|
Morris County Traction Company Lowenthal Greenberg SC 1984
Morris County Traction Company by Larry Lowenthal & William T. Greenberg
Soft Cover
Copyright 1984
40 pages
INTRODUCTION For several years we had been talking about doing a book on the Morris County Traction Co. and had accumulated materials and ideas. Yet I think it was the experience of taking my children to the trolley museum at Warehouse Point, Conn. that moved the "Trolley Project" folder into the active file and inspired me to complete this text. I saw how these children, who had scarcely heard of trolleys, responded to those smooth and purposeful, yet cozy and inviting machines. In the excited light of their eyes I saw a reflection of the fascination trolleys had for the generation of children that grew up with them.
The Morris County Traction Co. was not noteworthy for its distinctiveness; rather, its charm lies in being so representative. Even its route was oddly typical: in its last years the green cars of the MCT ran down the streets of the then-flourishing metropolis of Newark, then outward through a series of towns of varying size and pretension. While never a truly rural line becuse it clung to the main roads, the western portion of its route was definitely out in the country. In the expansive hopes of its youth, its incessant perilous struggles-which resembled the movie serials so popular at the time- and its final grinding defeat, it typified the countless local trolley ventures that electrified America in the first part of this century.
While some modern trolley enthusiasts are interested primarily in the mechanical details, we are more intrigued by trolleys as a mirror of their time and place.
The story of companies like the MCT reveals insights into the areas they served and the attitudes and way of life of the people who risked so much to create them or, simply, accepted them as a routine feature of life.
I was born long after the last mournful trolley pole had been lowered in the Dover car barn. Yet as a result of working on this book, I see the shadow of the luckless Morris County Traction Co. on the roads it once roamed. In the midst of the relentless frenzy of traffic that roars over those roads, I think of the sedate, dignified electric cars gliding on their slender steel guides through the gravel or mud. Then I see the towns themselves when they were still separate and distinctive, when there was a clear boundary between the towns, with their commercial activity, and the countryside, and both were prosperous and fulfilling. The spirit of the trolley line lingers faintly in its former haunts, as some of its rails remain buried in the pavement. In spirit, the trolleys still hum through those confident, secure towns, with the familiar, dependable names of streets and storekeepers, factories and farmers, the cocooned sophistication of the local high school, the cheerful community rituals, and the gossipy newspapers whose references to names and places needed no explanation.
As with any book about an area that has been inundated by soulless urbanization, I suppose this is a lament for what has been lost.
-Larry Lowenthal
All pictures are of the actual item. There may be reflection from the lights in some photos. We try to take photos of any damage. If this is a railroad item, this material is obsolete and no longer in use by the railroad. Please email with questions. Publishers of Train Shed Cyclopedias and Stephans Railroad Directories. Large inventory of railroad books and magazines. Thank you for buying from us.
Shipping charges
US Shipments: Ebay will add $1.25 each additional items, there are a few exceptions.
Ebay Global shipping charges are shown. These items are shipped to Kentucky and forwarded to you. Ebay collects the shipping and customs / import fees. Refunds may be issued if you add multiple items to your cart and pay with one payment. For direct postage rates to these countries, send me an email. Shipping varies by weight.
Payment options
Payment must be received within 7 days. Paypal is accepted.
Terms and conditions
All sales are final. Returns accepted if item is not as described. Contact us first. No warranty is stated or implied. Please e-mail us with any questions before bidding.
Thanks for looking at our items.
| 
