Monday Streetcar Blogging - Palace Car entering Faubourg Treme

Palace Car 660 on the St. Claude line, at the corner of Esplanade and N. Rampart, 1930s.  Built for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis by the American Car Company, these streetcars were nicknamed "Palace" cars in New Orleans because they were so roomy and comfortable inside.  The monitor deck on the roof allowed air to flow in the top of the streetcar, cooling them down more than the arch-roofed Perley A. Thomas cars we all know so well. 

The Palace cars were run by New Orleans Public Service, Incorporated (NOPSI) on the Canal line until the mid-1930s.  They were replaced on that line by the 800- and 900-series Perley A. Thomas cars, and the Palaces were shifted to the Napoleon and St. Claude lines.

Car 660 is heading inbound on N. Rampart Street, into Faubourg Treme.  The HBO Series "Treme" completed its first season last night to much critical claim, locally and around the country.  660 is passing St. Aloysius High School, the subject of my latest book for Arcadia's Images of America series, Brothers of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans.  You can find more info on the book at http://boshbook.com.