Our speaker will describe the evolution of the street railway system in the Washington metropolitan area, which included horsecars, cable cars, and electric trolleys. Larry will touch on the social and economic impact of the streetcar on public life, and the physical and political conditions in Washington which influenced transit service and the course of the industry and finish up with a brief overview of the National Capital Trolley Museum.

Biography:

Larry Velte became fascinated with trolleys as a very small child in the late 1940s, watching them roll along Beacon Street in Brookline, Mass.  His career as an Army officer and DOD civilian was unrelated to the transportation industry, but he’s satisfied his trolley interest by actively volunteering at the National Capital Trolley Museum since 1990.