Streetcars in St. Paul and Minneapolis

Matt Anderson, Objects Curator at the Minnesota Historical Society, looks at the history of streetcars in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Trolley-related artifacts, photos and film footage in the Society's collection are featured.
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[@jamesdougherty2271]

It is sad what GM did to this country when they bought the streetcars, trolly lines. GM made a lot of money at our expense.

[@shiddy.]

very good +sub greetings from Apple Valley

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

There was a bit of controversy at the end with GM, mobsters, bribery and shenanigans wasn't there?

[@Intransitman]

Pretty much. Rail lines are lost on political grounds not economic. When there's a downturn in the economy, you're not going to rip out the road from in front of your house.

[@johnmthom]

Shame this video didn't mention the MN Streetcar Museum that still gives rides on original streetcars from the TCRT system near Lake Harriet and in Excelsior, MN.

[@lisasmith767]

Is it still operating?

[@Bigboytravel]

@@lisasmith767 yes, as is the one in excelsior during Christmas

[@f270]

@@lisasmith767 Yes just rode one in Excelsior 2021

[@suzannereiter3600]

I remember in the early to mid 40's, when I was a child, my mother took me on a street car from Mahtomedi, MN, to St. Paul, where we would go to the Golden Rule and the Emporium to shop. What a great adventure that was!

[@jeffbear1472]

Many of the Twin Cities 1948-49 PCC "streamliner" trolleys were sold to Public Service in Newark, New Jersey. They operated in Newark for fifty years. Many of them were resold to the MUNI in San Francisco. They were beautifully restored and run up and down San Francisco's Market Street. So you can "still" ride Minneapolis-St. Paul street cars in regular service.

[@SADFORIAN]

Got to ride a Twin Cities car in San Francisco back in January 2020. There was a guide (a printed sticker on the interior wall of the car, IIRC) that described where the car was from based on its paint scheme.

[@sty0pa]

Why not mention that they live on...in San Francisco, where they still operate one of the last (possibly THE last) Twin Cities trolley still functioning outside the museum in Excelsior?

[@brianweber4154]

11 or 12......painted in different liveries......they got them from new jersey

[@lauriekristensen5859]

They have been giving trolley rides for years on the western edge of Lake Harriet in Minneapolis!

[@mssedmebich]

The best part about a bus IS that it can move tomorrow. You say that buisness's will be their if you have a train but, the oposite can be true. If the buisness's go away you have a very expensive hard to relocate train route. All a bus has to do is turn its wheels and it'll go where you want it to.

[@banditbobbyhill4747]

When I was little my grandpa would take us on drives down King's highway and over by the old trolley line around the links. He we should us all the spots where he and his friends would go to grease the tracks so that the trolley cars would stall out on the uphill and roll backwards

[@jansinna9221]

Thanks for sharing this. It brought back so many great childhood memories. I love riding the street cars!

[@goodnewsminnesota]

We sure have gone far since with light rail and EV vehicles growing now! Can't wait till what will be in the future!!

[@jente06]

It's so sad that the street cars are gone. I say, bring them back!

[@4techs2fix]

Very interesting video. I remember the Selby Street tunnel used by streetcars very well and remember going through the tunnel.

[@greghanson407]

My grandfather started out as a conductor in 1917, became a motorman in 1932, and retired in 1955. I still have a lot of his monthly union dues buttons

[@RayRift]

GREAT video Curator! Great video!

[@Intransitman]

Indeed, bring them back!

[@shiddy.]

they would be awesome in 2020

[@johnryman1366]

What happened? Progressive Demolition Demos took over.. it became another geography of nowhere. Minnie has no rapid public transit, endless, mindless freeways...Why NO public trains, a monorail running down the middle of the endless freeways ?

[@leakyjeep5.9]

Pretty sure I saw tracks under Front St by Half Time rec when the road was coming apart a few years ago..

[@dennismanley9891]

Yes you did

[@vickilindberg6336]

For a time, you could ride from White Bear Lake to Lake Minnetonka & beyond there, take boats to an island.

[@GuruMN]

Thanks for posting this. I've wondered what these looked like in operation. I don't see why buses would have replaced them as you would think a streetcar system would be cheaper to run and more efficient, I thought it was shut down by the people who bought the streetcar system because they wanted it gone.

[@holmgrown]

The Selby tunnel is still used today for shelter by the homeless who sneak in there through a hidden entrance

[@jeffbear1472]

That item that you call a "cleat" is actually a wooden "strain" insulator. Philly's SEPTA restored a fleet of 1947-48 PCC "streamliner" trolleys and they operate on Girard Ave.

[@markholmgren5776]

Homeless people living in the Selby tunnel today

[@realcecewilson]

Awesome video. As it’s only 240p, are there HD links to the images? Thank you.

[@richardjohnson2965]

I remember Duluth street cars. I was a child, & my mother would take me on the ride downtown. I remember the electric lines overhead & the spark that would occur from time to time. I also remember the rumble..I was only 2 or 3 yrs old at the time...but I remember.

[@diegomontoya796]

Yay

[@italobambino43]

I did not even notice that I used the word "Cleat", lol. I meant to say insulator. Well, what really erked me is this, they went and spent all that money to ourchase those PCC cars for the Route 15 on Girard avenue. To my understanding they sold off the fleet of PCC'S that were housed at the now closed Luzerne depot in North Philly. Luzerne was one location, there was also a small fleet stored at a secluded loop just off Germantown ave. and Crescham valley road, which has since been closed.

[@italobambino43]

For years as I grew up in Philadelphia I began to notice the remains of certain trolley routes that were no longer around, certain signs remained, in certain neighborhhoods you could still see the cast iron poles lining the steet that supported the trolley wire, they still had the cleat with a portion of cable attached to it where it was cut to remove the wire, some of the poles had printing on them that read CAR STOP HERE. Some poles had a small phonebox with a phone still inside.

[@cynthiax56]

Fr. Solanus Casey, whom many believe should be sainted, drove a streetcar in St. Paul, MN

[@FlatWaterFilms]

Quality 240p ???

[@uttaradit2]

Bring 'em back, save the environment

[@dogbone1065]

I remember riding in the streetcar down Hennepin ave when I was four. Young kids rode free. My mother had an office on the 17th floor of that tall building until the late sixties. I would go there and go up to the top were you go outside and see for miles around the city. Even through things off like paper airplanes. That was back when Minneapolis was free of communist leftists.

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

The Foshay?

[@dogbone1065]

@@GreenCanvasInteriorscape .yep. went to Marshall high school and Tuttle grade school.

[@wilmaflintstone6356]

Streetcars were privatized industry then...very efficient, yet made profits. Can't have that nowadays...need union bus drivers and subsidized light rail that burns tax money with NO efficiency....

[@hamkevp1]

Does anyone know the song that is immediately in the beginning?

[@captainmorgan757]

@AppleSouffle if you are trying to insult me for being a "Rebuplican" try again (strike one)! I do not affiliate myself with any political group. "Encourages business along their rails"? Try telling that to those businesses that have closed due to the light rail (strike two)! "Trams can run on solar, wind, or water"? What physics class did you fail? (strike three)!!!