St. Charles Line - New Orleans, LA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 29° 56.607 W 090° 08.032
15R E 776646 N 3315974
The St. Charles line is the oldest continuously operated street railway line in the world.
Waymark Code: WM97G8
Location: Louisiana, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2010
Views: 23
In New Orleans, in the section of the city known as Carrolton, is a sign set up by the state of Louisiana for the St. Charles street car line. This sign is next to the rails that still support the trolley line that runs either in or between lanes of either St. Charles Avenue, or South Carrolton Avenue. The sign is found on South Carrolton Ave., but within site of the intersect with St. Charles Ave. It is located on the north side, not far from a trolley stop.
The sign has the following text on it:
The St. Charles Line
__
Began service in 1835 as the Carrolton Line of the New Orleans and Carrolton Railroad. Powered by steam engine, horse, and mule prior to electrification in 1893. It is the oldest continuously operated street railway line in the world.
Erected by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism 1981.
The sign is the same on both sides.
The St. Charles Line of today runs from Canal Street, to St. Charles
Avenue, then South Carrolton to South Claiborne Avenue. The return route is the same, except that at Lee Circle, the line returns along Carondelet Street to Canal Street. The route is 12 miles long, and takes over 2 hours to complete one circuit. The street cars that run on the line are from the 1920s and were the same cars that ran on the old sister line, the Desire Line, which was made famous in Tennessee Ernie Ford's play, "A Street Car Named Desire."
The line has also been designated a mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. You can learn more about the history of the line on their web site via the link provided.
Information about schedules and fares can be found on the New Orleans Rapid Transit Authority (NORTA) site at:
Visit Site
In 2005, this line was heavily damaged from the flooding from Hurricane Katrina. I was able to see the progress of recovery from several trips to the city. I first rode on the line in the mid 1990s. The next time, in 2007, the line was only open in the downtown portion of the city, from Canal Street to Lee Circle and back. In 2008, the line was open from Canal Street to the intersection with South Carrolton Ave. And in 2010, I was able to ride the whole way.
Take a ride on history!
Visit Instructions:Please describe your visit to the marker location.
A photo is not required to log this cache but is encouraged, if possible.