Not long after electrical power was first harnessed, trolley cars began carrying passengers, getting their electric power from overhead wires. The trolley’s pantograph makes contact with the electrified wire to send power to the motor that turns its wheels. By the 1920s, 17,000 miles of wire-linked electric streetcar lines ran through American cities. Today, the noble trolley is largely a curious memento of a bygone era – before automobiles and big, mobile buses began crowding urban streets. In the interim, once-profitable trolleys were absorbed by conglomerates, and local governments began dictating trolley routes, fares, and times of service. Many eschewed the [...]