N&O reporter Ryan Teague Beckwith wrote the article Sunday I’ve been meaning to write for years now. It was a look back to the days Raleigh was trolley town. From the 1880’s to 1930’s, tracks ran throughout downtown, serving Cameron Park, Glenwood Avenue, and other destinations.

Problems Beckwith cite with the service include it being too hot or cold at times. Well, duh! It’s not like your horse-drawn buggy had a heater in it, either. People made do.

I also don’t like how Beckwith blames the trolley for feeding segregationist policies. While segregation is wrong, I think the blame lies on the segregationists, rather than the trolley. The trolley did far too much good.

In 1933, the tracks were shut down and public transportation gained all the charm of “taking the bus.” City development changed drastically as a result. Think of how people-friendly the city would be if we still had those tracks.

I first became interested in the old trolley system when working on my shrine to the old Raleigh Municipal Airport. I found the old pictures of trolleys I found in the N.C. State Archives and History to be captivating. Perhaps one day I’ll create a page about the trolleys similar to my RaleighMuni pages.