My Dad was a motorman for 40 years, retiring in 1973. We lived on East Capitol Street and after church on Sunday's would ride on my father's streetcar to Cabin John. Actually, both my great grandfathers on my Dad's side drove horse-drawn trolley's, then cable cars in the late 1880's and 1890's. Two few years ago when Pepco was digging up East Capitol Street to put in new cabling, a worker gave me a chunk of that "third rail." My father drove over that rail for his whole career, until 1962, the "end of an era. He drove buses until his retirement. In those days, like your folks and uncle, and my Dad, people were loyal to the company in a way almost unheard of today. Those were special days. Thanks for your web page.
Steve, the web page is just great. Let me add a couple of things. In the 1940's and into the 50's school children could buy books of tickets that would allow them to go anywhere in the city and transfer from one bus or streetcare to another. The price was $.03 Some of the early street cars were still in use in the 1940's and long hand straps were used that used to hang down from the top of the trolley. Georgetown University students would have parties and then go out on to 36th Street in Georgetown and dirrupt the Cabin John trolley by getting on both sides of it and shaking it back and forth driving the operators crazy. I'm not sure what they were but there were stops at certain points around Washington where the trolleys would go revitalized. There was one in Georgetown on Wisc. Ave at P Street and I'm guessing but it seemed like some electrical charge was given to the trolley while the passengers waited for it to continue on its route. My mother worked in the old car barn at M St. and Key Bridge at a help desk. Trolleys would go past the building, over Key Bridge into Roslyn and then return into the city.
Hi, my dad drove for ab&w transit for many years. He died in 1971 and I'v been searching for a bus stop sign from ab@w transit . It would mean a lot for me to find one. If you have any information or know where I might be able to find help on this, I would appreciate it. THANKS, Kathy
Your article brought back a lot of memories. My grandmother lived in DC and I became very acquainted with Capital Transit, DC Transit as a youngster. Rides to the Bur. of Eng., to Silver Spring, and Takoma are still vivid pictures in my mind. Of course, the best streetcar line was the #20 which went from Union Station to Cabin John. The highlight of the ride was a visit to Glen Echo Park. I was a high school student here in Baltimore when the last DC streetcars rolled in 1962. I was sorry to see them go as they added variety to a visit to Washington. Jack Leonard -retired school teacher.
My father worked for Capital Transit after the war. He originally drove streetcars, instructed on streetcars and even drove the snow plow streetcar. He later transferred over to buses and drove until he was retired in the late 1960's. I usually managed to ride with him a couple of times a year and regularly rode the car that ran out Rhode Island Avenue to Branchville. One particular memory is when you were heading out of town they would stop near the old Safeway bakery in Northeast to remove the plow and put up the trolley pole, while this was being done you were treated to the smell of fresh baked bread, a little farther down the line you passed the Wilkins coffee plant and got a dose of fresh ground coffee. By the time you got off at Riverdale where we lived you were ready for a snack. My mother a brave soul would occasionally take me to Glen Echo by public transportation which entailed a streetcar ride downtown then a transfer to a cross town bus and finally a second transfer to the open streetcar that ran out MacArthur boulevard to the park. We would also take the streetcar downtown at Christmas to shop and see the decorated store windows at Kann's, Woodies, Lansburgh's and Hechts. Traditionally this was topped off with a Hot Roast Beef sandwich and a Hot Fudge Sundae at the Snack bar in Murphy's before catching the Streetcar home. I still have my father's cap badge as well as his change carriers. Just thought I would share a few memories with another fellow Washingtonian as there are so few of us who are really originals.
I remember when DC had open-air streetcars in the summer and on very hot nights we would take a streetcar in Mt. Rainier, MD downtown and transfer at New Jersey Ave. to another open-air streetcar. I was so young, I wonder if my memory of NJ route is correct. The end of the Potomac Park line was near the DAR and I am also curious what is now where the end of the line was. On 4th of July the streetcars would be lined up to take people home after the fireworks at the Monument.
Many thanks for your great Web site. I still remember riding the AB&W 16 line from Annandale to the Pentagon and DC when I was a kid. I especially love the Pentagon, with its underground bus depot, because it had busses from the DC and Maryland lines too. Thanks for a pleasant afternoon remembering.
Am enjoying you interesting information re DC Transit Company. My father worked for the Washington, D. C. Transit Company from sometime in the 1920 till he retired about 1950. He was a Steam Engineer and machine shop foreman at the Georgetown building in charge of a crew who repaired the streetcars and the underground plows used in the center of the city. I have a photo from Oct. 6, 1951 of the DC. Transit Quarter Century Club Dinner at the Mayflower Hotel showing 80 to 100 people. I have an old newspaper clipping from the Washington Star, Oct 1948 "Making it easier to pay - Capital Transit Co. is sawing the tops off all the coin boxes on its 1,900 streetcars and buses to make it easier to drop in the thousands of pennies expected when the new 13 cent fare takes effect on October 31. tokens also are scheduled to be introduced at three for 35 cents, with an $1.75 weekly pass as the alternative." Anyhow, I was trying to get some information for my brother concerning the 50 Shares of DC Transit Stock that he has had for some time. The stock certificates dated July 18, 1977, are of the DC Transit Systems Corporation and I just ran across your information. Very interesting.
I guess I started out just being curious.. SOMEWHERE I HAD GAINED THIS SUBWAY TOKEN.. GROWING UP IN MICH., AND MOVING HERE FRM FLORIDA... I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE I CAME ACROSS THIS TOKEN.. WAS ON THE WEB TODAY, AND CAME A CROSS A COUPLE OF SITES RELATED TO THIS FORMER COMPANY... THANKS FOR HAVING SOME INFO OUT THERE IN .. SYBER SPACE.... HAPPY HOLIDAYS..
I enjoy you Web Site tremendously... I too grew up in Washington, DC and have many fond memories of the street cars. My parents and I lived at the end of the Seat Pleasant line which rant through N.E. Washington. I have been trying to get information on the exact route and if there were any photos available for that line?
Just found your site and it is the best DC site I have found .I was born in DC in1947 and lived in East Falls Church until 1961 and I remember those trips to glen echo! Do you know of any links for finding the routes of streetcars to falls church, vienna etc. that went along Washington Blvd and Fairfax drive and what years they ran? Also I saw the last W&OD passenger train at the Falls Church station in 1951. I'm a N&W RR buff in Miami.
I am working on a tribute site to WPGC focusing on it's glory days as a top 40 blowtorch of the 60s. I have reason to believe that the old Washington, Marlboro and Annapolis Motor Lines once had a station on 95.5 that they used to broadcast music to their fleet of buses. That station apparently became WPGC-FM (which was apparently located at 4421 Southern Ave above a repair facility on the DC/PG line).
Can you provide me with any details about the WMA? Have you ever heard anything about them owning an FM station in the mid '50's? I went to Metrobus' website but the only mention I found of the old WMA was that they were acquired in 1973. Do you know of any other sources of info about them?
