The Lightning Route
Posted by: OHail
N 32° 22.655 W 086° 18.536
16S E 565007 N 3582498
One of several markers at Court Square in downtown Montgomery.
Waymark Code: WMD6G4
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2011
Views: 11
Back side of the Central Bank marker. This side tells of Montgomery's being the first city in the Western Hemisphere to convert an entire street railway system to electricity.
Marker Name: The Lightning Route
Marker Type: Urban
Addtional Information:: The marker text is:
In 1886, Montgomery became the first city in the Western Hemisphere to convert an entire street railway system to electricity. The Capital City Street Railway Co. initiated electric trolley service on one mile of the street car line the year before. Civil engineer J.A. Gaboury supervised installation of the system developed by Charles Van de Poele. The car line, fondly known as the "Lightning Route," operated until 1936. Investors in the mass transit system also were involved in the development of the early suburbs of Highland Park and Cloverdale, as well as the first public recreation area at Oak Park.
Date Dedicated / Placed: 1993
Marker Number: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
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