What was it like riding the streetcars of Washington on the 1940s? Take a look at this series of great old photos.

You have to see the details in this image. Click on it for more to see what a D.C. streetcar looked like well over 100 years ago. Source: Library of Congress

This is a map of the Washington streetcar system from 1912, definitely something that our friends at Greater Greater Washington will love. Make sure you click on this for a larger, detailed version. Source: Library of Congress

This is some awesome footage of the old streetcar system here in D.C. from the 1950s. What’s really great is seeing some recognizable spots in the city, like the Dupont Underground, East Capitol St., and of course Union Station. The footage is quite long, but skip around a little and you’ll see some great stuff.

This is an old photo of Union Station around 1920, with two streetcars sitting in front. Source: Library of Congress

Here is a crazy story from Tennallytown that we found in The Washington Post, printed on November 8th, 1896. A serious accident happened at Tennallytown about 7 o’clock yesterday evening. Car No. 9, of the Georgetown and Tennallytown Electric Railroad ran over Levin Ward, a soldier, about sixty-five years of age, who is a resident of […]

We love streetcars and old photos of the Capitol Building. Here’s one from 1947. Source: Jalopy Journal

This one is awesome. Check out the old map of the Washington streetcars from 1880. Source: Library of Congress

Here’s another great video of the old D.C. streetcar system.

This is some really cool old footage. It shows the 82 streetcar line running from Eckington, heading through northeast, up to Mount Rainier, Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, and College Park. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpFCFILDOxs It’s really long, but well worth a watch.

Can anyone identify the location of this photo? It was taken in 1900, showing a United States mail car. Source: Smithsonian By the way, you should check out this awesome old film of a mail streetcar heading down Pennsylvania Ave. NW.

We love these old photos. This one shows streetcars waiting at 15th and New York Ave. NW, near the White House and Department of Treasury.

Look at this great route map we uncovered from 1936. This shows the major streetcar routes in 1936.

What an awesome headline … we have to share this one with GoDCers. On October 28th, 1957, the Washington Post reported on a bizarre incident, where a man took a streetcar for an illegal joyride on Pennsylvania Ave. You have to read this to believe it. Clayton Morgan Jr., 40, of 1602 4th st. nw., […]

On October 13th, 1919, an out-of-control streetcar was traveling down Georgia Ave. NW, near Walter Reed, when it slammed into a military truck, instantly killing one passenger on the truck and injuring countless others. Below is a photo of the devastated streetcar. The Baltimore Sun had a special report on the accident the following day, […]

What an amazing shot of Pennsylvania Avenue from 1919. This captures much what is happening in the old video we posted from about a decade earlier. UPDATE: We received a great tip and link from GoDCer Tim, showing the Parker Bridget building up close. Check it out below. Thanks Tim!

This is one of our best GoDCer contributions yet. Tom from Bethesda sent this over to share with everyone else. This was taken on Pennsylvania Ave. NW between 10th and 11th St. Watch the whole thing and marvel at how chaotic the street scene and traffic seem to be. Safety was certainly different back then. […]

I took a tour of the Dupont Underground yesterday, and I have to say, it’s amazing. It’s like to step back into 1955. If you haven’t done it, you really should. You may or may not know this, but the road that goes under Dupont Circle (i.e., Connecticut Avenue) wasn’t initially built only for cars. […]

If you live north on 14th St. NW, surely you are familiar with this giant car barn, now converted to house Metrobuses. Below is an article from the Washington Times, published on June 2nd, 1907. From the modest car sheds on Florida avenue that formerly housed the cars of the Fourteenth street branch of the […]

I stumbled across a great resource for streetcar photos. Check out the slide show below of some photos I pulled. The map below is the transit map for Washington in 1948. Click on it for a closer look at the routes. Related articles Cool Sunday Photo: Streetcar Passing Washington Monument  Officials Probe Eckington Streetcar Disaster  […]