Baltimore Streetcar Museum

One Sunday Fred went with a group to the Baltimore Streetcar Museum. Even though he didn't ride the streetcars on a regular basis, he remembers them because the last line was closed when he was 8.

The second oldest streetcar there, and one that they rode in, is Number 554 which was built in 1896. When the car got to the end of the track, everyone had to stand up and flip the seat backs over so they faced the other way. Later, when Fred told his mom about it, she said she remembered having to do that.

A similar streetcar is Number 1164. Since it was used on the red line, the glass in the clerestory is tinted red. At night, lights in the roof helped riders find the correct car. The rope on the front is used to manually flip the trolley pole when the car reverses direction.

They also rode in Car 6119, which entered service in 1929. It has 2 sets of doors and looks relatively modern. Car 7107 is very similar. Both cars had (noisy) air-conditioning!

To keep things authentic, the streetcars had actual advertisements and posters (or reproductions). Fred's favorites were from the FBI and a wartime reminder to observe meatless days.

Home	This page was last modified on 13 May 2001.