Here is a link to the article:
http://architecturerichmond.com/2012/04/22/current-mayor-jones-green-plan-supports-trolleys/

Thanks,

D.OK.

Is there any information available on this loose car?

None of these photos/maps are mine to give permission to share. They are all from Carlton McKenney’s book, you’d have to follow up that way.

You are certainly welcome to link to this page, as well as any others that might be interesting to you. All of the posts tagged “trolley” are here: http://chpn.net/news/tag/trolley/

My email is murden@gmail.com if you want to get in touch.

Thanks!
Jessica Borsits
Buford Creek Consulting

Great photo…do you happen to know where this is specifically?

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dickbolt/TrolleyHorseCars.jpg

One vehical Richmond’s transit operators did consider, but do to the adoption of the one-way street patterns never implemented, was the trackless trolley or electric trolley bus (ETB). In a recent letter to GRTC head Ron Lewis I proposed that Richmond might look at ETB’s as part of its trnsportation mix. In part the letter said,”
The electric trolley bus (sometimes called the trolley coach or trackless trolley) combines the advantages of traditional streetcar technology with the flexibility of a motor coach. Operated from an overhead power source these buses share application of 600-750 volts direct current (dc) found in both office and industrial complexes for use in elevators, cranes or other electrical devices. In fact, 750 volts dc is the standard for many electric transit systems, including Washington’s Metro.

While some might raise aesthetic objections to the overhead cables employed they nonetheless serve as guide to the route since potential riders can see where the vehicles operate. One of the most common complaints leveled against transit operators is the roadside “bus stop” signs give little indication where the line actually runs.

Page 2 – Trolleybus

Currently, in the U.S., there are five trolley bus systems located in such diverse cities as Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Dayton Ohio. In each case their quiet performance, coupled with sufficient power for gradient operations have outweighed the use of traditional diesel technology. In fact, it was these environmentally desirable
characteristics that saved Dayton’s trolley bus system from extinction more than a decade ago. They have now rebuilt their fleet with 57 new trolley buses acquired from the Czech builder Skoda in 1999/2000. Boston has also modernized its trolley bus fleet for its five Cambridge lines.

Any number of route combinations could be considered candidates for possible trolleybus conversion. Suggested routes for conversion include 13 Main Street/Churchill, 16 Westhampton or the Broad Street corridor. Since 13 and 16 are under review this might be ideal for a phase one conversion. For those advocating dedicated bus ways it should be noted that in 1995 Quito Equator opened such a dedicated trolley bus system using
reserved roadways for these vehicles. For portions of the routes not initially placed under the wire a dual service vehicle could be employed. Currently, Seattle operates some 236 Breda trolleys, equipped with both Westinghouse motors and Detroit Diesel 6v-92 engines, on all portions of its system.

I closed by saying,” Only through building capacity on an incremental basis can we begin to move people out of automobiles and on to transit with any degree of regularity. Thus, the trolley bus becomes a perfect vehicle to build ridership and infrastructure necessary to support larger more complex transportation operations.

Let hope this might bring electric transit back to Richmond.

There are also a ton of Richmond and other trolley photos available at Dave’s Electric Railroads – Virginia.