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June 27, 2004
Canal Street Operations
Canal Street Operations
The Canal Street line has never been the be-all and end-all of streetcar operations on the main street of New Orleans. Even during the heyday of the four-track operations on Canal, the Canal line shared the two main tracks with the West End line. The transit system of the city is all about getting to the “Canal Street Zone,” that section of Canal from Rampart to the river.
Now that there are three operational streetcar lines in New Orleans, Canal Street has returned to its role as hub and connector. Here we see original Perley Thomas car 953, having just made the turn from Carondelet Street onto Canal. 953 is traveling the one-block length of the outside riverbound track, and will turn onto St. Charles Avenue for the outbound leg of her run on that line. Behind 953, Riverfront car 458 is making the same turn from Carondelet. Unlike 953, however, 458 will switch to the inside riverbound track just before the outside track turns back to St. Charles. Once on the inside track, 458 will then make her way to the foot of Canal, where she’ll turn onto the Riverfront track and run down to the French Market Terminal.
At this point, on the St. Charles line, 458’s operator isn’t allowed to pick up or discharge passengers. Because the St. Charles line is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the only cars that can operate “revenue runs” on St. Charles are the original green Perley Thomas cars. When a Riverfront or Von Dullen car has to go up to Carrollton Station for maintenance, they have to make the run up St. Charles empty.
Posted by Edward J. Branley at June 27, 2004 07:45 PM
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