| Memphis Street Railway started their first trolleybus route on November 8, 1931, using 9 new 40-seat trolley buses purchased from St. Louis Car Company to convert the #6-Lamar line to electric coaches. An additional five trolleybuses were purchased in 1935, allowing this line to be extended to Lamar & Hamilton. In 1941 and 1942, a total of 64 additional trolleybuses were purchased from Pullman Standard before wartime regulations curtailed domestic production. This purchase allowed three additional lines to be converted to trolley bus. In 1945, Memphis Street Railway obtained 20 ACF-Brill trolleybuses which had originally been ordered by Oklahoma Railways. These were intended to convert two diesel bus routes in Oklahoma City to electric buses, but a change of management in Oklahoma Railways (to one more favorable toward General Motors) resulted in cancellation of the order and diversion of these units to Memphis. In 1947, an order was placed for 127 new trolleybuses to be built by Pullman-Standard, this purchase resulting in the discontinuance of the last streetcar routes. An additional 25 ACF-Brill units were ordered in 1949. The trolleybuses survived into 1960, with the final routes being converted to diesel on April 22, 1960. |
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Richard Andrews photo. Collection of Phil Gosney. |
| Pullman-Standard built trolley coach 1100 for the MSR. Note Milw Road flat car. Must be the first day of delivery with interested MSR employees "checking her out". The date is 1947. |
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Richard Andrews photo. Collection of Phil Gosney. |
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Richard Andrews photo. Collection of Phil Gosney. |
| A view at the Car Barn located at Beale and Walnut Streets finds cars in the 200 and 300 class laying over. Also the "new" replacement buses are sharing space in the streetcar barn in this 1947 view. |
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Thompson Collection, Memphis/Shelby County Public Library
and Information Center |
This view from the Sears tower sows the intersection
of North Parkway and Cleveland at the L&N crossing of the line that once ended at the IC line near the Pyramid. |
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Contributed by Bill Pollard |
This view shows a trolley bus southbound on Beale
Street approaching Third Street. |
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Contributed by Bill Pollard |
| The two buses in the foreground, coming and going, are diesel. The two buses in the background are electric. This view is Main Street at Union Ave., looking north. |
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GM Andersen photo, Contributed by Art Peterson |
This view were taken in May 1960, shortly after these trolley buses were taken out of service. |
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GM Andersen photo, Contributed by Art Peterson |
This view were taken in May 1960, shortly after these trolley buses were taken out of service. |