Ship to Canada
Ship to USA
by Elmer Prather, guest blogger from Canton, GA
When I spend time and energy to put a puzzle together I have to
have a connection with the puzzle. My latest puzzle is the 31st Cobble
Hill puzzle that I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 500 piece
puzzle titled Trolley Station by Joseph Burgess. The reason I chose this puzzle
is the colorful trolley shown in the puzzle. It reminded me of the Saint
Charles trolley in New Orleans, Louisiana. Putting this puzzle together was a
fun experience.
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| Trolley Station 500 pc by Joseph Burgess / Assembled by Elmer Prather |
In New Orleans, trolleys are called streetcars, and their image
is iconic to the Crescent City. The streetcar system is cheap and easy to
navigate. Single rides cost $1.25. There are currently 5 streetcar routes: the
Riverfront; St. Charles; Canal (Cemeteries); Canal (City Park/Museum); and
Rampart/St. Claude lines.
The Historic St. Charles Streetcar Line is the longest in the
city and the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world.
It started operating in September 1835 using steam locomotives and horse drawn
trams. In February 1893 they converted to electric streetcars/trams . The
street cars on this Line are registered on the National Register of Historic Places
and remain unaltered. This means there is no air conditioning; the cars ride
with open windows. The cars on this line run all day and night, seven days a
week. This line starts on Canal Street near the French Quarter and ends at
Palmer Park.
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| St. Charles Street Car Line |
Swaying along St. Charles Avenue through a tunnel of Live Oaks, the streetcar passes dozens of antebellum mansions, Loyola and Tulane Universities, breathtaking Audubon Park and fine hotels, restaurants and bars. A ride along St. Charles Avenue is much like a journey through the history of New Orleans. Today’s streetcars on this line still have mahogany seats, brass fittings and exposed light bulbs from an era before plastic seats and aluminum rails.
I have ridden this trolley when I visited New Orleans. The photo below is of the trolley as I disembarked at the end of the line. Notice the destination “Saint Charles" in the window over the cab.
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| Photo credit: Elmer Prather |
Riding the trolley is a fun thing to do and convenient to get you around town. Hearing it clicking and clanging as it goes down the track sends you back to yesteryear.
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| Trolley Station 500 piece by Joseph Burgess |