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Mass Transit and Railroads

Horsecar Workers
6 years ago

Horsecar Workers

The Sprague Brothers’ Union (Horse) Railroad decided to hire the best available personnel by paying generous wages. Horsecar workers received a two-dollar-a-day salary at the inception of service in 1864. …
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Rhode Island’s First Horsecar, Providence to Pawtucket
6 years ago

Rhode Island’s First Horsecar, Providence to Pawtucket

Providence was ready to experiment with a new form of transportation at the end of the Civil War, a means of travel popularized in several other Metropolitan areas. New York …
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The Omnibus in Rhode Island: Crucial Urban Link
6 years ago

The Omnibus in Rhode Island: Crucial Urban Link

As the stagecoach disappeared from the urban scene with bittersweet memories for drivers and passengers, it was replaced temporarily by the next stage in the evolution of local mass transit—the …
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From Early Turnpikes to the Stagecoaches
6 years ago

From Early Turnpikes to the Stagecoaches

Most public bus routes that crisscross Rhode Island today overlay track beds that once supported-electric trolleys and horsecars. Before the railways, the rickety omnibus and its rough and tumble predecessor, …
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Down to the Sea by Rail: The Narragansett Pier Railroad
8 years ago

Down to the Sea by Rail: The Narragansett Pier Railroad

Railroads came to Rhode Island in 1835 with the Boston & Providence line, initially using crude horse-drawn carriages (looking like stagecoaches on rails). The line actually started operations several …
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