Naked Emperor: Trolleys in Yonkers
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"Clang, clang, clang, went the trolley ... ding, ding, ding went the bell ..."
The words of that old familiar song bring memories, to me, of the wartime 1940s in Yonkers, N.Y. -- known by its natives in those days as "The City of Gracious Living." That city, more hilly than the "city by the bay," boasted trolley cars until the early '50s when buses took their place.
Those were the "good old days" despite the ravages of war, the blackouts, the rationing of sugar and gasoline, and the black-starred telegrams I sometimes helped my late brother deliver by bicycle to kin of fallen GI's.
Those were the days of soft music, great movies, fresh-from-the-farm food -- unadulterated by cross-breeding (tomatoes), whipping (butter), decaffeinating and freeze-drying (coffee), rolling (turkey), injection of water (ham) and treatment by chemical additives (bread) -- and, for most of us, the only high we experienced was when the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Yankees or the Giants made it to the World Series.
'Iron Monsters'
But, back to the trolleys! Many of us who grew up with the iron monsters look upon them now not only nostalgically, as we do, but also as an excellent form of transportation. In summer, the cars were often open-aired, operated on a full, convenient schedule and took you just about anywhere you wanted to go in the city, from the subway in the Bronx to the city lines at Hastings-on-Hudson and Mount Vernon.
And they were fun; as kids, we often rode them all over town when there wasn't much else to do. It kept us out of trouble more than once.
We think of the trolley quite a lot these days -- just about every time we find ourselves sitting patiently behind another car on Route 7, the (Merritt) parkway or the (Connecticut) turnpike. And, more often lately, on many of the county's side streets. Here, at The Hour newspaper, it's an adventure trying to pull in and out of the driveway.
Public Transportation
In fact, we've been preaching the benefits of public transportation for years, but not only buses. Logically, one should fit the mode of transportation to the goal, or destination, desired. A train or plane fits the bill for most long trips; private cars, limos, taxis, buses, bicycles, monorails, or even golf carts do the trick in other situations.
With today's limited-access "parking lots (the Merritt, I-95)," hasn't it become clear the automobile isn't the panacea it once was?
In the face of daily stagnated traffic, can anyone truly watch the naked king roll down the turnpike every morning without seeing that he has no clothes?
I wrote this column for The Hour newspaper of Norwalk, Conn. It appeared on June 27, 1987 as an "Editor's Notebook." At the time, I was a reporter and editor at The Hour, where I spent 32 years, from November 1968 until I retired on June 1, 2000. I now write my views on a wide variety of topics on HubPages. You can, too. It's easy, and free! Get paid for writing about what you love, or whatever interests you! HubPages makes the technical part easy. Make friends and get help on its active forum. Take a quick tour to see how easy it is to get started today Click Here -- To view my HubPages Profile Click Here
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Nice piece - like your style!
Glad you liked it, Rik. I appreciate your comment.
Your HubPages version with the video trolley rides added adds a dimension which you couldn't capture in the original print article. Great hub. If I ever have grandchildren, I'll have them read the article and watch the videos.
Thanks, Ralph. Believe it or not I just talked to my old editor, and friend, the other day and commented that I wished we could have dressed up the old columns then with art work. I'm sure any future grandchildren will love the trolleys, as I do. Trolley 850 from New Orleans on the video is at the Branford, Conn., Trolley Museum. I've been there, and it's a great place for children -- and adults.
Those were the days! I suffered from pangs of nostalgia reading this hub, but enjoyed it too! Though I haven't seen a trolley car in my life. It's a different kind of nostalgia, like wanting to live in Sherlock Holmes's England!
Thank you, William.
I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the column, Kenny. Those days were truly grand.
California still uses Cable Cars in San Francisco..they are fun...G-Ma :O)
Thanks, G-Ma Johnson. I wish they'd bring back the trolleys to New York!
I do have to admit I love all the new technology we have in modern times but I feel like my generation is missing something. Hard to put my finger on it but I think there was just more character in everything in our recent past. Shows like Band of Brothers and Mad Men are two of my favorite shows because they give a nice window to the past.
I guess you could call it nostalgia, jormins, but I look back to '40s and '50s with great fondness. They were days when everyone knew everyone in their neighborhoods, when people all loved the same music, including Bing Crosby, and great movies, when people shared public transportation and were not isolated in cars, when crime wasn't on the front burner. Despite the pain of World War II, there was a common bond shared by everyone on the homefront. It was, indeed, "The Greatest Generation."
Thanks again Mr. Torpey.
And thank you, Micky Dee. There are few things in this world that I love more than trolley cars. I wish they'd make a comeback. Your comment also gave me an opportunity to replace the nonfunctioning video with an even better one (with Judy Garland.) Thanks, again.
How about trams? Are you a fan of those, too?
WhenI was nobbut a lad in Cape Town there were what were called "trolley buses" which were buses, like the diesel driven buses we see today, but they were elcetric, and drew their power from overhead cables much like trams. They were silent, smooth running and comfortable, they didn't smell or push out clouds of noxious fumes. And they were immensely popular with commuters.
But for some economic reason which I don't pretend to understand, they were withdrawn and replaced with diesel driven buses.
I will never forget the sound of the trolley buses passing my aunt's house in Cape Town - all one could hear from them was the sushing sound of their tyres on the tarmac.
Thanks for this interesting Hub, William.
Love and peace
Tony
I do like trams, LondonGirl. I also like trolley-buses and monorails as well as trolleys and trains (especially the old sleepers.) I also think we should be using more golf carts for short runs, not to mention bicycles and mopeds and such. However, I do not like motorcycles. Our roads, I think, are too dangerous for those bikes, and too many young people are injured or die riding them.
I like trolley-buses, Tony, but I grew up with trolley cars and I really love them. I wish they would make a comeback. The trolleys in Yonkers, I believe, were pushed out primarily by the automobile lobbies. The excuse was that upgrading the trolleys would be too expensive, but the trolleys ran mostly down the middle of the road. Increasing auto traffic found them disruptive, although in some residential areas they ran down the side of the road. Not only were they a wonderfully pleasant ride (open air in the summer), but, as you say, the did not spew out foul odors. While the trolley-buses swished along, the trolleys made that fantastic clang, clang, clang.
We have quite a few new tram schemes here in the UK - south of London, and Manchester, spring to mind. I like them.
I'd love to hear more about them, LondonGirl, if you ever write a hub about them. I dream of seeing the return of the trolley cars, but in daylight I daydream of monorails everywhere!
Hi there, everyone. I am a registered nurse with a little job in Yonkers. I've become very interested in the community, and I've been walking everywhere. Today I went to a little coffee shop on Palisade Avenue called Michelle's, and they had photos of the trolleys. Now I have developed a fervent desire to learn everything I can about the old trolley system, which closed down the year I was born. I'm very pleased to have found this hub! My warmest regards to you all.
Yonkers has gone through tough times since I left the "City of Gracious Living" in 1951 (although I went back to Yonkers for six months in 1960.) But I grew up with the trolleys and will always love them. I wish they would make a comeback. I've visited quite often lately, and the old feel is still there -- despite the many changes. You can learn a lot about Yonkers if you visit some sites on Facebook (including this one:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/IGUIyonkers/
Thank you William! I have asked to join that group. I'm sure that I'll learn a great deal from them.
Thanks for this nostalgic piece about the trolleys that traversed the hills of Yonkers, NY. I, too, remember riding the trolleys from North Yonkers all the way to the Bronx and many places in between. It was a delightful way to travel. I am told by an old Yonkers pal that there still is one of the Yonkers trolleys on exhibit at the Brantford (CT) Trolley Museum for all to see. Also, remember being told about the "Hitler" face on the Palisades. There was also an Indian face that I remember being visible from the Yonkers-Alpine ferry-another fun ride for Yonkers folks.
It's good to hear from someone who remembers the Yonkers trolleys, Edmond. They sure were fun. I didn't know about the Indian face until I found a Website run by the Palisades Interstate Park (which I can't find just now.) But here's a site I think you'll find interesting: http://www.njpalisades.org/album4.htm
Glad I found this hub. Never heard of a hub before. Very interesting. Thank you.
Thank you, Rosemary. You may find some of my other hubs of interest. There's a link to them near the top right of this one. They cover many topics, including some about Yonkers, politics and great songs and singers (with videos.)
JazLive 4 years ago
An experienced writer - Yeah! Welcome to the HUB Community :)
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