Streetcar Motorman

[Rockford]

Hi,

At last I'm finally getting round to writing up some of the research I've done - partly as a way of going back over it to check for gaps and partly to save me wandering into searching for the marriages of fourth cousins, as my direct lines all now seem to end in brick walls - although the Kirk Session records are my next target.....

Anyway, I am working on my great grandfather, John Burnside's family. Although he was born in Ireland in 1877, his older brother Alexander Burnside born Jan 1867 emigrated to Philadelphia in 1888.

Following Alex through the records, at the 1900 US Census he is a Merchant Grocer, by 1910 he is a Motorman [Streetcar] and at his death in 1914 he is a Trolleyman.

From a web search, I think that a Motorman would have been the driver of a streetcar and I found a site which indicated some types of streetcar were called Trolleys. Does anyone know if a Motorman is the same as a Trolleyman and if there was any difference between a streetcar and a trolley?

Any comments welcome!

Brian

[Russell]

Hi Brian

I'm delving into the recesses of memory here but I think that streetcars were a development from the old horse-drawn omnibuses. Short wheel base non-articulated vehicles but later versions, where they had to negotiate tighter curves had swivelling bogies or trolleys. In some cities this became the generic name for any rail running vehicle on the thoroughfare.
This is just guesses based on developments in the Glasgow tramway system vehicles. We just called them 'trams' so our 'Motorman' became a tramcar driver.
If anyone has better guesses or actual knowledge feel free to contradict me.

Russell

[SarahND]

If anyone has better guesses or actual knowledge feel free to contradict me. l

I'm not sure if this counts as "actual knowledge" but for what it's worth, I was born near Philadelphia and for me streetcar= trolley= tram. Maybe I'm just showing my limited vocabulary in this domain

Cheers,
Sarah

[Russell]

Hi Sarah & Brian

I agree with you Sarah that they are really the same thing. Just called differently in different places.
Trams were originally the short wheel base bogie/trucks they used in quarries and mines to get the minerals and spoil out before the days of even horse drawn methods. In some of the later coal mines they became hutches which could be linked together in trains and drawn by ponies or wires by winches but the idea of a rigid, short wheel based vehicle had applications above ground too and they were enlarged to become 'wagons' like the horse drawn road vehicles but on rails.
Omnibuses (horse drawn variety sometimes had a fifth wheel arrangement to allow the shafts to pivot round tight corners. With a fixed wheelbase Trams followed the wider sweep of the rails which is why they invariably took up the centre of the road. The later. larger varieties had pivoting bogies underneath so they could still get round the same curves as their shorter predecessors.

Russell
P.S. Why, if my old head can remember these things can it not remember what I had for lunch today

[Currie]

Hello all,

This Wiki article has an interesting explanation as to where the name Trolley came from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_pole

“A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J. Sprague.
The term 'trolley' predates the invention of the trolley pole. The earliest electric cars did not use a pole, but rather a system in which each car dragged behind it an overhead cable connected to a small cart that rode on a 'track' of overhead wires. From the side, the dragging lines made the car seem to be 'trolling' as in fishing. Later, when a pole was added, it came to be known as a trolley pole.
The term trolley used to describe the pole or the passenger car using the trolley pole is derived from the grooved conductive wheel (trolley or troller) attached to the end of the pole that "trolls" the overhead wire. It was first used by an experimental tramway in Toronto, Ontario in 1883, having been invented by John Joseph Wright, brother of the mining entrepreneur Whitaker Wright.”

The duties of a Trolleyman in 1907 are set out in full in “Reports of Cases Adjudged in the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia" in the chapter headed “Washington Railway Company v. Downey” about a third of the way through the book.
http://www.archive.org/stream/reportsca ... g_djvu.txt

“Electric power is communicated to the motor cars in Virginia and upon said highway bridge by a wire strung over the center of the track, the connection with the cars being made by the ordinary trolley pole. One end of this pole is attached to the top of the car, and a stiff spring tends to cause it to assume a perpendicular position. A rope is attached to the upper end of the pole, and this is held by the trolleyman, who sees to it that the little wheel at the upper end of the trolley pole is brought in contact with the overhead wire. The trolley pole then assumes an angle probably of about 45 degrees. At the time of the accident the defendant ran a train of two cars, and it was the duty of the trolleyman to stand between the two, either on the rear platform of the motor car or on the front platform of the trailer. His duties were to call stations, attend to passengers getting on or off, and to attend to the trolley. When not attending to passengers it was his duty constantly to hold the trolley rope. This was to prevent the trolley pole from jumping the wire, and also to enable the trolleyman to respond to the orders of the motorman.”
Etc. etc. etc.

Alan

[Rockford]

Hi,

Thanks to Russell, Sarah and Alan for all your comments.

The site I found with pictures of streetcars did show that the later and bigger ones did run on a different system of wheels, so Russell was spot on.

I'll need to read the links posted by Alan in detail, but it looks like , in Virginia at least, the role of Motorman and Trolleyman may have been different, although perhaps a Motorman could act as Trolleyman should the occasion arise if the latter was a career path to the other - in the same way as my grandfather started as a Bus Conductor and then became a driver.

Best wishes

Brian

[Muriel]

At least it seems to be an unward progression. One of my brother-in-law's rellies is described on his m.c as a "mail gig driver" & on his d.c. as "postman" - doesn't have quite the same ring!

Muriel

[SarahND]

Hi all,
Note the use of the terms trolley and streetcar in the article mentioned in the NEHGS newsletter today:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... paign=8315

Now that this topic has come up, I see references everywhere
Sarah

[Rockford]

Hi Sarah,

If that's the case, maybe I should start sending out vibes about my great great grandfather's parentage!!!! Then when you find the references, that'll be another wall smashed....

Best wishes

Brian

[SarahND]

Good plan, Brian!
I'll make you a deal: I'll find your great great grandfather's parentage if you find my great great grandmother's mother's name-- okay?

Sarah