TheNEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - FEBRUARY, 2004 Bulletin New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association Vol. 47, No. 2 February, 2004 The Bulletin LAST STATEN ISLAND TROLLEY CAR Published by the New York Division, Electric RAN 70 YEARS AGO Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box (Editor’s note: This article was omitted from the THIRD AVENUE RAILWAY 3001, New York, New January issue because of a lack of space.) PURCHASES STATEN ISLAND York 10008-3001. Most of our readers, including your Editor- TROLLEY CARS in-Chief, never saw or rode Richmond Rail- When Richmond Railways started planning For general inquiries, ways’ Staten Island trolley cars, which were to substitute buses for its trolley cars, it was contact us at replaced by buses 70 years ago in January. unable to sell the 22 older cars stored in its
[email protected] or by The predecessor company, Richmond Light Brook Street barn, but it was able to sell 25 phone at (212) 986-4482 & Railroad Company, was incorporated on (voice mail available). newer cars, 401-425, built by Osgood Brad- ERA’s website is August 18, 1902. Like most other street rail- ley in 1924, to Third Avenue Railway. www.electricrailroaders. ways, this company could not make a profit To transfer the trolley cars to their new own- org. on a 5-cent fare because of the post-World ers, tracks were built to connect the Rich- War I inflation. The receiver, who was ap- Editorial Staff: mond Terrace trolley tracks with the railroad pointed on April 28, 1920, raised the fare tracks at Proctor and Gamble’s Port Ivory Editor-in-Chief: without permission from five cents to eight docks.