First Trolley Car System in Richmond

In 1888, the world’s first successful electric railway, the Richmond Union Passenger Railway, branched at this point to link downtown and Jackson Ward with the suburbs. Designed by Frank Julian Sprague (1857–1934), the system had 12 miles of track and 40 trolley cars running to Byrd Park in the West End and to 29th and Broad streets in the East End. This model system, which revolutionized urban transportation, ceased operation in November 1949.

Richmond, Virginia · United States