Trolleys of the Capital District

When it came to first-class transportation, not many regions of North America had more to offer than the trolley lines of New Yorkas Capital District. From their humble beginnings as horse roads forming belts around Albany, Schenectady, and Troy, these trolley lines helped move people around Upstate New York from the late 1800s until their final exit after World War II. The lines of the United Traction Company, Schenectady Railway, and the Hudson Valley Railway provided hundreds of miles of track around their home cities, as well as direct routes to resorts in the Adirondacks, Lake George, and Saratoga Springs. The trolley lines became famous for disasters that made national headlines, labor disputes, and engineering wonders that included the longest trolley bridge in the world. The vintage images in Trolleys of the Capital District provide insight into an era gone by and an often forgotten form of transportation.

As a child, Gino DiCarlo rode the busses of the Capital District over the same routes as the local trolley lines and has been interested in public transportation ever since. A love for railroads in general led him to build an extensive collection of rail transportation photographs, which he showcases on his Web site.