River Street Streetcar Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids River Street Streetcar
Car 756 of the River Street Streetcar line
Overview
Status	Operation suspended indefinitely
Began service	February 11, 2009
Ended service	January 16, 2015
Route
Locale	Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Start	Montgomery Street
End	East Broad Street
Length	1 mile (1.6 km)
Service
Journey time	12:00 noon - 9:00 pm
Operates	Thursday - Sunday

The River Street Streetcar was a special kind of train that ran on tracks in Savannah, Georgia, USA. It was like a historic trolley. This streetcar started running regularly on February 11, 2009. It traveled between six stops along River Street, right next to the Savannah River.

Around 2015, the streetcar service quietly stopped. There was no official announcement at the time. The building where the streetcar was kept and fixed was removed. The streetcar itself was also moved. It is now stored at the Georgia State Railroad Museum.

How the Streetcar Started
Streetcar Route and Stops
Future Ideas for the Streetcar
See also

How the Streetcar Started

Early Trains in Savannah

The very first trains pulled by horses started in Savannah in 1869. Later, electric streetcars began operating in 1890. However, these electric streetcars stopped running on August 26, 1946.

For many years, the Norfolk Southern Railway owned the train tracks on River Street. They used to run a local freight train called the River Street Rambler until 2003.

River Street in 2005, showing the streetcar tracks before service began.

Buying the Tracks

In 2004, the city of Savannah bought the train tracks on River Street from Norfolk Southern. They paid about $600,000 for the right to use these tracks. The streetcar would run on these old tracks, which were set into the cobblestone street. These tracks were located east and west of City Hall.

Getting the Streetcar Ready

To start the streetcar service, the city bought a special streetcar. It was a W5-class streetcar from the 1930s. This streetcar, numbered 756, originally came all the way from Melbourne, Australia. The city paid about $207,000 for it.

The streetcar was then changed to run on its own power. It used a generator fueled by biodiesel and batteries. This made it a type of hybrid train. It was like a diesel train car. This change cost an extra $100,000.

The streetcar was given a nickname: "Dottie." This name was a nod to the Savannah DOT (Department of Transportation) that finished the project. The streetcar was first shown during a Climate Action Parade on December 9, 2008. People also got free rides on December 13, 2008. Regular service officially began on February 11, 2009.

Why the Service Stopped

In 2015, the streetcar only ran for nine days. On January 16, 2015, it had a mechanical problem, and service was stopped. This was not the first time the streetcar had to stop for repairs. These problems eventually led to the service stopping for good. Instead of the streetcar, the city started using trolley-replica buses.

The city never officially announced that the service was ending. The Chatham Area Transit website quietly removed all information about the streetcar in 2015.

The streetcar, Dottie, is now stored at the Georgia State Railroad Museum.

In 2017, the Savannah DOT website explained why the streetcar stopped. They said they had to stop the service in early 2016. This was because construction on the west side of River Street would block the streetcar tracks. They looked at other options but decided stopping the service temporarily was the only choice. They hoped to bring the streetcar back in the future.

Streetcar Route and Stops

Car 756, "Dottie", at the carhouse

The River Street Streetcar ran from Thursday to Sunday. It operated from noon until 9:00 pm.

The streetcar had six stops along its route, going from west to east:

Montgomery Street
Barnard Street
City Hall – This stop connected to city buses and the Savannah Belles ferry.
Abercorn Street
Habersham Street
East Broad Street – This stop connected to the Savannah Belles ferry to Hutchinson Island from Waving Girl Landing.

Future Ideas for the Streetcar

In the spring of 2009, there were hopes to make the streetcar run more often. People hoped it would run six days a week and stay open until 10:00 pm each day.

There were also ideas to make the River Street Line longer. It could have been extended to the city's Georgia State Railroad Museum and Visitor Center. This would have needed new streetcar tracks to be built along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Other new lines were also planned, possibly using old train tracks around the city, like on Fahm Street.

River Street Streetcar facts for kids

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