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LRTA Links: Personal and Club Sites |
Personal and Club Sites
Updated 29 May 2006
Sites developed by individuals or clubs with an interest in light rail, trams, metros, etc.
Includes both contemporary and historically-oriented sites as well as photo galleries, fan-oriented newslines, and virtually any other kind of tram, light-rail, or urban transit related site.
Note: For personal or club sites devoted to a particular system, see the system of interest in the System Sites section.
For sites consisting primarily of links to other sites, see the Link Collection Sites section.
- Asia
- Tram Views Of Asia - Fascinating site, compiled from the collection of John Rossman, which uses early 20th century postcards and photographs to illustrate of the colonial era of tramways in the Middle East, the Far East (excluding Japan), Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. Lots of caption detail and history information as well.
- Australia
- Australian Rail Maps - Not just railway maps, but maps of virtually all tram and suburban rail services for each metropolitan area of the country. Historical timeline of recent news items (such as new openings and service changes) for each mapped area, plus detailed fare information and links to system operators. Most maps are also "clickable" to link to timetable information for specific services.
- Trams of Australia - A comprehensive coverage of the Australian tram scene, including city-by-city coverage, past and present fleet details, museums, and a bibliography.
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Light Rail in BRAZIL - Allen Morrison's sad tale of the attempts to create the "VLT" light rail lines in Rio de Janeiro and Campinas during the 1980's and '90s. Here is the complete history of each line from conception to eventual failure (with conversion to metro for one and closure for the other) plus all the details in between. There are also maps, vehicle details, bibliographic references, and plenty of photos (many taken by the author and some very rare indeed given the short life of the Campinas line).
- Santa Teresa Tramway - Complied by Allen Morrison. An illustrated survey of this Rio de Janeiro system and its history of over 120 years. Ten pages, 45 photographs and a link to a map.
- The Tramways of Brazil - The complete text of Allen Morrison's long out-of-print (since 1991) book surveying 130 years of Brazilian tramway history. The text includes a well-integrated history of tramway development throughout the country (from the first street railway in Rio de Janeiro in 1858 up through the late 1980's when then text was originally written and five systems were still running), a technical issues overview (gauges, rolling stock, current collection, traffic direction), plus details on the systems in over 100 Brazilian cities, towns, and villages. There's also an extensive bibliography. (Note: photos and maps from the book are not included.)
- Canada
- All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems - Complied by David Wyatt, this site attempts to catalogue all public transit systems (of any mode) that have ever existed in Canada. The site is indexed by city, by urban area (i.e., including all cities within a metropolitan area), by operator name, and by mode (even to the level of "wilderness and gasoline tramways") with brief descriptions of each system (including operating dates, take-overs, etc.) and references to bibliographies materials and websites. There's also a photo gallery and, interestingly, a gallery of system logos, plus a catalogue of systems which were incorporated by never built. There's even a section on Canadian transit interests in systems abroad.
- Canadian Street Railways - David Wyatt's all time catalogue of tram, metro, and suburban rail systems with operating dates and power modes (e.g. animal, electric, diesel, etc.) and cross references to the authors
All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems
for more details.
- Niagara's Transportation Center - All forms of transport, including cycling and walking. Site by Peter Warwick.
- Chile
- The Tramways Of Chile - The complete text of Allen Morrison's out-of-print (since 1995) book on the 65 different cities in Chile which had tramway systems (from as early as 1858 - the first in South America - to as late as 1978). The text includes a general history of tramways in Chile plus details (based on the author's extensive research) on each system, organized by region. There's also an extensive bibliography. (Note: photos and maps from the book are not included.)
- Cuba
- Cuban Tram Stamps -
In 2004 Cuba issued a marvelous set of stamps to commemorate the country's tramway heritage.
Wonder where they got the images? Well, Allen Morrison knows... and this site reveals the illustrated details.
- The Cárdenas Electric Tramway - Webpage with history, photographs and a colorful map of the battery-powered tram system that operated between 1914 and 1929 in the hometown of Elián González.
In English or Spanish.
- The Tramways of Cuba - Continuing in the tradition of the author's Tramways of Brazil and Tramways of Chile books (and websites), this new (as of August 2002) online "book" by Allen Morrison presents the most detailed look available anywhere at the history of the the tram and other urban passenger railways spread across the island. Organized geographically, there are features on each different railway company with detailed maps, plenty of period illustrations, and extensive bibliographies.
- Europe
- eurotrams - Yahoo! Group devoted to tram pictures, old and new, from throughout Europe (including the UK), with many comtemporary photos of both everyday and unusual operations. Passing it's first birthday with about 150 members and 100-200 messages (many with photos) a month (as of March 2001). Some additional photos in the Files section.
Guests may view and post messages. (Requires free Yahoo! Groups membership to access other features.)
- Finland
- Suomen Raitiotieseura Ry - Details of the Finnish Tramway Society, plus information about Helsinki City Transport, timetables and routes, and the Tramway Museum. In Finnish, with English version by clicking here.
- France
- Germany
- Bahnfreunde Rhein-Neckar-Pfalz e.V - Site for enthusiast group dedicated to the railways and tramways around Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg (and who operated the museum in Viernheim until its closure in 1990) with a brief history of the club, meeting calendar, and illustrated reports of special events and projects. There's also a concise overview of railway and tramway operations in the region with details on each local system operator (including the RHB, OEG, VBL, HSB, and MVV-V). Coverage is rounded out with news, a photo galleries, their souvenir shop, a useful links collection, plus an overview of the former museum collection (12 trams from around Germany and Switzerland) as well as selected articles from their quarterly Bahnfreunde-Blaetti newsletter.
In German or English (slightly less extensive).
- Berlin: Verkehr -
Site devoted to information about all forms of public transit (including airports and roads) serving Berlin, with emphasis on local and suburban train, metro, and tram services. Organized by transit mode, each line or service is detailed (with current timetables, route, and station information, including connecting services and attractions - varying as applicable by mode). Each mode also has relvent links and a bibliography of publications while, on the German side of the site, there are also extensive roster details (including in-service dates and renumbering) for the current passenger fleet, preserved/musuem cars, and service/works equipment (supplemented with photos).
In German or English (less extensive).
- Die Eisenbahn in Sachsen und der Sächsischen Schweiz - Sascha Fritzsche's site devoted to the railways of Saxsonia and Saxonian Switzerland. Of particular interest are the sections devoted to the Kirniztstahlbahn (Bad Schandau-Lichtenhainer) tram line and the Streckenübersicht (Dresden-Pirna-Schöna) suburban rail service (each with photos, detailed history, maps, and more). Other sections of the site provide similar details on additional railway lines (past and present) serving Dresden, Leipzig, and the other cities of Saxony.
In German.
- Eisenbahnen im Berliner Raum - Site devoted to the operational history of all railways, including transit lines, within about 60 km of Berlin. Organized by primary use (main line, city and ring lines, private lines, industrial, suburban, metro, tram), the chronology of each undertaking is presented along with a station list or route details, some supplemented with contemporary photos. There's also a zoomable map appears to attempt to show every track and even platform within the region.
In German.
- Verband Deutscher Verkehrs-Amateure - Founded in 1956, the VDVA (Federation of German Transit Enthusiasts) was created to act as a super-regional organization to support the efforts of local transit enthusiast groups. Over the years, its official publication evolved into the widely respected
Blickpunkt Straßenbahn
magazine. The site primarily focuses on the group's yearly conference trips (including past trip reports and a preview of the upcoming trip) and their historic photo archive (sample gallery and information on how to purchase prints). There's also a brief history of the group and information about their Straßenbahnen in den vierziger Jahren (Trams in the 1940's) book.
In German.
- Verkehrsfreunde Stuttgart e.V. - The rail enthusiast group in Stuttgart that covers everything related to rail travel, whether it is in Stuttgart, elsewhere in Germany, or elsewhere in the world and whose site provides background on their aims and goals as well as membership information and details of their meetings and excursions. There is also a rich collection of excursion and news photos in the Cronik (Chronology), Dies und das! (This and that!), and Einst und Jetzt (Then and now!) sections. Examples include a set of photos in the chronological history section for May 13th/14th 2000 covering the 50th anniversary of trams in Stammheim when several SSB museum trams were in service and a set in then and now covering how things have changed at various sites in Stuttgart and the surrounding area between the 60's or 70's and today.
In German.
- www.lightrail.de - Dierk Nüchtern's site covering the trams of the Ruhr (and beyond) featuring overviews of about 10 systems in the region (plus more than 30 elsewhere in Germany and beyond) with current and past schematic maps, many with historical summaries, some with photos. There is also a frequently updated news section (with ability to add your comments), discussion forum, database of more than 5000 timetables (held by individuals you can contact for more information), photo gallery, plus a timetable and photo trading area.
In German with English versions of some pages.
(Introductory page requires Flash.)
Service Advisory: News page may not display properly in Netscape and some other browsers.
- See Also:
- Hungary
- Trams of Hungary and much more - Starting from an illustrated history of the tramways of Budapest, the site expands into a series of illustrated articles about specific Budapest tramway topics (such particular vehicle classes, the impacts of the Danube floods in August 2002, and the transport museum). There's also a special series on the city's "lost" tram routes that closed in the 1970s and 80s. Beyond coverage of the city, there are illustrated trip reports of visits to other Hungarian tram cities (Debrecen, Miskoloc, Szeged) plus about ten other cities scattered across Europe (including the UK).
The Hungarian version of the site
(here)
also has news stories of local Hungarian interest plus additional articles that have not yet been translated (with future translations to be driven by visitor interest and request).
In Hungarian or English (less extensive).
- Japan
- Ichiban / Website For Railway Enthusiast - Galleries for the Iyo Railway (tram and lightrail in Matsuyama), Hiroshima Electric Railway (tram and light rail, with route maps, rider information, and brief history) plus summaries of other railways around Kansai and Tokyo (plus some in Korea and Europe). Also galleries of tickets, farecards, and children's' picture books plus a couple of screen savers. Several sections on tram and electric railway modelling and some railway news. In Japanese and English.
- Japan Tramway Society - Site by Kunio Horikiri.
Activities & news in English & Japanese.
- Latin America
- Electric Transport in Latin America - Allen Morrison's extensive collection of information about tram, trolleybus, metro, and other electrically powered transit systems "south of the U.S.A.". Informational summaries about what's running today and what ran in the past. Special illustrated section on Trolleybus Pioneers with great old photos. The site also features more than 800 links, arranged geographically, to articles, photos, maps, postcards, and even newspaper stories - an incredible collection of resources for anyone interested in Latin American transit.
- Ferrolatino - Combined site for the Freunde Lateinamerikanischer Bahnen (FLB) (Association of Friends of Latin American Railways) and Asociación Internacional para el Fomento de los Ferrocarriles Latinoamericanos (AIFFLA), both based in Winterthur, Switzerland. AFFILA was formed in 1997 to lend the help of European railway professionals to Latin America's railroads on a voluntary basis while the FLB acts as both an enthusiast and lobbying group to support the cause of maintaining and improving the railways. The site details the various AFFILA/FLB projects (to aid in the reestablishment or preservation of passenger services) and provides other resources such a summary chart of current urban and suburban rail services in Latin America (plus similar charts on the funiculars of Chile and Rio de Janeiro). There also articles (such on the Rosario tram) and trip reports plus the most recent issue of their joint Volta o Trem newsletter.
In German, English, or Spanish (each with somewhat different content).
- Mexico
- Tramways of Mexico -
In the tradition of Allen Morrison's
Tramways of Chile
and
Tramways of Brazil
books, and
Tramways of Cuba
website, this new (as of February 2003) work provides the same detailed history, with custom maps and vintage photo views,
for the fifteen electric tramway systems which dotted the country at one time or another (but which have all since disappeared).
As always, detailed bibliographic references are included as well.
- Netherlands
- Electrische museumtrams in Amsterdam - Site with general information on the tram (and other transportation) museums of Amsterdam with visitor details (fares, timetables, stop locations) for the Electric Museumtramline Amsterdam (EMA) and more limited overviews of the Amsterdam Tourist Tram and the Public Transport Museum. There is also an overview of museum depot and former workshop Tollensstraat and extensive information on the diversity of preserved trams in the city.
In Dutch with English summary.
- North America
- All Time List of North American Trolleybus Systems - Based on information from Trolleybus Bulletin No 109: Databook II published in March 1979 by the now defunct North American Trackless Trolley Association (NATTA), David Anthony Wyatt presents the opening and closing dates as well as roster summary for the more than 100 systems that have existed at one time or another in Canada, Mexico, and the US. There's also a corresponding list (from the same source) of North American Trolleybus Makers with their years of production. The Canadian systems are also cross-referenced to the author's
All Time List of Canadian Transit Systems
for more details.
- Light Rail Central - A site with lots and lots of links and photos.
- North American Vintage Trolley Systems - Site within the Railway Preservation Resources website which covers the varioius heritage tram operations (not museum operations) in the US and Canada (including, for example, the Tampa Electric Streetcar, the Kenosha Transit Electric Streetcar, the Old Pueblo Trolley in Tucson, and about 18 others - which more coverage planned). Illustrated overview of each system with news, bibliographies, links, and more. There's also a special section on replica trolley cars from 1984 to the present.
- Railroadinfo.com - Railroad news, information, and photo site featuring news releases, photo galleries (somewhat randomly organized but including transit topics as diverse as vintage Brooklyn PCCs, Seattle's Waterfront trolley, and the Seashore Trolley Museum), discussion forums (on railroading, rail travel, model railroading, and live steam), and an extensive link directory - described elsewhere - and more.
(Some features require free Delphi registration.)
- Transit Mode Nomenclature - David Anthony Wyatt's personal attempt to define and categorize terms such as light rail transit, heavy rail transit, commuter rail, people mover, heritage trolley, and electric trolley bus based on typical North American usage (with aliases and examples, including those confusing cases that are often hard to categorize ). Extremely useful and well thought out.
- Portuguese Speaking Countries
- Os Amarelos / The Yellow Ones - Trams, that is. Site by Emídio Gardé about electric lines in Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique. A first-class example of the webpage constructor's art. In Portuguese; English and Esperanto versions in preparation.
- Russia and Former USSR
- MetaSubway - An informative site with overviews of each subway "in the former USSR (i.e., in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakstan), both existing or under construction." Sections on individual systems vary in length and detail, most have maps, some have histories. There is also an extensive section on Electric Transit in the former USSR (only in Russian) and don't miss the Picture Gallery of Subways, Trams and Funiculars.
Home page in both Russian and English, some sections only in Russian, some mostly in English.
- Russian Subway, Railway, and Tram Maps - More than 40 tram, subway, and trolleybus maps (out of about 130 maps as of August 2002) covering cites all across Russia (and a few other places). Often includes different maps of the same system from different sources and sometimes in different languages.
In English or Russian.
- Spain
- Assotram - Historical information (and current news) about the tramways and trolleybuses of Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia (with, as of October 2000, other Spanish systems coming). Covers a full chronology from the long-closed Barcelona city system, through the Tibidabo heritage line, up to the new Trambaix project planned for operation in 2003. History of each system (amply illustrated with classic photos), fleet details (including service cars) and bibliography. In Catalan and English.
- Majorca Railways - Barry Emmott's site profiling the railways and tramways of Majorca including the 3ft gauge electric tramway from Sóller to Puerto de Sóller opened in 1913 and the Sóller Railway which was electrified by 1929. Includes illustrated newsletter, photo galleries (which expand to include captions, commentary, and more photos), first hand accounts, and more.
In English or German.
Link updated 13 March 2006
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Trains of Turkey - "A Site For Turkish Railways Enthusiast" with everything from current operations to history, musuems, infrastructure, and more. Of particular interest is the section on "Light rail and subways in Turkey" which provides an overview (with statistics, often by line) for each city's operational (or planned) tram, light rail, and metro systems. Also of particular interest are some of the maps (such as Istanbul's tram system in 1920 and in 1925).
Added 29 May 2006
- United Kingdom
- British Horse Tram Enthusiasts - "A Worldwide Information Service to people interested in the restoration and history of horse trams" with information on the three trams the group has restored to date (from Pwllheli and Llandbedrog, Birkenhead, and Wolverhampton) plus an illustrated history section, photo gallery (of restored trams around the world plus the restoration of Wolverhampton 23), and a unique section on construction tips for those who might wish to restore (or recreate) a horse tram.
- British Trams Online - Site devoted to the latest news and features from Britain's tramway and light rail systems with news reports (from various sources), detailed fleet lists for a number of systems (including Blackpool, Croydon, Docklands, Birmingham, Manchester, Seaton, Sheffield, and the Crich Tramway Village as of June 2003) plus feature articles (such as one on "A week in Blackpool" and another on the "South Hampshire Rapid Light Transit" system), photo galleries, events calendar, "hall of fame", and more.
(Some features require Microsoft Word.)
Service Advisory: May not display properly in older versions of Netscape and some other browsers.
- Colin Seymour's Tram Photos & Information - Comprehensive site covering most UK operational and museum lines, as well as some closed systems.
Link updated 13 March 2006
- Crich Tram Museum - Free Pictures - Gallery on the FreeFoto.com site with of pictures of trams at the Crich Tram Museum. Higher quality versions of the same photos are also available.
- David Bradley Online - A fascinating, in depth, collection of historical transport scenes, primarily trolleybuses, but also including trams. While it superficially appears limited to the Croydon area, most corners of the UK trolleybus and tram scenes get significant coverage as well. Many of the photos were taken by the author in the late 1950s while others are from a variety of sources. Some contemporary shots and a number of guest galleries are also included. And, perhaps best of all, everything is captioned in detail. Click "Some Tram Pictures" to get to the Tramlink Picture Gallery and from there you can then get to the historical galleries for Blackpool, Glasgow, Hill of Howth, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Sheffield, and the early days of the Crich Tramway Village as well.
- Festival of Model Tramways - Official site.
Service Advisory: Site is actually part of the
Tramway Information
site so see that site's description for details
Link and description updated and Service Advisory added 29 May 2006
- It's a Tram Thing! - New (as of September 2003) and rapidly growing photo gallery collection with high-resolution contemporary coverage of Blackpool (particularly extensive), the Great Orme Tramway, and the Crich Tramway Village. Each photo is dated and minimally captioned with prints available for purchase.
- Lancastrian Transport Trust - Committed to the preservation of the range of vehicles that represent the development of public transport in Blackpool, the Fylde and other parts of Lancashire, the trust publishes its quarterly In Trust magazine covering news and features about the trust and its collection (mostly historic buses but also including Blackpool tram 304 which is currently undergoing restoration).
- London Trams: construction of a conduit tramway - Site by Dewi Williams. Fascinating information and photos of the London conduit system.
- londonfuturetransport - Yahoo! Group devoted to discussion of future transport projects (tram, bus, railway, etc.) in London. Generally covers proposed plans and current event related to those plans. Founded in September 2000, the group has about 60 members and averages 20-30 messages a month (as of March 2001).
(Requires free Yahoo! Groups membership to access all features.)
- Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society - Founded in 1960, the goal of the Society is to document and preserve the tramway heritage of Liverpool and the North West which it does, in part, by helping operate the
Birkenhead Heritage Tramway.
The site details their collection of five historic trams (from Birkenhead, Liverpool, and Wallasey) plus news of their on-going restoration efforts and other activities. There is also an order page for related books, videos (including one on the tramway), and other sundries.
Link updated 13 March 2006
- Olive Green & Ivory - Detailed "history of Blackburn Corporation Tramways" site resulting from Duncan Holden's years of original research (which was originally done with book publication plans in mind). The History section (in 16 chapters) covers the tramway's chronology from the omnibus and predecessor tramway era of the 1870's and '80s through the close of service in 1949 (and beyond). It's supplemented by detailed coverage of the fleet (with period photos and selected drawings), a growing photo gallery (organized by car, with captions), depot and systems maps, detailed route descriptions, modelling information, and a complete bibliography of source information.
Service Advisory: May have minor display problems in some browsers.
- Norbury & South London Transport Club - Formed in 1935, the club prides itself on covering all aspects of public transport and acts as organizer for the bi-ennial Transport and Model Railway Exhibitions in Croydon. Whether it's the history or modern development of "trains, railway architecture, buses, trams, canals, shipping, aircraft or traction engines" worldwide, the club has something for you. Their bi-monthly magazine focusing on transport in South London has been published since 1949. Meetings most Tuesdays near East Croydon Station.
Link updated 13 March 2006
- Sheffield Trams Picture Gallery - An extensively captioned collection of more than 25 historic photos taken by David Bradley prior to the demise of tramway service in 1960. The numbering of the pictures implies that more are in the author's collection than are on available the site.
- Southern Electric Group - Devoted to 750V DC 3rd rail supply lines in South East England.
- TheTrams.co.uk - Peter Courtenay's site devoted to coverage of Nottingham Express Transit, Midland Metro, Sheffield Supertram, Metrolink, Croydon Tramlink, Blackpool trams, Docklands Light Railway, and Tyne and Wear metro... with photos, maps, route details, system descriptions, vehicle details, and more. There's also a nice overview of modern tramway developments in the UK (with relationship map and comparative statistics).
Added 03 April 2006
- Tramdev - Brian Lomas' site covering transit in the greater Bristol area. Nice summary of Bristol's past tramways and proposed future light rail system plus everything Brian (LRTA's webmaster) doesn't manage to fit somewhere on the LRTA site (including his own picture collection).
- Trams - Free Pictures - Another gallery on the FreeFoto.com site with of pictures of (mostly) UK trams (Blackpool, Gateshead, Manchester Metrolink. Higher quality versions of the same photos are also available.
- Tramway and Light Railway Society - Official site.
Service Advisory: Site is actually part of the
Tramway Information
site so see that site's description for details
Description updated and Service Advisory added 29 May 2006
- Tramway Information - Essentially three sites in one.
The first is devoted to coverage of the Festival of Model Tramways with everything you need to know about Europe's premier event for the model tram enthusiast which has been held annually since 1988 at different locations around the UK (plus illustrated reviews earlier festivals back to 1998).
The second is devoted to the Tramway and Light Railway Society (founded in 1938) with information about the society's goals, resources available to members (including their bi-monthly Tramfare magazine), and access to their online book and model sales departments.
And the third is a collection of special feature sections on tramway webcams, tramway postcards, tramway modelling, historical lists of Britsh and French tramways, British tramways today, London's historic trolleybus system, and a gallery of tramways around the world.
Added 29 May 2006
- Transport of Delight - John Bradshaw's site featuring photo galleries and a searchable database of more than 2000 web links (as of December 2000) covering all forms of transit (even rollercosters)! The galleries include Croydon Tramlink (with before and after photos), London Transport, assorted British Rail subjects (including Southern Electric), other UK subjects (including Midland Metro, Sheffield's last tram week in 1960, and several museums), and several North American systems (including San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, New Orleans, and the no-longer-operating Grand Cypress Resort tramway in Orlando). There is also a nicely illustrated history of the Woodside & South Croydon Railway (which became part of Tramlink).
- Transport Plans for the London Area - Portion of John Francis Rowland's "See How They Run" site which tracks all plans and construction activities for transportation improvements in the greater London area. The site is organized geographically and then by mode: "tube and rail", Docklands, Tramlink, Eurostar, "road, foot, and cycle", "air and water", and "other" (which include cable cars, bus stations, bus lanes, park + ride, and intermediate modes)... with extra coverage for "piers and boats" plus "step-free" access as well as additional sections on CrossRail, Thameslink 2000, and the Hackney-Southwest Line. Within each scheme, the development highlights are listed chronologically.
Service Advisory: Due to the download traffic limitations imposed by Geocities, the site cannot be accessed at times.
- United States
- Al Mankoff's Trolley Treasures - As the author of several Trolley Treasures books covering New Jersey Public Service's tram operations over the years, Al's collection of material on the system is vast indeed. The site brings some of this historical material to the web. In particular, Volume 1, The Wartime Years in New Jersey (long out-of-print) is reproduced in it's entirety on the site. That includes more than 400 fully captioned photos not published elsewhere. (Other volumes in the series are planned to appear on the site in the future.)
Link updated 13 March 2006
- The Birney Car - On-line facsimile of Harold Cox's long out-of-print book (originally published in 1966) that covers "the development of the single-truck one-man safety car" that came into broad use in America after its development in 1915. There's a nicely illustrated introduction which details how such cars came to be, the numerous different companies that built them, and both the good and the bad of operating them. That is followed by extremely detailed historial roster tables, organized by operator, of all known such cars in the US, Canada, and beyond.
Service Advisory: Each page is presented as a scanned image from the original book and thus may be somewhat slow to load.
- Central Electric Railfans' Association - CERA, based in Chicago, was formed in 1938 to encourage study of the history, equipment, and operation of urban, suburban, and mainline electric railways. They are also well known for their well-researched books ("Bulletins") covering the histories of tram systems in the American Midwest and beyond (as well as other tram and light rail related topics). Site provides a complete catalog of all books published plus information about meetings (including future program topics and how to get there from the CTA "L"), inspection (fan) trips, and membership.
- Dave's Electric Railroads - Updated regularly, the site features over 16000 pictures of "electric railroad, interurban, streetcar (and a few trolley coaches)" covering many eras, primarily from systems and museums in the US (as well as some from Canada, Cuba, and Mexico). Pictures are grouped by state (province or country) and then by system. Many historical photos from more obscure systems (such as Honolulu Rapid Transit and the Flint Trolley Coach Company) and traction models as well.
- Electric Railroaders Assocation - Based in New York and "dedicated since 1934 to the history and progress of electric railways", the ERA's site details their recent and upcoming yearly conventions and provides downloadable back issues of their Highlights magazine (back to 1996 - earlier issues are indexed and available for order). There's also membership information, some organizational and transit news, plus an overview of their archive, the Frank Julian Sprague Memorial Library.
(Some features require Acrobat.)
- Electric Railway Historical Association of Southern California - Founded in 1950, the Association's site correctly bills itself as "a guide to the electric traction heritage of the Los Angeles Region" by presenting detailed histories (some illustrated) of more than 45 different tram (and horse car and cable car and light rail) companies which have operated in greater Los Angeles from 1873 to the present. They are also in the process of placing the entire 50+ year archive of their Timepoints newsletter/magazine on the site (with selected issues, primarily from the 1950s and 1990s, available when checked in January 2003). The site also has membership and meeting information, an online store (with models, books, videos, gifts related to the Pacific Electric, LA Railway, and the ERHA itself), and even an colour chart of various historical vehicle paint schemes.
(Some features require an audio player.)
Service Advisory: Site navigation can be confusing... most photos and headers on the main page are non-obvious links to the various portions of the site.
- Jon Bell's Rail Transit Pages - Galleries of more than 30 "subway, rapid transit, streetcar, light rail, trolleybus, and peoplemover" systems visited by Jon (mostly in the US). Indexed by both city and transit technology (which also lists some systems not yet in the galleries), each includes photos plus a descriptive overview and links to maps (some created by the author), the system operator, and other related websites. There's also a gallery of tickets as well as collection of links with some delightfully obscure entries.
- LightRail_Now - Newly formed (as of March 2001) Yahoo! group devoted to open discussion by light rail advocates around the United States (and to acting as an information source for those seeking information about light rail). Messages are text only (no photos or other attachments) and focus on events and news reports from around the US.
(Requires free Yahoo! Groups membership to access all features.)
- Main Street - Jonathan Smith's personal homepage. Visit The Terminal for information about his transit-related interests including the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad's collection of several classic Iowa trolleys (including restored Charles City & Western 50) and electric locomotives from the Kennecott Copper Company operations in Utah.
- NW Virtual Transit Center - Successor to the Portland Virtual LRT and Virtual Streetcar sites, this new (as of July 2002) site expands its focus to cover the entire northwestern US and British Columbia with virtual tours (revised versions of the Portland tours with more planned such as for the Vancouver Sky Train), systems information (including illustrated rider guides, maps, and coverage of heritage services with plans for Amtrak, suburban rail, and more), and plans for future lines and systems (primarily in Portland with the intent to cover Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver, Spokane, and Eugene).
The station-by-station virtual tours are absolutely not to be missed... each stop features a collection of station and vehicle photos plus station details, surrounding area information, and even the on-board announcements you would expect to hear! And the information on possible system extension is probably as detailed as you will find anywhere with some already having virtual tour coverage so you can see where the line's stations will (or might) be built.
Service Advisory: Site reduced to a placeholder page (with some links) in early 2005 while updates are on hold but
an archive of the previously available content remains
here.
Service Advisory added 13 March 2006
- Puget Sound Transportation Projects - Site devoted to many of the developing (or recently proposed) light rail, monorail, and other transit projects in greater Tacoma (Tacoma Link), Seattle (Seattle Light Rail, Seattle Monorail, King County Monorail), Portland (MAX), and across the border in Vancouver (SkyTrain). Coverage includes thoughtful commentary plus project oveviews, maps, news updates, extension plans, photos (where available), and some videos.
(Some features require Windows media player.)
Added 13 March 2006
- Worldwide
- Garry Brookes Railway Photography - A personal photo gallery site featuring a portion of the photographer's more than 3000 image collection taken mostly between 1969 and 1985 throughout the UK as well as in Budapest, Vienna, Zurich, Dublin, Hong Kong, and South Africa, all with detailed captions. Albums of particular interest include Budapest trams and trolleybusses (1981), Blackpool (1981), Hong Kong (KCRC, MTRC, and trams in 1996), Vienna and Zurich (1981), as well as the Crich Tramway Museum (1981 and 1984) and the East Suffolk Transport Museum (1981).
- http://tramandmetro.info - Roger Sandberg's site which profiles current (and recent) Oslo tram and metro car classes, particular tram and metro lines in Oslo (with emphasis on those recently closed or threatened with closure), and the history of the Oslo metro. Similar coverage is also provided for the tram network of Gothenburg, Sweden. There are also numerous photo galleries of Oslo as well as other Norweigan systems (the trollybusses, heritage tram, and Fløbanen funicular of Bergen; and the trams of Tronheim) plus the trollybusses and metro of Athens, and the MRT metro of Singapore.
The Norwegian version of the site (which is a distinct site named
Skinnelangs i Oslo)
also has links and cross references to other Norwegian sites with more information on specific subjects.
In English or Norwegian.
- Kavanagh Transit System - Mark Kavanagh's collection of more than 450 transit photos (and more than 50 other rail photos) from North America, Europe, and Asia (with system overviews) plus a section on tokens and farecards, one of travel notes from Mike's various trips, and a large collection of links.
- Rail and Trolleybus Transit Cities - Maintained by David Wyatt, this site complements LRTA's own World Systems List by providing another view of the world's tram, metro, light rail, suburban rail, trollleybus, and people mover systems. Organized by country and city,it briefly summaries the operating mode(s) and opening date(s).
- Railway Technology - An information-oriented site which correctly bills itself as "The Website for the Railway Industry." Lots of exhibition and conference information, contact information for railway industry companies worldwide, illustrated overviews of hundreds of railway industry suppliers and their product lines. There are also illustrated overviews of many railway, metro, and light rail projects in development (or under construction) around the world.
In some cases, these overviews provide the best information available on the web for a number of interesting projects (such as the Mandalay Bay hotel Cable Liner shuttle in Las Vegas and the Port Louis Parry People Mover Light Rail System in Mauritius). Each project overview also has cross references to the project's approved suppliers.
Sister site to Urban Transport Technology.
- Ron's World Tram Site - Catalog of operating and closed tram systems illustrated with photos taken by Ron Smith on his travels around the globe. And, as a site within a site, marvellous coverage of the Liverpool tramways with an illustrated account of the last day of service in 1957, extensive fleet details (large file), and bibliographic list of reference sources.
- StadtverkehrOnline - Features listings and basic information, including route descriptions, for many tram and metro systems. In the process of being "refurbished" as of November 2000 so not all information is available. In German and English.
- Streetcars of the World - Extensive photo gallery of trams and light rail vehicles in more than 200 cities (and a few museums) around the world, all taken by the author. Each system is represented by only a few photos but the overall coverage is quite broad indeed... and is particularly strong on Japan and the former USSR as well as China and most of Europe.
The Japanese side of the site also has features such as a worldwide gallery of Coca Cola advertising liveries, a gallery of Tokyo trams in the 1950's and '60s (compared to the same locations today), a gallery of world-wide transit tickets, and a couple of non-transit related surprises.
In Japanese or English (somewhat less extensive).
- Subway Navigator - Novel "route finder" and maps of sixty principal metro systems around the world. Simply choose a city, the starting and ending points of your trip, and let Subway Navigator find you the best route and even estimate your arrival time! In French or English.
- The Cable Car Guy - Joe Thompson's "site about cable cars (also known as cable tramways) all over the world" with an illustrated description of how cable cars work (and what makes them different from other types of public transit), the history of their development, and a world-wide list of all cable car systems that have ever been (many with their own detailed historic profiles). There's also a special chronology of San Francisco's cable car system from 1869 to date, a "who's who" of notable people involved with cable cars over the years, a section on cable car collectables (everything from transfers and stamps to toys and magazine ads... even fruit crate labels), coverage of "cable cars in literature", and a library of articles that includes transcribed newpaper stories dating as far back as 1854!
Added 29 May 2006
- The Subway Page - Rorbert Reynolds' site primarily known for its extensive collection of links to current and past maps (official and unofficial) of metro (and tram and light rail) systems around the world - more than 700 in all (as of January 2001). It also has links to subway route navigation aids, city transit guides, personal sites, museums, books, images, and other people's collections of map links as well - more than 250 more links. But what makes this more than just a link collection site are the scanned copies of more than 50 actual maps the personal collections of Robert and others (with many being from the 1970's and 80's) - even including Paris in 1940!
- TRAM.nu - "Your tram stop on the net" with sections covering Stockholm's tram lines (described in detail elsewhere in this list) and commuter trains, trips on different funiculars and "rolling Cafés" around Europe, plus tram stamps (from more than 10 countries), tram collectibles (tokens, pins, ties, logos, and more) and Bruse Persson's photo collection of trams in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and several other European countries. In Swedish and English, some sections only in Swedish.
- Tramcars, Tracks and Terminii - Andrew Moglestue's site devoted to the trams of the cities he knows best. Besides his
Trams of Zürich and
Trams in Freiburg
"sites-within-the-site", and an interesting collection of links, there's a well-captioned photo gallery of trams around the world (primarily in Europe but also including Uruguay) with both contemporary as well as historical and postcard series views.
Added 20 March 2006
- Trams of the World by Sam Dixon - Photo gallery site with 25 (as of March 2006) different collections of tram and light rail photos taken by the author since the 1980s. Primary emphasis is on Europe (including an interesting set from East Germany before the fall of the wall) but coverage extends to Australia and China with each photo captioned in detail.
Added 13 March 2006
- Tramways.com - Leif Spångberg's collection of over 5,000 pictures of trams and other transport modes. Particularly strong coverage of Scandinavia plus Estonia, Russia, Hungry, other parts of Eastern and Western Europe plus North America. Also a great source for links.
- Transport miejski - "City Transport curiosities" site with a diverse collection of transport-related facts and interesting circumstances, both current and historic, for cities worldwide (with emphasis on trams and suburban railways). There are comparison maps of Europe showing which cities had tramlines in 1925 and 2000, an extensive list of "urban mountain railways", a table of transportation modal splits for various cities, plus information about urban pre-1800 stone, brick, and iron bridges. City centre tramway/railway maps are provided for several cities (Berlin, Budapest, Newcastle, Wein; some with historic comparisons), as are maps of suburban rail through-running on the Tokyo metro, the dual nature of London's inner circle prior to 1905, and the suburban railways of Lodz in Poland.
There are also overviews of several Polish systems (Lodz and those in the Silesia and Dabrowa region that have little English-language coverage elsewhere) plus a growing (and nicely captioned) photo gallery.
In Polish and English (slightly less extensive).
- Transport Ticket Society - Founded as the Ticket & Fare Collection Society in 1946 and merged with the International Society of Transport Ticket Collectors in 1963, the Society prides itself in being the foremost resource for all collectors of tickets, tokens, and fare collection equipment worldwide. Their site provides background on the Society (including meeting schedule and membership information), their monthly Journal magazine (and other publications), as well as ticket exchange and purchase opportunities (including monthly ticket distributions and their periodic London Ticket Meet). There's also an online ticket gallery, listing of their library holdings, and plans for other sections "about collecting" and "about tickets" (as of August 2002).
- Trolley Cars Dot Com - Illustrated overviews of assorted tram restoration projects (primarily at the Seashore Trolley Museum) plus reviewed links (about 200 in all as of January 2001) to museums and heritage operations (mostly in the US and Canada), clubs and organizations (mostly in the US), museums, personal sites, trolley paraphernalia (models, replicas, books, etc.), and more.
- UrbanMaglev - Yahoo! group devoted to discussion of "low speed" maglev (magnetic levitation) systems designed for urban transport use (as opposed to inter-city use). Messages focus on current news reports, systems in development (such as the Tobu-Kyruryu line planned to start service in Japan in 2005), and technology trends. Files section contains several articles on maglev technology and the Bookmarks section contains a wealth of related links to news reports, photos, etc. Founded in May 2000, message archive started in June 2001.
(Guests may access files and bookmarks but (free) Yahoo! groups membership and approval of the group moderator to access messages.)
- UrbanRail.Net - Successor to the ever popular MetroPlanet site which takes you on a ride on the world's subway, underground, metro, tunnelbana, U-Bahn and other urban mass transit systems in over 120 cites. A virtual atlas of the world's metro systems with Individual pages for each city/system with custom-drawn maps, photos, links, historical summary of line openings as well as future plans. Plenty of news reports (often with maps and photos) plus the author Robert Schwandl's own gallery of photos.
- Urban Transport Technology - Sister site to the Railway Technology site with emphasis urban rail, road, bridge, tunnel, and integrated transport projects. The contents of the two sites differ but the urban rail category here overlaps the light rail and metro categories on the Railway Technology site. Lots of exhibition and conference information, contact information for urban transport suppliers worldwide, and illustrated overviews of urban rail (metro and light rail) projects in development (or under construction) around the world (which appeared to be a subset of those on the Railway Technolgy site when checked in August 2001).
- www.subways.net - Dan Weissmann's collection of metro and light rail links worldwide (organized in several different ways, with search capability) plus feature pages (with varying content but usually basic facts and photos) on more than two dozen systems. There's also a news section on startups and a gallery of animated images.
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