J.G. Brill Company Streetcar, 1892

Summary

Powering early streetcars was problematic. Horses required care and feeding and left messes in the street. Cable systems were complex and expensive. Electric streetcars, introduced in 1888, solved these problems and caused the industry to boom. Soon streetcars connected city centers, neighborhoods, and increasingly distant suburbs. This trolley, built in 1892 by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, operated in Cleveland.

Powering early streetcars was problematic. Horses required care and feeding and left messes in the street. Cable systems were complex and expensive. Electric streetcars, introduced in 1888, solved these problems and caused the industry to boom. Soon streetcars connected city centers, neighborhoods, and increasingly distant suburbs. This trolley, built in 1892 by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, operated in Cleveland.

Artifact

Streetcar

Date Made

1892

Creators

J.G. Brill Company 

Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company 

Standard Car Wheel Company 

Place of Creation

United States, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 

Creator Notes

Streetcar made by J.G. Brill Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; controller made by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company; wheels made by Standard Car Wheel Co.

Henry Ford Museum
 On Exhibit

at Henry Ford Museum in Transportation - Streetcars

Object ID

54.5.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Cleveland Transit System.

Material

Wood (Plant material)
Iron (Metal)
Glass (Material)
Mahogany (Wood)

Color

Tan (Color)
Reddish brown
Gray (Color)
Red

Dimensions

Height: 125 in

Width: 92 in

Length: 30 ft

Inscriptions

Next to the door in the front bulkhead is a sliding door/plate marked: J.G.B. / CO./ PHILA Sign front right: SPECIAL Pane in upper glass: WOODLAND Undocumented locations : 0140 / Spitting On The Floor Of This Car Postively Prohibited

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