What We Lost...

Seventy years ago Spokane, like most cities around here, was a much different place.  It was a city in transition.  In 1936 the decision was made to move from the outdated streetcars to the modern, sleek alternative that was the bus.  With this decision came the end of an era that had lasted for nearly fifty years and resulted in an inventory of over 120 streetcars, miles of track, and a city that had grown with the addition of each new line.  Most of the cars were sold off to other cities, some ended up in  private hands, while a few were burned in a celebratory manner in anticipation of transit's salvation...        the bus...

Curious about the historical role of streetcars in Spokane, MetroSpokane caught wind that there was one last surviving streetcar from this era.  After a few phone calls, one meeting and a couple of weeks, we found ourselves in a warehouse in east Spokane.  Walking inside we caught our first glimpse of car 140 - a 1918 semi-convertible - built by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia, PA. The car has an unglamorous history.  Following the demise of the system in 1936, the car spent a number of years as a roadside diner in Chewelah, Wa until it was repurchased in 1979.  Restoration has been ongoing since then under the hand of the Inland Empire Historical Railway Society.  The car is in decent shape despite its age.  The seats are gone now, the detailing is fairly elaborate for something so...so...public, but in walking through the car you could tell it was heavy on utility.

Lately, the rumblings of renewed interest in streetcars has surfaced not only in Spokane, but elsewhere across the country [earlier post].  Locally, a feasibility study was kicked off in June of 2004 by the Downtown Spokane Partnership, the City of Spokane, and the Spokane Regional Transportation Council.  New funding as a result of the Federal Transportation Bill that was passed this year also lends some promise of dedicated funding for these smaller, inner-city types of projects [small starts].  By 2007, $200 million in funds will be allocated on a competitive basis for cities interested in implementing such systems.  What will be Spokane's share?