Hughes Co. Photo Collection

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Public Transit in Baltimore

Accession Number P75-54-0063g, Hughes Company Glass Negatives Collection

Courtesy of the Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore Country

Image Number Neg Z9.395.PP8, Hughes Studio Photograph Collection,

Courtesy of the Prints and Photographs Division, Maryland Historical Society

Public transit in Baltimore went through a series of highs and lows ending with the eventual upheaval of streetcars for the more modern modes of transit. The initial forms of public transit were horse drawn cars used in the 1850s. By the 1880s, horse drawn cars were replaced by electric streetcars. In 1899, the streetcar companies were consolidated into United Railway and Electric. At this time, United  Railway streetcars serviced all of Baltimore. Automobiles were only used by the upper classes, so streetcars were the only option for moving around the city.

The Streetcar has Competition

Accession Number P75-54-0062g, Hughes Company Glass Negatives Collection,

Courtesy of the Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The streetcar was used widely by the public until companies began developing new ways for passengers to ride around the city. The first invention to take riders from the streetcar was the “jitney,” a truck/car that began operation in 1915. This car was not very profitable, but was the first competitor to expose the vulnerability of the streetcar industry.

The Rise of the Automobile

Image Number Neg 79. 729 PP8, Hughes Studio Photograph Collection,

Courtesy of the Prints and Photography Division, Maryland Historical Society

United was able to withstand competition from the jitney; however, their main competition was the automobile. Automobiles allowed people to move around the city independently, and were very popular in Maryland. From 1920-1940, automobiles in Maryland increased from 100,000 to 300,000. The automobile industry attracted customers around the country by creating less expensive and better quality vehicles. They used clever advertising to attract customers as shown within this Oldsmobile advertisement. Automobile companies capitalized on new technology to create a product that would last, insuring that they would remain in competition with mass transit. Automobiles were viewed by society as a permanent invention unlike the jitney, and people responded by altering aspects of society to accommodate the change.

Traffic Congestion

Accession Number P75-54-0090g, Hughes Company Glass Negatives Collection,

Courtesy of the Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Streetcars were forced to share the road with automobiles changing traffic within the city. As more people purchased automobiles, the road became a battle between private and public transportation. As a result, traffic congestion was a serious problem downtown. It was estimated that 10,000 people would come in 5,000 cars and 50,000 people came in 1, 000 streetcars. While the traffic jam in the picture may be an outlying case, it reflects a time when the many options for getting around Baltimore were too much for the city roads to handle. Even today, we experience traffic jams on roads and think an increase in the number of roads is the best solution. As the number of automobiles on the road increased this was and still is a constant issue.

Public Transit at a Crossroads

Accession Number P75-54-0054g, Hughes Company Glass Negatives Collection,

Courtesy of the Photography Collections, University of Maryland ,Baltimore County

Transit severely declined after the 1918 annexation. As major cities like Baltimore increased in size, it was expected that people would rely more on transit; yet, between 1920 and 1930, rider numbers in Baltimore and Cincinnati decreased thirty to forty percent. There were multiple reasons for the decline. Many people were dissatisfied with the service. The equipment used on streetcars was old, the cars were often crowded, and fares expensive. Residents who moved to the newly annexed areas had little access to streetcar lines. Because United could not afford to build lines in majority of those areas, many residents ended up buying automobiles. Lines that were built near the suburbs were many times unprofitable. As a result of the decline, some streetcar routes may have looked like this picture. The line is in an area with few riders perhaps because residents cannot or do not want to take the streetcar. Also note the automobile in the picture which is easily moving from the interior of that area, representing easy mobility.

The Response

Accession Number P75-54-N6169, Hughes Company Glass Negatives,

Courtesy of the Photography Collections, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Image Number Neg Z9.1865.PP30, Hughes Studio Photograph Collection,

Courtesy of the Prints and Photographs Division, Maryland Historical Society

United was forced to revamp their lines in order to stay in business. The automobile and the introduction of gas powered buses were a sign of the future, so the company had to modernize their cars to attract customers. United changed both the aesthetic and design of their cars. In the twenties, United converted their semi-convertible cars into articulated trains (bottom picture). United introduced the short Birney car (top picture) and had considerable success with the Peter Witt streetcars. United took a step further and created trackless trolleys which did not use tracks and ran on wires. As we can see in the pictures, Baltimore streets were becoming more updated to the times, and United made sure their cars could handle the changes.