Clear as mud ?
This sounds confusing , and it is to those getting interested in things that run on overhead.

I hope this helps.


Trolleys, derives it`s name from 'troll' that word was for the connector on the wire that trolled behind the streetcar (pulled along).

So streetcars where called by many simply as trolleys,
There were many types of street cars.

Streetcars were City cars and worked within the City boundary.
Interurban`s were heavier in body, power and size, they operated in-between Cities and after leaving the City streets had there own right of way
leading to the next City or town picking up passengers or freight (if a combine) into the next city and beyond. Also linking up to many railroads.

Traction,
a word used to describe electric motors that produced traction power (pulling) they sit on top of the wheel assembly and give direct power to the wheels.
Rated the best pulling power ever devised. Your Diesels use traction motors the same way but with onboard power source Diesel engines to produce electricity.

So streetcars and heavy interurban even juice jacks (Freight motors) box motors are also known as Traction units.

Streetcars in the USA and Canada used trolley poles (there is that word again LOL)
If I went through my archives I may find a few that did have a pantograph or maybe a bow pantograph.

Poles only needed the single wire strung up but required a frog at each turnout with the exception of the Grand River Railway and the Lake Erie and Northern (Canadian) the conductor on these INTERURBANS had to pull the pole and reattach on the spur wire.

Pantograph operation did not need frogs at the overhead wire turnouts.
But did require Catenary overhead on the main line.

Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks Greg for asking about the different names just mentioned.

A model railroad friend of mine Ken Goslette likes to pull my leg, knowing I'm a traction fan. He says he's a fan of verticle traction (elevators).

Good info Chris!

That is some nice info Chris. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Thanks Chris for these definitions! But there is one more expression in this context: TRAM!

Here in Switzerland a streetcar is called a 'tram'. (Funny, in Germany they are called 'Strassenbahn' which simply means 'street railway'.) However, I don't know where the expression 'tram' or 'tramway' comes from.

But I believe that 'tram' is also used in some English speaking countries, e.g. in the UK. Is this really so?

When I grew up in the 1950s, all the trams in Switzerland already were equipped with normal pantographs, today single arm pantographs are common. As far as I know, in Switzerland the current collection by trolley pole was discarded already shortly after WW I!

On the other side I rode to school in the mid-50s in a trolley bus with double poles. And believe it or not, in the last decade here the trolley bus was gaining more and more acceptance again! (No diesel smoke, no noise...) Likewise many cities here are replacing diesel bus lines with newly constructed tram lines (which now often are more like interurbans connecting city and suburbs - with separated right-of-way along the roads etc.)

I'll do some search for pics, if you should be interested...

Ron

Tram has a couple of meanings in Britain. As well as a streetcar, it means a certain type of light railway (see Toby the Tram Engine in the Thomas series).

Digression: there were men named both Train and Tram (or Tramm?) involved in the early days of railways.

Thanks guyz. I think I just got edgeamacated!

Not to confuse maters, but Chris you overlooked a major type of electrification - the 3rd rail. As the name implies, the power was provided by a 3rd rail with the pickup shoe attached to the truck on the car.

3rd rail is mostly used in subways, but there are some surface lines that used it also.

Also, a rather obsure type of pickup as used in Washington DC. To avoid having overhead wire 'ruin the beauty' of the city the Streetcars used an underground conduit with a 'plow' attached to the car. Two sources for info on this are: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...streetcars and www.dctrolley.org/faqs.htm.

Lastly, don't recall all the details - there was an number of battery powered streetcars. If I can find info on them will pass that along.

Thanks Howard.

Sacramento Northen had all three.

I did miss that I also missed the old cable streetcar operation that ran for many years.

PRCTrolley: It was also used in London, England, in the city sections.
Both London and Washington used regular trolley in the less swanky (or influential) suburbs. The plows were supported by some beams that ran across under the car and at the changeover point the center slot would run out to the side and the plow would be dragged out by it from under the car and stored for the next inbound car (or later).
One problem with any slot system, electric or cable, was the long pointy bits at switches which were unsupported from below -- the slot had to be narrow enough to keep out wagon wheels but the chamber underneath might be a foot in diameter.

I've just returned from a short break on the Isle of Man, where they have a 3 foot gauge electrified system. Theydon't like calling it an Interurban, so instead it's a "Country Trolley".

Cable Cars... Anyone?
Avis