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August 22, 2004

The "Bobtail" Cars

The very first streetcars to operate on the Canal Line were built by the John Stephenson Car Company of New York. The cars were designed for one-man operation. The rounded front end was for the driver; passengers boarded from the rear on a set of “bobtail” steps.

We don’t have any builders’ specifications on these cars, but they appear to be similar in length to a 7-window, single-truck electric car. That puts their length at approximately 28’. They most likely seated 26-28 passengers.

The Stephenson cars were usually horse-powered, but mules were the primary power for the cars in New Orleans. Mules are tougher workers in New Orleans’ summer heat and humidity.

The photo above is of an Orleans RR Company car, running on the Bayou St. John Line. While it’s not a car on the Canal line, it’s one of the best photos available showing detail of the Stephenson car. The car is sitting on top of a turntable. Since these were single-ended cars, the operator would pull the mule and spin the car around on the turntable for the return trip.

Stephenson cars running on the Canal Line were painted red and white, to distinguish them from the cars on other lines. Since these first streetcars on Canal were red, running red streetcars on the modern Canal Line isn’t a stretch historically.

The Stephenson cars ran on Canal from the line’s opening in 1861 until its electrification in 1894. They were brought out of retirement during the snowfall of December, 1865, because the animal-powered cars could navigate the snow and slush better than the new electric cars.

Posted by Edward J. Branley at August 22, 2004 7:29 PM

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