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Pensacola streetcar system

494 bytes removed, 01:27, 23 July 2008
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Deleted superfluous and conjectural info at the end regarding locations of tracks.
An economic downturn affected the streetcar company in [[1897]]. It was reorganized again as the [[Pensacola Electric Terminal Railway Company]], with Captain [[William H. Northrup]] as president. [[William A. Blount]]'s law firm assisted in the transition and introduced northern firm Stone & Webster to help develop the utility. The [[Pensacola Electric Light & Power Company]] was also incorporated in [[1897]], building a coal-powered generator at [[Baylen Street|Baylen]] and [[Cedar Street]]s that provided power to much of the area. Elevated wires were placed over the streets to provide electricity to the trolleys; a double set of tracks were placed in the broad [[Palafox Street]]; and a streetcar barn and mechanical shop was built at [[Gadsden Street|Gadsden]] and [[DeVillier Street]]s.
At its peak, a total of 30 trolley cars carried four million passengers per year (1920).<ref>[http://www.dot.state.fl.us/publicinformationoffice/historicdotphotos/rail/pentrolley.htm MyFlorida.com]</ref> Routes included a line in [[Gadsden Street]] [crossing the old [[Bayou Texar]] Bridge to East Pensacola Heights] and a line to [[Kupfrian's Park]]. Also included was a loop encompassing Palafox Street, West Gadsden Street, North Spring Street, and West DeSoto Street back to Palafox, with a turnaround spur reaching on Gadsden past Spring to North [[Reus Street]]. Partially covered tracks and barely concealed right-of way are clearly visible on both West Gadsden [especially the turnaround track] and DeSoto Street. Another loop reached Old [[East Hill]] via [[Government Street]] to [[Alcaniz DeSoto Street]] and back to Gadsden. The trolley was discontinued six years after Pensacola Electric Company's [[1932]] merger with [[Gulf Power]].
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