The Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
A historical video following the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, USA by Isaac Trockman
Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
Como Harriet Streetcar Line in Minneapolis,MN. It operates between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun. the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line is an all-volunteer service of the Minnesota Streetcar Museum.
Streetcars in St. Paul and Minneapolis
Matt Anderson, Objects Curator at the Minnesota Historical Society, looks at the history of streetcars in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Trolley-related artifacts, photos and film footage in the Society's collection are featured.
Visit our blog and podcast site at for more highlights from the Collections!
Como-Harriet Streetcar Line Car No. 265 (Part 2 of 2)
A ride on Streetcar No. 265 built in 1915, was also Minneapolis car No. 1791. Twin City Rapid transit Company had over 500 miles of track, the system was abandoned in 1954 and was started in the 1870's with horse drawn cars. The system extended from Stillwater to Exelsior Minnesota and covered most of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Back in 1998 I saw them pull out a covered section of track 2 blocks from my house! TrolleyRide.org Here is part 1 of 2:
Streetcar No. 322 Como-Harriet Streetcar Line (Part 3 of 4)
Streetcar No. 322 was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1946, one of 140 PCCs delivered to TCRT between 1946 and 1949. Currently owned and operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. trolleyride.org Here is part 4of 4:
Twin City Lines Streetcar Facilities and Infrastructure
Minnesota Streetcar Museum historian Aaron Isaacs gives a presentation on the history of the facilities and infrastructure in Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota operated by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. See trolleyride.org for more information about the Minnesota Streetcar Museum.
TCRT #322, a restored PCC car in Minneapolis
The PCC car was commissioned in the 1930s by the Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee, which understood that the old, boxy trolley cars were increasingly seen as noisy, uncomfortable and outdated; and that automobiles were becoming serious competition to public transit. The ERPCC hired engineers and designers from outside the railway industry, among them automotive engineers. The new streetcar that was thus created had a 1930s-style streamlined, all-steel body and many technological improvements which made for a very smooth and quiet ride. These cars were built by several manufacturers from 1936 into 1951, and they operated in cities from coast to coast. They were durable, and well-received by commuters.
While the Second World War, with its shortages and rationing, gave public transit a much needed boost, the end of the war brought big changes. The prosperity of the 1950s, the popularity of automobiles, the rush to build more highways, and some shady backroom deals all helped to put an end to streetcars in most American cities. From the end of the war to the early 1960s, streetcar systems were scrapped in all but a dozen or so cities. Those very few that kept streetcars relied mainly on PCC cars to keep going. Streetcar lines continued to decline into the 1970s, albeit more slowly because there weren't many left anyway. The dwindling number of remaining PCC cars were bought, sold and traded among the few cities that still needed them. By the late 1970s, the remaining ones had outlived their intended lifespan, but some still kept running.
In the 1980s, light rail transit began to appear. New light rail systems were built in some towns, and new light rail vehicles began to replace the aging PCCs on the older transit systems.
This PCC car, #322, was built in 1946 by the St. Louis Car Company of Missouri. It was one of 140 built in three years for Twin City Rapid Transit of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In 1953, just before TCRT ended streetcar operations, the car was one of 30 sold to the operators of the City Subway in Newark, New Jersey. (The other PCCs in that Newark batch kept running until 2001!) In 1978 it was one of 4 sold to the operators of the Rapid Transit Lines in Shaker Heights, Ohio. In 1986 it was retired and brought back to Minnesota. In 2000, after a long and painstaking restoration by the Minnesota Transportation Museum (now the MN Streetcar Museum), it was returned to service (in its original TCRT colors) on the museum's restored portion of the old Como Harriet line in southwest Minneapolis. In this video it approaches 42nd Street at Queen Avenue during the summer of 2006.
Minnesota streetcar retirement
This archive video shows the retirement and destruction of streetcars in Minnesota.
Video provided by Twin Cities Public Television.
Vanished Twin Cities-Part I-In the beginning
An early history of Minneapolis, as seen through the experiences of a grand old building, now long forgotten. The birth of the Minneapolis Exposition Building is a story of rival cities, twin cities, and an ego driven fight by newly rich and powerful men in both cities over the location of the Minnesota State Fair, which originally was a statewide travelling show .
Part one of this story details the humble beginnings of Minneapolis, and its rapid growth into the flour milling capital of the world. Big money, big dreams, and big egos brought forth the largest building ever built in Minneapolis at that time. The style and architecture of the time is also showcased, with period piece music helping show and sound what it was like to live in Minneapolis 150 years ago.
Hydraulic Glass Elevator - Franklin Avenue Metro Line Station - Minneapolis, MN
This is the hydraulic glass (scenic) elevator at the Franklin Avenue Metro Line Station in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I'm unsure of the brand.
St. Paul, Mpls. Consider Streetcars Despite Local History
As a solution for future traffic headaches the state's two largest cities are hoping to resurrect part of our past - streetcars.
A ride in a PCC car in Minneapolis
A view from what was always my favorite seat in the streetcar when I was a kid: right behind the front door, so I could watch where we're going. The streetcar is a beautifully restored 1946 all-electric PCC car built by St. Louis Car Co. for the Twin City Rapid Transit company. It is presently operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. Just as in the past, the driver is resting his right arm on the fare box. The route is a restored portion of the old Como-Harriet line through city parkland in southwest Minneapolis. This view was taken in the summer of 2006, going from 42nd Street at Queen Avenue, by Lake Harriet, northward toward Lake Calhoun.
Streetcar; Streetcar Not
Thanks to the preservationists at the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, I had the opportunity to video tape an operating streetcar. I also taped the LRT add-on to the Hwy. 55 road construction project, the same vehicle thing that was added to the University Avenue road construction project.
For most of the people living, working and going to school in the inner-city, I am certain the streetcar vehicle the preferred alternative.
View and compare.
Trolley Ride, Minneapolis Minnesota, July 2006
Captured by my friend Gabriel, a quick ride on the historic trolley near the lakes of Minneapolis. Recording using a camera with video recording capability of the time period.
Driving Through SE Minneapolis Blizzard On Como Avenue
VISIT the Twin Cities Minnesota Blog:
St Paul Business Owners Say NO! to 7th St Light Rail
Dozens of business owners in St. Paul are speaking out against a light rail addition to West 7th St...
MEI Hydraulic Elevator @ Anoka Northstar Station - Anoka, MN
[Filmed on 9/13/2017]
This is a very nice elevator! Nice motor, runs well.. And of course, its a Minnesota!
Specs:
Brand: MEI
Fixtures: Innovation Bruiser
Installed: 2013
Capacity: 4500 lbs
Floors: 3 (G,1-2)
Type: Hydraulic
Doors: 2 Speed
Speed: 100 FPM
Lake Harriet Flower Gardens
Flower Gardens Lake Harriet. Video By: Byron Ritter, imagination.photo.
Bandshell intro music by: singletonstreet.com Bluegrass/folk/gospel band.
Lyndale Park Rose Garden. Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. Lake Harriet Rose Garden. Lake Harriet Bandshell
9-11 2013 Memorial Ceremony at Lake Harriet Bandshell, Minneapolis MN
Central Washington State Fair Raceway, September 20, 2014, ASCS Northwest Region B-Main