 Hi, Yes, trolleybuses ran in Ohio at one time or another in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland (until 1963), Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. They still operate successfully in Dayton since 1933. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@CarlGerhardt1]

Actually, the overhead wires are a positive feature when it comes to retaining ridership...they are a subconscious reminder that there is frequent transit service available on that street.@@Davett53

[@stevenstreets695]

Ha ha i remember those sparks and wires from my Nana's windows in German Village ( when poor people could look live there, could LIVE)

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Steven, Thanks for watching and for sharing your memories. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😄

[@froggy8151]

Trolley buses are no longer in service

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Busboy 317, No unfortunately, they've been gone for about 55 years. Thanks for watching and for your comment. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.

[@Pdasilva0324]

Not in Columbus but several cities still use them. Closest is Dayton. Still used in Boston as well.

[@christopherfields2015]

This this is fabulous but a little bit of music would have been even better

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Christopher, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I tried a few presentations with music and got mixed reviews. I used computer-generated tunes because I was concerned about potential copyright issues, and the sound was a bit boring, so I thought the videos were just better left silent. Regards, tassiebaz.

[@born2soon]

@@tassiebaz The video is PERFECT without the distraction of music! I need to watch this several times because that was the time of my childhood that I could run unsupervised because mom trusted me not to get in trouble. Downtown on Saturday was my favorite place to be. We lived on the street right behind Bobb Chevrolet, so it was just a hop and a skip to downtown.

[@tassiebaz]

@@born2soon Yeh, it was the good old days where you could do the kinds of things you described without even thinking there would be any problem. Sadly, those born too late will never know or appreciate what it was like back then.

[@CarlGerhardt1]

Why can't they bring these back instead of wasting time with range-limited battery buses?

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Carl, Thaks for watching and for your comment. What a great idea!! Unfortunately, the transit industry is littered with poor decisions, especially when it comes to the promises associated with new technology, going back to the 50s and 60s when buses were thought superior to streetcars and trolleybuses. It's still recently happening with Philadelphia abandoning two trolleybus routes for battery buses, instead of replacing diesel buses. This experiment failed miserably. Boston and Wellington, New Zealand recently abandoned their trolleybuses too. However, places like San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver continue to operate and have confidence in their large trolleybus systems. Closer to Columbus, Dayton still operated a nice trolleybus system. Hopefully some of their wisdom will catch on in other places. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😃

[@litlgrey]

God, we just make one bad transportation decision after another around here, don't we. What a disgrace.

[@tassiebaz]

Hi Carl, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I agree that some terrible decisions have been made in the past and for all the wrong reasons. However, some places are making a comeback at huge costs to recreate something they already had. It is sad. Regards, tassiebaz.