Meet me in St. Louis on the Trolley

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings
For the moment I saw her I fell

Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Thump, thump, thump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings
When she smiled I could feel the car shake

Judy Garland, Introduced by Judy Garland in the film "Meet Me In St. Louis." (1944)
Words and music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

Trolleys have played a key role in the development of the St. Louis region since the first clang, clang along Olive Street in 1859. From 1888 until 1966, electric trolleys (streetcars) crisscrossed the streets of St. Louis. Trolleys were the primary form of transportation in the pre-auto-dominated era. Streetcar lines were extended to the western edge of St. Louis to get millions of fair goers to the 1904 World's Fair in Forest Park. Judy Garland would later memorialize the trolleys and the Fair in the 1944 movie "Meet Me in St. Louis."

Then and Now. . .

Today, St. Louis has the extremely successful MetroLink System, a light rail system that serves many areas of the city including Forest Park where you are standing. Similar to the electric trolleys, the MetroLink system is also powered by electricity.

The trolleys that will be on display at the Missouri History Museum and The Loop in the summer 2005 will one day connect two of St. Louis' MetroLink stations, attractions in Forest Park, and the restaurant, shopping and arts & entertainment district called The Loop. Trolleys were an important part of St. Louis' history and will be an important part of its future . . .

What was it like to get around
St. Louis in 1904?

The very first St. Louis streetcars were horse drawn. But in 1888 electrification began to occur, thus the trolleys could be bigger and carry more people. In 1904 at the time of the World's Fair in Forest Park, trolley lines serviced much of the area. For a nickel, you could ride all the way across the city.

In 1920, St. Louis streetcar companies ordered their first Peter Witt model streetcars. Peter Witt, a Cleveland Street Railway commissioner, designed these cars to improve the efficiency of streetcar operation. They are essentially unchanged from their original 1927-30 construction. The high-capacity Peter Witt cars allowed passengers to board quickly through wide doors at the front and exit from the second set of doors. Riders then moved toward the rear where a seated conductor collected fares, thus reducing the time the cars stopped.

The renovated trolley cars that will be on display this summer in St. Louis were manufactured for operation in Milan, Italy, perhaps as early as the late 1920s. The cars survived Allied bombing during World War II. Following the war, the cars were restored and remained in service in Milan until the mid-1990s when they were taken out of service. The cars were acquired by Gomaco, Inc. of Ida Grove, Iowa and renovated for Citizens for Modern Transit and The Loop Trolley Company in 2005.

Will St. Louis once again hear the ding of the bell?

A feasibility study completed in 2000 showed returning trolley service to St. Louis would stimulate economic development, produce great ridership and be an attraction to the St. Louis region. A streetcar would better connect Forest Park and The Loop to the two MetroLink Stations it would serve, Forest Park and Delmar Loop.

The Line would be 2.2 miles long and would cost approximately $32 million to build.

Citizens for Modern Transit and The Loop Trolley Company, local non-profit organizations, received a grant and raised private money to restore two trolleys (including the one here today) for eventual operation along the 2.2 mile line.

Questions & Answers about The Loop Trolleys.

(Picture to right shows one of the trolley cars under renovation at Gomaco in Ida Grove, IA.)

Where will the trolley go. . .