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Exploring History Through Vintage Photos: A 1910s Streetcar Running in 1955

This double-ended, 1918 vintage Baltimore Traction Company Brill streetcar has just begun its in-bound journey from Ellicott City, Maryland, heading east to Baltimore on the No. 9 line. Positioned here at 8304 Main Street, car 5706 is about to plunge down a fairly steep grade (about 5%) that bottoms out at the Patapsco River crossing seen here. It must climb a longer but less arduous slope on the other side.
Take a deep dive into history with these vintage photos of a 1910s streetcar running in 1955. Explore the history of transportation in this vintage glimpse into the past.
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Here are a couple cool old photos that we dug up on Shorpy. It’s a vintage 1910s streetcar running in 1955.

This double-ended, 1918 vintage Baltimore Traction Company Brill streetcar has just begun its in-bound journey from Ellicott City, Maryland, heading east to Baltimore on the No. 9 line. Positioned here at 8304 Main Street, car 5706 is about to plunge down a fairly steep grade (about 5%) that bottoms out at the Patapsco River crossing seen here. It must climb a longer but less arduous slope on the other side.
This double-ended, 1918 vintage Baltimore Traction Company Brill streetcar has just begun its in-bound journey from Ellicott City, Maryland, heading east to Baltimore on the No. 9 line. Positioned here at 8304 Main Street, car 5706 is about to plunge down a fairly steep grade (about 5%) that bottoms out at the Patapsco River crossing seen here. It must climb a longer but less arduous slope on the other side.

Source: Shorpy

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Ellicott City, Maryland, 1955. The photographer faces east, standing in the middle of an earlier alignment of Maryland Avenue where it terminates on Frederick Road. Not counting the pedestrians, there are actually four modes of transportation captured here: The roadway, the Baltimore Traction Company No. 9 streetcar line, the B&O railway overhead, and finally, the Patapsco River. The last is not so obvious, but the archway in the right rear of the photo accommodates a branch of the river. None of the buildings shown here have changed significantly since this photo was taken. Just out of sight, to the right of the young ladies, is the B&O terminal, established in 1831 as the terminus of the first commercial railroad in the U.S. Today, it is the oldest surviving railroad station in the country. The eastbound 1918-vintage Brill streetcar would not be so lucky; this year would see the line's abandonment and car 5706 was summarily scrapped.
Ellicott City, Maryland, 1955. The photographer faces east, standing in the middle of an earlier alignment of Maryland Avenue where it terminates on Frederick Road. Not counting the pedestrians, there are actually four modes of transportation captured here: The roadway, the Baltimore Traction Company No. 9 streetcar line, the B&O railway overhead, and finally, the Patapsco River. The last is not so obvious, but the archway in the right rear of the photo accommodates a branch of the river. None of the buildings shown here have changed significantly since this photo was taken. Just out of sight, to the right of the young ladies, is the B&O terminal, established in 1831 as the terminus of the first commercial railroad in the U.S. Today, it is the oldest surviving railroad station in the country. The eastbound 1918-vintage Brill streetcar would not be so lucky; this year would see the line’s abandonment and car 5706 was summarily scrapped.

Source: Shorpy

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