« San Diego Electric Ry. Co. | Main | Feature Photo - Hail Rex! »

February 12, 2007

Feature Photo

Ever see tandem Ford, Bacon & Davis streetcars in operation? You would have had you gone out to the Krewe of Rhea parade yesterday in Metairie. Rhea is one of several parades in the area that use floats modelled on streetcars. Rex (The School of Design) started the tradition, rolling out "His Majesty's Streetcar" back in the 1970s. The Knights of Babylon also use a streetcar, but theirs is a faithful copy of a mule-drawn "bobtail" car that is actually pulled by a mule.

Additionally, there are a number of jazz bands that have converted trailers into "streetcars," usually giving them the look of a Perley A. Thomas streetcar. The float designer for Rhea, Barry Barth, Inc., decided to use the FB&D as a model, and that makes sense. It looks like they took a light truck or mini-bus chassis and built the F&BD around it. The FB&D was one of the most widely-used single-truck streetcars. Its smaller size made it a good choice for navigating the streets of the French Quarter.

Hope everyone is enjoying Carnival!

Posted by YatPundit at February 12, 2007 7:23 AM

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.nola-blogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/ruebourbon.cgi/625