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Vendor- Arcadia Press

Rhode Island Trolleys, by Joseph and Janice Soares

Rhode Island Trolleys, by Joseph and Janice Soares

Arcadia Press

Regular price $7.99 Sale

This collection of mailable, vintage-photograph postcards celebrates one of the richest and most modern trolley systems in all of New England. In 1865, a horsecar line began providing service from Markt Square in Providence to Olneyville. The evolution from horse-drawn cars pulled along a track to the electrification of the system took many years. By 1895, almost all horse-drawn cars were replaced by a robust electric trolley network of routes reaching all parts of the state. By 1954, electrified trolleys were in decline and were being replaced with gasoline-powered buses. Little remains but some images of the once beloved trolley system and its importance to those who depended on it.