VIDEOS
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| Above: YouTubeCA video - Loop Trolley Turns Focus to Tourism | Living St. Louis - Length: 5:24 mins. | Above: YouTubeCA video - The LightRail in St Louis, Missouri 2023 - Length: 13:52 mins. |
PHOTOS
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MAP
I created the above map by overlaying an OpenStreetMap (OSM) map with my own data. Copyright on the OSM map is © OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed under a CC-BY-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 licence).
Please note that the OSM map used as a template for this map corresponds to the situation at the time the map was downloaded and may show features that did not exist at the time the GS Tram Site is supposed to show. In particular, it may show bridges and highways that were built later.
ROUTES
Operator: Metro Transit
HERITAGE STREETCAR ROUTE
| Loop Trolley | Forest Park - Delmar Loop - University City Library |
Note: Seasonal (mostly summer) operation only.
LIGHT RAIL (METROLINK) ROUTEs
| B | Blue Line | Lambert Airport - Rock Road - Delmar Loop - Forest Park - Union Station - E. Riverfront - Washington Park - Fairview Heights - Swansea - Belleville - Shiloh–Scott |
| R | Red Line | Shrewsbury-Lansdowne I-44 - Clayton - Forest Park - Union Station - E. Riverfront - Washington Park - Fairview Heights |
Note: The route designations B and R are of an indicative nature only and are not used by the operator.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM
NETWORK LENGTH
- Heritage streetcar line: 3.5 km.
- Light Rail (MetroLink): 74 km.
HISTORY
- Horse-powered streetcars: 4 July 1859 - ???
- Cable cars: 15 Apr. 1886 - 12 Feb. 1921
- Electric streetcars (1st generation): 6 Feb. 1888 - 21 May 1966.
- Electric streetcar (modern heritage operation): 16 Nov. 2018 - 29 Dec. 2019; 4 Aug. 2022 - today (seasonal operation)'.
- Interurbans: 1897- 22 June 1958.
- Light rail (2nd generation): 31 July 1993 - today.
GAUGE
- Urban streetcar (1st generation): 1473 mm.
- Interurban: 1435 mm.
- Heritage streetcar / Light rail: 1435 mm.
SOURCES
- Fehl, G. The Illinois Traction System, Vol. 4, Alton-Granite City-East St. Louis, East St. Louis electric trackage, other East Side electric railways GS Productions, 1992.
- Illinois Traction System Central Electric Railfans' Association Bulletin No.98, Nov. 1954.
- Jenkins, D. The Illinois Terminal Railroad, the road of personalized services Bucklin (MO): White River Productions, 2005.
- Young, A.D. St. Louis and its Streetcars: The way it was Richmond (BC, Canada): Archway Publishing, 1996.
- Young, A.D. The St. Louis Streetcar Story Glendale (CA): Interurban Press, 1988.
WIKIS
WEB SITES
Many thanks to Mr Russell Powers of Lone Tree, CO, USA, for kindly sending me information and documents concerning the history of the St. Louis streetcar and interurban systems.
Thanks as well to Maury Pepper, of Webster Groves MO, for kindly sending me corrections for the 1946 page.
Copyright Gabor Sandi 1998-2025
Disclaimer: Everything on this site was written and/or prepared at the author's discretion. The author has tried to be accurate where facts are presented, but this does not mean that these facts are necessarily accurate. People needing more reliable information should refer to appropriate sources presented, on the Internet or elsewhere, by authoritative professional or academic bodies.
To get in touch with the webmaster, send an e-mail to g_sandi at hotmail.com.
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