Phoenix Street Railway

Washington Street Line, 1938
Legend (West to East) On West Adams: 22nd Avenue ATSF Ry. 19th Avenue State Capitol 17th Avenue On Washington: 15th Avenue 7th Avenue (Grand Ave. line abandoned 1934) 3rd Ave. 2nd Ave. / Kenilworth Line Central Ave. 4th St. / Indian School Line 12th St. Car Barn 1304 E. Washington St. 16th 1/2 St. Hollywood/Asylum line abandoned after 1929 24th St.

North-South Lines, 1938
Legend Indian School Rd. Maricopa Canal Fairmount Ave. (Orangewood Line) abandoned 1930s Osborn Rd. Thomas Rd. Sheridan Ave. Little Maricopa Canal Encanto Blvd. Oak St. McDowell Rd. McDowell Rd. Brill St. Kenilworth School Moreland St. Portland St. Roosevelt Rd. Roosevelt Rd. Pierce St. Monroe St. Monroe St. 2nd Avenue Washington St.

The Phoenix Street Railway provided streetcar service in Phoenix, Arizona, from 1887 to 1948. The motto was, "Ride a Mile and Smile the While."

History

The line was originally founded in 1887 by Moses Hazeltine Sherman and used horse-drawn carts. Beginning in 1893, however, the railway was completely electrified. The line was popular with the locals and was partly responsible for the growth patterns observed in the early history of Phoenix. In 1911, the first of several planned interurban lines opened to Glendale; additional lines were planned but never built to Tempe, Mesa, and Scottsdale. The system reached its height in the 1920s with several line extensions. In 1925 there were 33.6 miles of track on six lines.

A potential competitor, the Salt River Valley Electric Railway, in 1912 hired engineers to build lines east from downtown Phoenix to Mesa via Tempe and Scottsdale, and a Southside line, to run from Phoenix to Tempe on the south side of the Salt River. The Salt River company later announced its lines would "connect Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Alhambra, Glendale and Peoria." However, other than some digging on Van Buren and Monroe Streets, the line never managed to complete any construction, and was abandoned in 1914.[1]

In 1925, the city of Phoenix purchased the Street Railway line and soon instituted numerous reforms, including increased frequency and new streetcars, which increased ridership. Two of the new fleet of streetcars, which entered service Christmas Day 1928, may still be seen at the Arizona Street Railway Museum in downtown Phoenix.

On October 3, 1947, a catastrophic fire destroyed most of the streetcar fleet. City officials faced the decision to either rebuild the fleet or use buses. Buses were ultimately chosen, and the streetcar system was abandoned in February 1948. The Phoenix area turned its focus to the automobile, suburbs, and highways; and until recently relied solely on buses for public transportation. Rail transit returned when METRO opened its modern light-rail system on December 28, 2008—nearly sixty years after the Street Railway's last run.

Operating Pattern, 1938

The City of Phoenix Street Railways, in 1938 were numbered and operated as follows:

• #1 Brill Line (10th Street Line). Ran south on 10th Street from Sheridan to Pierce, west on Pierce, south on 4th Street, west on Washington Street, and terminated at 2nd Avenue station. Return trip traveled north from 2nd Avenue, east on Monroe, to 4th Street, and north via Pierce.
• #2 Capitol / W. Adams - East Lake Park (Washington Street Line). Ran east from 22nd Avenue, across the Santa Fe Railway tracks, to end of the line at 16th 1/2 Street.
• #3 Kenilworth (5th Avenue Line). Ran south from Encanto Blvd. along 5th Avenue, past the Kenilworth School, and terminated at 2nd Avenue station.
• #4 Indian School (3rd Street Line). Ran south from Indian School Road along 3rd Street, with double-track mainline as far as the loop at Monroe. Looped west at Washington and terminated at 2nd Avenue station. Return trip north and via Monroe back to right-hand track and north again on 3rd Street.

See also

• METRO Light Rail by Valley Metro is Phoenix's new light rail system.
• List of defunct Arizona railroads
• List of town tramway systems in the United States

References

• "Ride a Mile and Smile the While" segment, KNXV-TV Channel 15, Noon News, 29 May 1998
• "Clang, Clang, Clang Went the Trolley," Arizona Highways magazine, June 1986, pp. 38–43.

External links

• Arizona Street Railway Museum
• A Brief History of Public Transit in Arizona (Arizona Rail Passenger Association)