I'm way behind at reporting on some of the railfan outings I've gone on this year. But now that I have my new RI albums set up I can start uploading some shots taken recently. A couple of weeks ago we went to Mexico City to take part in a railfan outing on the weekend (which will be the topic of a separate post). But having time available on Friday, we visited the newly opened "Museum of Electric Transport". This basically deals with the old trolley and interurban system in and around Mexico City. The city department that is over this museum was responsible for the trolleys in their day, and currently has jurisdiction over the light rail system in town, as well as the electrically powered busses. The metro (subway) system is separate. Anyway, it's not a big museum, but it is nicely done. Among their better exhibits is a restored Brill Car, dating back to around 1900 (+/-). This particular car ran until very late, probably into the 70's, which is why it survived long enough to make it to the museum. It's under cover and hemmed in by a fence, so getting a clear shot was tough. They did a nice job restoring it, both inside and out. Another nice exhibit is a restored PCC car. This was aquired second hand by the Mexico City trolley system from some city in the U.S. The restored interior of the PCC car is immaculate also. More in the next post. Regards Ed
They have a couple of unusual items there too. First is an open gondola trolley, which was used by farmers to transport bulk vegetables to market (or any other bulky cargo). Notice the center tower and trolley pole. The car is double ended. Another oddity is an old trolley rail grinder. The unit is not self propelled. More in the next (and final) post. Regards Ed
The museum has a bunch of nice historic photos of trolleys operating in Mexico City dating way back. I managed to copy a few (not great because I was hand holding the camera). But I figured I'd show a couple of them here just because I thought they were interesting. First is a shot of a number of trolleys lined up in front of the National Palace (seat of the federal government) at the east side of the main plaza (the Zocalo) in Mexico City. This is the center of the city and most lines ran from here. I might add that unfortunately, all traces of greenery are gone from the main plaza, and it's just a wide open paved square these days. Here's another shot of trolleys around the main plaza, this time with the Cathedral (on the north side of the Zocalo) in the background. Finally, here's a shot from early in the 1900's showing just how popular this method of transportation was. I'm trying to figure out who was collecting the fares from the passengers on the top deck! :confused2: Well, that at least gives you a quick look at the new museum, and a glimpse back at the trolley system in Mexico City years ago. Regards Ed
Really neat stuff, thanks Ed! Its important that people see this equipment. It was a kinder and gentler time, eh? That interior! I like the open gondola piece. There is one surviving (restored)Phoenix trolley, looks like that Brill, but nothing else.
