hawkinsrails.net / streetcars
HawkinsRails.net represents 50 years of railfan photography, shared by a father and son. In this collection, we feature streetcars, motorcars, and trolleys from all over the United States, with a special emphasis on the New Orleans streetcar system. All photographs are by John or Ralph Hawkins unless otherwise noted. See our reprints page to learn more about ordering a reprint or digital file of a particular photograph on this page.
American cities in the 19th century were walking cities—most residents worked and shopped close to where they lived. But as electric streetcar (trolley) systems were built in the 1880s, 1890s, and early 1900s, cities expanded. Many city dwellers moved to new trolley suburbs; streetcars made it easy to travel greater distances to work, shop, and socialize in town. City streets and the patterns of people’s daily lives changed.
