Streetcar
- Description: Interior view of a streetcar belonging to the TECO Line Streetcar System in Tampa, Florida. TECO Line opened in 2002, but was built to resemble the early twentieth-century model streetcars with the addition of air conditioning. The first electric streetcars to run in Tampa began operation in 1892 and reached its height of popularity in the 1920s. In 1946, however, streetcar lines began to close until their return in 2002. In 2005, more than 430,000 people used the streetcar as a form of transportation. The TECO Line Streetcar System connects the historic district of Ybor City and Downtown Tampa. The type of streetcar pictured here appears to be a Birney Safety Car, which has a welded steel body and rivets to give an older appearance. The seats are wooden and can be positioned to face the alternate way once the streetcar changes direction. Also, the Birney cars only require one motorman to operate the car as opposed to a motorman and conductor. This was beneficial during the labor shortages of World War I.
- Keywords: streetcar, downtown, trolley, Tampa, Florida
- TIFF File: A high resolution TIFF of Streetcar (28.9 Mb) is available for download. This is a very large file suitable for printing. For most on-screen purposes, you should use the image displayed on this page instead of this TIFF.
- Source: Florida Center for Instructional Technology, Exploring Florida: Social Studies Resources
for Students and Teachers (Tampa, FL: University of South Florida, 2009)
- County: Hillsborough
- Location:
- Date of Photo: 1/7/2006
- Photographer: Roy Winkelman
