Portal:US Railways/Selected article/February 2008

For just under 100 years, between 1862 and 1962, Washington streetcars and interurbans transported people across the city of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region. The first streetcars in D.C. were drawn by horses, but later cable cars were used. By the beginning of the 20th century, the streetcar system was fully electrified. A number of the District's streetcar lines were extended into Maryland, and a separate system was established for northern Virginia. Over the years, the various companies were party to numerous mergers and bankruptcies, until all of the streetcars were part of one company, Capitol Transit. Labor strife, the popularity of the automobile and pressure to replace the streetcars with buses led to their demise. In January 1962, the last car went on its last run. Elements of the system still remain as roads, bus barns, Metrobus depots, rail trails and unused abandoned infrastructure.