At the 2:56 mark, the trolley goes past the tricycle factory which was then converted to a warehouse and accounting office for Goodwill. It has been repurposed today as the Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, where I coach baseball
Hi Hal, Thanks for watching and for that bit of interesting information you provided. The area probably looks a bit different than when the photo was taken. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.
Philadelphia still has trolley's. 11, 13, 36, 15, 34 lines still run in SouthWest/West Philadelphia to City Hall and the Casino. There's a new line coming or being restored on Columbus Blvd/Delaware Avenue to connect a whole new neighborhood which is being built.
That's a sad looking tilted trolley at 8:21, love the old Philly, great video. My dear old grandma lived on 52nd & Baltimore, as as kid in the late sixties and seventies it was exciting to hear those trollies go by her home, they had the sound of a strong blowing wind.
Hi Michael, Thanks for watching and for sharing your memories. I'm glad you liked the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😁
I was born and raised in Baltimore and sadly saw our last two streetcar lines get scrapped when I was 13 in 1963. Philadelphia still had several all surface routes operating at that time. I remember taking a trolley tour of the city back in 1972 that was part of a round trip rail excursion from Balto. Wish I had noted what streets the chartered trolleys traveled on because one man on the trip said we were riding a lot of tracks that weren't in regular service. It was evident at track switches because a heavy accumulation of dirt had to be dug out of the flangeways before the point could be turned with a switch bar. Probably with all the trolley routes that have been abandoned since then, like Route 60, much of the trackage I rode is now buried under asphalt, like all the trolley tracks still existing in Baltimore. Nice that these routes were captured by local railfans who realized the importance of preserving the lines on film. Thank you for sharing the photos of these different Philadelphia trolley routes.
Hi shortliner68, Thanks for watching the presentation and for your comments. Regarding your 1972 visit and trip, I would guess that you rode over some North Philadelphia trackage of former Route 47, which was discontinued a few years earlier, and also some trackage of earlier routes in the same vicinity that were left in place for "emergency reasons", e.g., on the lower part of Germantown Ave. Much of what has been abandoned has been paved, including the upper part of Rt 56 on Torresdale Ave., although I think the part on Erie Ave. still has tracks in it. Lots of Rt 23 on Germantown Ave. hasn't been paved yet. Things just don't happen quickly in Philadelphia. Regards, tassiebaz
Thank you for the info on possible routes I rode over back then. I'll have to do some more Google street view searches. I forgot to mention the trolley tour originated in the subway tunnel at the basement entrance to Wanamaker's Department store, where we had a luncheon beforehand. Not sure which portal that would have put our cars emerging from at street level. One track intersection we traversed was interesting to me. Both intersecting streets had a single track. It was actually the same line that kind of went around a block and then crossed over itself. Anyway, the rails going one way just butted up to the perpendicular rails with no through flangeway, so our trolley cars actually had to slowly climb over the intersecting rails with a noticable bump. Would love to find that intersection again to see what's there now but that would be a needle in a haystack to find after all these years. Yeah, Baltimore didn't waste any time obliterating a trolley line once it was converted to buses. The only thing left after a few months were poles jointly used for other purposes like traffic lights. For a city with such a rich trolley history, in the end they couldn't scrap it all fast enough. :(
Hi shortliner68, If you had lunch at Wanamaker's, you boarded the trolley at 13th Street (formerly Juniper Street), the end of all 5 subway-surface lines. Route 10 uses the 36th Street Portal, and routes 11, 13, 34, and 36 use the 40th Street Portal (which has been realigned since your trip there). From your description, I would guess the intersection is 40th and Filbert Streets. Normally, even though there is track there, nothing runs straight through south on 40th, as Route 10 goes south on 40th to west on Filbert and the other routes go west on Filbert and south on 40th, At certain times, the trolley routes are diverted out of the subway to 40th and Market to connect with the Market-Frankford Subway there. Routes 11, 13, 34, and 36, use 42nd St, Spruce Street, 38th Street, and Filbert St to get there, returning on 40th back to Spruce. Route 10, uses 40th to get down and 41st to get back to it's regular route on Lancaster Ave. These were remnants of former trolley routes 42 (on Spruce) and 40 (on 38th, Filbert, 41st), as well as part of the diversion used while the subway was being built before about 1955. Hope this helps find your spot. I am presently developing presentations for the 5 routes with PCC cars and Route 10 has already been published showing s few scenes at 40th and Filbert I also have extensive video of the trolley lines with Kawasaki cars, but it'll be a while until I get to it. Regards, tassiebaz
Wow! The world is dealing with a pandemic at the moment, called Covid19 Virus. We're all locked in our houses so far for 30 plus days. And thousands of people are dying from this Virus. Your venue is really helping me remember my childhood. Back in the 60's we lived in the Richard Allen projects near 10th an Poplar street. My grandmother would take my sister, and I on the 23 trolley ride from one end to the other it was a all day trip on Sunday because kids rode for free back then. I
Just as there is a saying "nothing lasts forever", I believe that nothing IS forever such as changes which seem to be permanent but have a way of reappearing, sometimes in a different form. Several years ago when I attended a church at 58th St. & Chester Ave. (pictured in one of the videos by Tassiebaz), the rails in the street had been paved over for many, many years. When a detour was needed for the Route 13 trolley due to a long period of construction on Chester Ave., the street was dug up and to my surprise there were already rails in place from years before. The street was repaved so that the rails were at street level and available for the trolleys to use again. New poles and wires were erected. They then took the trolleys for 2 blocks down 58th St. from Chester Ave. to Woodland Ave. where they turned onto and used the tracks of the Route 11 trolley and then they proceeded to the subway and City Hall. There were 2 tracks on 58th St. so that the returning trolleys could turn from Woodland Ave. back to Chester Ave. via 58th St. and complete its route using the same detour. So, just because the trolley tracks in Baltimore are covered up, it doesn't mean that one day some of them won't be "rediscovered" and put to use again. Just something to think about.
I grew up near Wilkes-Barre,Pa but always enjoyed going through Philadelphia to visit relatives just to see the trolleys. It is a real shame that they took away the trolleys and replaced them with stinky, noisey busses.
Hi Frank, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I agree with your sentiments. Of course, if you are adventurous, there are still some trolley routes running in Philadelphia although it's not the same as the good old days. Regards, tassiebaz.
Hi Mr Big, Shame they destroyed some really lovely ones on East Girard Avenue when they were building I95, just about where the southbound off-ramp is. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I think its funny that the tracks have cobblestones. means those tracks are ancient. 1:49 are you sure thats 19th and Allegheny? The line in the background should be the Reading Mainline, but that is clearly PRR Heavy Grade Catenary. 3:30 Same spot as before
Hi Kevin, Thanks for watching and for your sharp eye. I guess my 50-year-old notes aren't as reliable as I had hoped. I know my memory isn't. It does look like both pictures are probably closer to Glenwood Ave, with the PRR in the background. There were several spots where there still were cobblestones. I believe Germantown Ave had many locations. Also, there were streets paved with bricks including parts of Woodland Ave., Germantown Ave., and Wayne Ave., and other places where trolleys did not run. I believe these materials were used because they were lower maintenance than asphalt, and were left in place for that vintage retro look. I'm not sure what still remains. Regards, tassiebaz.
It was nice seeing the old neighborhood, I lived at 25th an Allegheny in the 70's. Shined shoes at the bus depot at 27th an Allegheny. All the bus drivers paid me, and my friends well for a shoe shine, back then.
Hello hello . We might have known each other. My granny lived there. Born in 52 . It was nice back then. Please let's talk . I will look to hear from you. On the Move and peace.
Anyone remember what was at Richmond and Allegheny before the Wawa and Sunoco? I know the gas station was there and had two garages that worked on cars . I can remember that but what was in Wawa ‘s location? I think that Wawa opened in 1987 but something was there before like a ice house or place to buy coal .
Very interesting! It is great to see the former Toronto PCC's in their new life in Philadelphia. Most of the other photographs in your video are of streetcar models of which I have never seen in person. I have never been to Philadelphia so your videos are a learning experience for me.
Hi johnwoa, and thanks for your comment. It was nice to see something new and different in Philadelphia when the ex-Toronto PCCs arrived. Have a look at www.phillytrolley.org/exTTC/exTTC.html to see a nice article about them. Toronto did have some PCCs of the type seen in my Philadelphia presentation, but perhaps that was before your time. I have a few pictures of them operating in Toronto, and will include them in a Toronto video in the near future. tassiebaz.
tassiebaz Do you have pictures of the Muni lines pre-1980 in San Francisco? Some of the old Philadelphia and Toronto cars eventually became most of the current fleet for the F Market line along Market St.
Hi Janette, Yes I have pictures and some 8mm of MUNI pre-1980, both of the streetcars and the trolleybuses. I haven't gotten around to putting together a presentation about them yet. I'll try to put something together in the near future. I also have more recent pictures of the F line and the E line in San Francisco showing PCCs, Milan Cars, etc. Have you had a look at my Kenosha, Wisconsin presentation, which shows ex-Toronto cars running there? Regards, tassiebaz.
tassiebaz Yes. Interesting. I grew up riding those old PCC cars along Duboce Ave,Carl St and Judah St on the N when we visited our relatives in SF. I rode the old PCC Yellow Cars in Los Angeles during its last year of service around 1962-63 as a baby. Lots of memories. Hope your F and E line pictures include the Blackpool boat trams.
Hi Janette, I'm working on a San Francisco streetcar presentation which should be ready for publication soon. This will include pictures from the mid-1960s to the early -1980s. San Francisco Routes E and F presentations will come in the future. I've never seen the Blackpool boat car run in San Francisco, but there are pictures of Blackpool boat cars in my Blackpool Illuminations presentation and also my Philadelphia Route 50 Streetcar presentation. Have a look if you haven't already seen them. Regards, tassiebaz.
I saw Saint Joseph's Home for Boys in one scene. Did not see any scenes of the PEP Boys at 32nd and 33rd Sts. I think I saw Corpus Christi Church around 26th St. Did not see any scenes of the SEPTA Shop. No scenes of Saint Joe's for Girls at 29th St. or the Hot Shop.
Hi Patti, Thanks for watching and for your comment. What you see are all the pictures I have. I wish I had more to publish, but I didn't take a picture at every intersection, so missed some scenes you might have been looking for. I only wish video had been around 30 years earlier. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I don't remember the red trolley ,but sure recognized the bicentennial trolley and the green and creme colored trolleys probably was too small to remember the red trolley.
Hi Kristine, Thanks for watching and for your comment. The red trolleys were the ones bought from Toronto in 1976. There were 30 of them, all originally built in 1946; 11 formerly from Kansas City and 19 formerly ran in Birmingham. The Kansas City ones were re-painted in orange and blue, but the Birmingham ones never were. They ran until 1982-1983, when they were withdrawn. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
The location of the first slide of 2122 is incorrectly listed as Richmond and Westmoreland. Some of the buildings bordering the loop changed in this time period but most of the homes didn't. There is a later photo that correctly shows Richmond and Westmoreland.
@@tassiebaz I'm sorry but I don't. I hope that some other viewer will recognize the location. It is definitely somewhere along the route 60 line. I'll try to find a PTC trolley route map that may provide a clue.
The route 60 had the most awesome scenery from the Budd company to Port Richmond. I have no regrets cutting school back in 1974 to joyride and urbex.
Hi again, The 60 was good because of the wide street and not too many delays with cars blocking the track. Cheers, tassiebaz.
At the 2:56 mark, the trolley goes past the tricycle factory which was then converted to a warehouse and accounting office for Goodwill. It has been repurposed today as the Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, where I coach baseball
Hi Hal, Thanks for watching and for that bit of interesting information you provided. The area probably looks a bit different than when the photo was taken. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.
Philadelphia still has trolley's. 11, 13, 36, 15, 34 lines still run in SouthWest/West Philadelphia to City Hall and the Casino. There's a new line coming or being restored on Columbus Blvd/Delaware Avenue to connect a whole new neighborhood which is being built.
You forgot the 10
That's a sad looking tilted trolley at 8:21, love the old Philly, great video. My dear old grandma lived on 52nd & Baltimore, as as kid in the late sixties and seventies it was exciting to hear those trollies go by her home, they had the sound of a strong blowing wind.
Hi Michael, Thanks for watching and for sharing your memories. I'm glad you liked the video and appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Cheers, tassiebaz. 😁
Always a breath of sanity to see these photos.
Hi Stan, Thanks for watching and for your insightful comment. There's nothing like the good old days for some degree of sanity. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I was born and raised in Baltimore and sadly saw our last two streetcar lines get scrapped when I was 13 in 1963. Philadelphia still had several all surface routes operating at that time. I remember taking a trolley tour of the city back in 1972 that was part of a round trip rail excursion from Balto. Wish I had noted what streets the chartered trolleys traveled on because one man on the trip said we were riding a lot of tracks that weren't in regular service. It was evident at track switches because a heavy accumulation of dirt had to be dug out of the flangeways before the point could be turned with a switch bar. Probably with all the trolley routes that have been abandoned since then, like Route 60, much of the trackage I rode is now buried under asphalt, like all the trolley tracks still existing in Baltimore. Nice that these routes were captured by local railfans who realized the importance of preserving the lines on film. Thank you for sharing the photos of these different Philadelphia trolley routes.
Hi shortliner68, Thanks for watching the presentation and for your comments. Regarding your 1972 visit and trip, I would guess that you rode over some North Philadelphia trackage of former Route 47, which was discontinued a few years earlier, and also some trackage of earlier routes in the same vicinity that were left in place for "emergency reasons", e.g., on the lower part of Germantown Ave.
Much of what has been abandoned has been paved, including the upper part of Rt 56 on Torresdale Ave., although I think the part on Erie Ave. still has tracks in it.
Lots of Rt 23 on Germantown Ave. hasn't been paved yet. Things just don't happen quickly in Philadelphia. Regards, tassiebaz
Thank you for the info on possible routes I rode over back then. I'll have to do some more Google street view searches. I forgot to mention the trolley tour originated in the subway tunnel at the basement entrance to Wanamaker's Department store, where we had a luncheon beforehand. Not sure which portal that would have put our cars emerging from at street level. One track intersection we traversed was interesting to me. Both intersecting streets had a single track. It was actually the same line that kind of went around a block and then crossed over itself. Anyway, the rails going one way just butted up to the perpendicular rails with no through flangeway, so our trolley cars actually had to slowly climb over the intersecting rails with a noticable bump. Would love to find that intersection again to see what's there now but that would be a needle in a haystack to find after all these years.
Yeah, Baltimore didn't waste any time obliterating a trolley line once it was converted to buses. The only thing left after a few months were poles jointly used for other purposes like traffic lights. For a city with such a rich trolley history, in the end they couldn't scrap it all fast enough. :(
Hi shortliner68, If you had lunch at Wanamaker's, you boarded the trolley at 13th Street (formerly Juniper Street), the end of all 5 subway-surface lines. Route 10 uses the 36th Street Portal, and routes 11, 13, 34, and 36 use the 40th Street Portal (which has been realigned since your trip there).
From your description, I would guess the intersection is 40th and Filbert Streets. Normally, even though there is track there, nothing runs straight through south on 40th, as Route 10 goes south on 40th to west on Filbert and the other routes go west on Filbert and south on 40th,
At certain times, the trolley routes are diverted out of the subway to 40th and Market to connect with the Market-Frankford Subway there. Routes 11, 13, 34, and 36, use 42nd St, Spruce Street, 38th Street, and Filbert St to get there, returning on 40th back to Spruce. Route 10, uses 40th to get down and 41st to get back to it's regular route on Lancaster Ave. These were remnants of former trolley routes 42 (on Spruce) and 40 (on 38th, Filbert, 41st), as well as part of the diversion used while the subway was being built before about 1955. Hope this helps find your spot.
I am presently developing presentations for the 5 routes with PCC cars and Route 10 has already been published showing s few scenes at 40th and Filbert I also have extensive video of the trolley lines with Kawasaki cars, but it'll be a while until I get to it. Regards, tassiebaz
Wow! The world is dealing with a pandemic at the moment, called Covid19 Virus. We're all locked in our houses so far for 30 plus days. And thousands of people are dying from this Virus. Your venue is really helping me remember my childhood. Back in the 60's we lived in the Richard Allen projects near 10th an Poplar street. My grandmother would take my sister, and I on the 23 trolley ride from one end to the other it was a all day trip on Sunday because kids rode for free back then. I
Just as there is a saying "nothing lasts forever", I believe that nothing IS forever such as changes which seem to be permanent but have a way of reappearing, sometimes in a different form. Several years ago when I attended a church at 58th St. & Chester Ave. (pictured in one of the videos by Tassiebaz), the rails in the street had been paved over for many, many years. When a detour was needed for the Route 13 trolley due to a long period of construction on Chester Ave., the street was dug up and to my surprise there were already rails in place from years before. The street was repaved so that the rails were at street level and available for the trolleys to use again. New poles and wires were erected. They then took the trolleys for 2 blocks down 58th St. from Chester Ave. to Woodland Ave. where they turned onto and used the tracks of the Route 11 trolley and then they proceeded to the subway and City Hall. There were 2 tracks on 58th St. so that the returning trolleys could turn from Woodland Ave. back to Chester Ave. via 58th St. and complete its route using the same detour. So, just because the trolley tracks in Baltimore are covered up, it doesn't mean that one day some of them won't be "rediscovered" and put to use again. Just something to think about.
Really enjoyed the trip.
Hi Philly Raider, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. Hope this brought back some good memories. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.
I grew up near Wilkes-Barre,Pa but always enjoyed going through Philadelphia to visit relatives just to see the trolleys. It is a real shame that they took away the trolleys and replaced them with stinky, noisey busses.
Hi Frank, Thanks for watching and for your comment. I agree with your sentiments. Of course, if you are adventurous, there are still some trolley routes running in Philadelphia although it's not the same as the good old days. Regards, tassiebaz.
Those houses at Richmond and Westmoreland still look the same , except now they are worth big bucks !
Hi Mr Big, Shame they destroyed some really lovely ones on East Girard Avenue when they were building I95, just about where the southbound off-ramp is. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I think its funny that the tracks have cobblestones. means those tracks are ancient. 1:49 are you sure thats 19th and Allegheny? The line in the background should be the Reading Mainline, but that is clearly PRR Heavy Grade Catenary. 3:30 Same spot as before
Hi Kevin, Thanks for watching and for your sharp eye. I guess my 50-year-old notes aren't as reliable as I had hoped. I know my memory isn't. It does look like both pictures are probably closer to Glenwood Ave, with the PRR in the background.
There were several spots where there still were cobblestones. I believe Germantown Ave had many locations. Also, there were streets paved with bricks including parts of Woodland Ave., Germantown Ave., and Wayne Ave., and other places where trolleys did not run. I believe these materials were used because they were lower maintenance than asphalt, and were left in place for that vintage retro look. I'm not sure what still remains. Regards, tassiebaz.
It was nice seeing the old neighborhood, I lived at 25th an Allegheny in the 70's. Shined shoes at the bus depot at 27th an Allegheny. All the bus drivers paid me, and my friends well for a shoe shine, back then.
Hi Philly Raider, Thanks for watching and for your interesting comment. Sounds like a great time in the good old days. Stay well. Regards, tassiebaz.
Hello hello . We might have known each other. My granny lived there. Born in 52 . It was nice back then. Please let's talk . I will look to hear from you. On the Move and peace.
Michelle Downey hello Michelle, from what block in that area?
Go get your f**king shine box.
Anyone remember what was at Richmond and Allegheny before the Wawa and Sunoco? I know the gas station was there and had two garages that worked on cars . I can remember that but what was in Wawa ‘s location? I think that Wawa opened in 1987 but something was there before like a ice house or place to buy coal .
Very interesting! It is great to see the former Toronto PCC's in their new life in Philadelphia. Most of the other photographs in your video are of streetcar models of which I have never seen in person. I have never been to Philadelphia so your videos are a learning experience for me.
Hi johnwoa, and thanks for your comment. It was nice to see something new and different in Philadelphia when the ex-Toronto PCCs arrived. Have a look at www.phillytrolley.org/exTTC/exTTC.html to see a nice article about them. Toronto did have some PCCs of the type seen in my Philadelphia presentation, but perhaps that was before your time. I have a few pictures of them operating in Toronto, and will include them in a Toronto video in the near future. tassiebaz.
tassiebaz Do you have pictures of the Muni lines pre-1980 in San Francisco? Some of the old Philadelphia and Toronto cars eventually became most of the current fleet for the F Market line along Market St.
Hi Janette, Yes I have pictures and some 8mm of MUNI pre-1980, both of the streetcars and the trolleybuses. I haven't gotten around to putting together a presentation about them yet. I'll try to put something together in the near future. I also have more recent pictures of the F line and the E line in San Francisco showing PCCs, Milan Cars, etc.
Have you had a look at my Kenosha, Wisconsin presentation, which shows ex-Toronto cars running there? Regards, tassiebaz.
tassiebaz Yes. Interesting. I grew up riding those old PCC cars along Duboce Ave,Carl St and Judah St on the N when we visited our relatives in SF. I rode the old PCC Yellow Cars in Los Angeles during its last year of service around 1962-63 as a baby. Lots of memories. Hope your F and E line pictures include the Blackpool boat trams.
Hi Janette, I'm working on a San Francisco streetcar presentation which should be ready for publication soon. This will include pictures from the mid-1960s to the early -1980s.
San Francisco Routes E and F presentations will come in the future. I've never seen the Blackpool boat car run in San Francisco, but there are pictures of Blackpool boat cars in my Blackpool Illuminations presentation and also my Philadelphia Route 50 Streetcar presentation. Have a look if you haven't already seen them. Regards, tassiebaz.
I saw Saint Joseph's Home for Boys in one scene. Did not see any scenes of the PEP Boys at 32nd and 33rd Sts. I think I saw Corpus Christi Church around 26th St. Did not see any scenes of the SEPTA Shop. No scenes of Saint Joe's for Girls at 29th St. or the Hot Shop.
Hi Patti, Thanks for watching and for your comment. What you see are all the pictures I have. I wish I had more to publish, but I didn't take a picture at every intersection, so missed some scenes you might have been looking for. I only wish video had been around 30 years earlier. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
I don't remember the red trolley ,but sure recognized the bicentennial trolley and the green and creme colored trolleys probably was too small to remember the red trolley.
Hi Kristine, Thanks for watching and for your comment. The red trolleys were the ones bought from Toronto in 1976. There were 30 of them, all originally built in 1946; 11 formerly from Kansas City and 19 formerly ran in Birmingham. The Kansas City ones were re-painted in orange and blue, but the Birmingham ones never were. They ran until 1982-1983, when they were withdrawn. Stay well. Cheers, tassiebaz.
The location of the first slide of 2122 is incorrectly listed as Richmond and Westmoreland. Some of the buildings bordering the loop changed in this time period but most of the homes didn't. There is a later photo that correctly shows Richmond and Westmoreland.
Hi Leon, Thanks for watching and for your comment. Would you know the location of the slide in question? Thanks. Cheers, tassiebaz.
@@tassiebaz I'm sorry but I don't. I hope that some other viewer will recognize the location. It is definitely somewhere along the route 60 line. I'll try to find a PTC trolley route map that may provide a clue.
@@Leon-ps7tq Thanks. I'll be interested if somebody does recognize the location. tassiebaz.
I like the Richmond turn around depot there’s no Wawa or Sunoco .
Thanks for watching. Cheers, tassiebaz.
the woodland ave from 36 70steet
tassiebaz
Thanks for watching.
whan do you not do south west philadephia
Thanks for watching.
Remember the 60 trolley.
Hi Gerald, Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment. Cheers, tassiebaz.