Galveston Island Trolley
Galverton Island Trolley is a heritage streetcar in Galveston, Texas. As in late 2006, the total network length was 6.8 miles. There are 22 stations. The Galverton Island Trolley is operated by Island Transit.
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History
Galveston have had streetcar before. The first urban rail public transit system was introduced in 1867. The cars were pulled by mules. In 1891 electric trolleys were introduced. They remained in service till May 1938.
Galvseton Island Trolley, a heritage streetcar system, was opened on 23 July 1988. It connected the historic Strand district on the north side of Galveston Island with the Seawall beach area. It was mainly used by tourists. In 1995 the line was extended.
The new branch to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) was opened on 14 March 2005. This line is popular among UTMB staff, students and patients. Therefore now Galverton Island Trolley can be considered more “real” public transport than just a heritage streetcar for tourists.
New extensions are being planned.
Rolling stock
The Galverton Island Trolley cars look like vintage electric trolleys, but actually they are modern build and diesel-electric powered. Therefore there are no overhead wires in Galveston.
There four cars, all of them are technically identical, though they are painted in different colors. Cars were build by Miner Railcar, Pennsylvania.
Each car can accommodate 80 passengers: 40 sitting and 40 standing. Cars are designed for operation speed of 25 mph. Each car weights 63,000 lbs. In 2005 all cars were equipped with air conditioning.
Sources
- [1]
- Island Transit official site
- The book: Trams 2007 by B.A. Schenk and M.R. Van Den Toorn. Alk publishings, Netherlands, ISBN 90 6013 466 4 (book in Dutch)
- North American Vintage Trolley Systems
