Tampa & Ybor City Street Railway

Birney Streetcar No. 163

A great view of downtown Tampa, FL reveals that construction of the roadbed for the new heritage trolley line is well underway.
	These pictures appear courtesy of Steve McGee , V.P. Restoration for T&YCSR;, and Gregory Fabijanic of Parsons. All photos were taken 12-14-1999 by Mr. Fabijanic.

The T&YCSR; Society Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and was incorporated in 1984 with the vision and desire to bring electric streetcar service back to Tampa. After years of non-support by city administrations, the tide drastically changed in 1994. A business plan was developed and approved, and construction is now underway for a 2.3 mile point to point rail system connecting Tampa's downtown and convention center to the historic district of Ybor City. T&YCSR; is proud to have been the catalyst for the City's new Heritage Streetcar System, which will operate eight (8) replica double truck Birneys now under construction at GOMACO.

The city's system will be operated under the guidance of HARTline (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority), and will initially be of single line construction with six passing sidings, twelve station stops and with approximately a fifteen minute headway between cars. The T&YCSR; has been given operational rights over the system for the restored 1923 single-truck Birney (shown here), as well as maintenance and storage in the new carbarn. However, the car will remain under the ownership of the Society, and because of the historic nature of the car, it was not given to the City for daily operations.

Tampa�s streetcar system was the most extensive in Florida utilizing over 53 miles of track with eleven major routes covering virtually every growing neighborhood in the city. Service was provided with a fleet of over 190 Birney style safety streetcars. August 3rd, 1946 saw the last full day of operation in Tampa, and the following day, buses replaced the steel wheeled electric streetcar.

Found in late 1991, Birney # 163 had been sitting for 45 years on the ground in the backyard of a small home in the Sulphur Springs area. Relegated to use as a storage shed, it had been previously utilized as a small apartment, complete with utilities and full living amenities

For information regarding restoration efforts contact Stephen J. McGee VP, Restoration Chrm. C/o Tampa Tank, Inc., 5205 Adamo Drive Tampa, Florida 33619-3251 Phone (813) 623-2675, x49 Fax (813) 626-1641 e-mail: [email protected]

[Assorted Snapshots]

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Last Updated 11:26 PM 01/18/00 by Timothy (Andy) Nold

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