Wilmington's Trackless Trolleys: 2. Their History


 Wilmington's Trackless Trolleys

2. Their History

On March 29, 1939 the first trackless trolley line started in Wilmington, the 10 Delaware Ave., which ran out to The Highlands.  This had been the first tracked trolley line earlier.  The system was converted fully, eliminating tracked trolleys, and operated until December 6, 1957, when all lines were converted to smelly diesel buses.  It was a sad moment for me; I loved the trolleys.  DART, the successor to the old private Delaware Coach Company (DCCO) is now converting back to electric propulsion, now sans overhead wiring and trolley poles.
 
There is a complete history of Delaware's trolleys in this book, now out of print...
 
 


Two of our former trackless trolleys are at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME...
 

Our trackless trolley era got less than one page in Cox's book...
 

 

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