Many of us don’t remember Cincinnati’s old streetcars.

The streetcar (above) shown turning onto 5th street was taken in the 1940.’s   Look closely at the left hand side of the picture -when the Tyler Davidson Fountain was once located close to the corner.

There was a time that Cincinnati relied heavily on streetcars to get around and while there has been some fuss over the new system – in the long run having a comfortable way to navigate around downtown to Findlay Market (and further north to the University of Cincinnati campus) opens up lots of options.  The new rail system will start operating soon –  scheduled for September – when Cincinnati’s newest streetcar will make its debut.   The 3.6-mile-long system will run a loop through downtown and the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. It will operate 18 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The streetcar will travel on a loop from Second Street (at The Banks on the riverfront) to Henry Street (just north of Findlay Market in Over the Rhine).

Popular spots along the route include:

According to the information this will be the first time streetcars have carried passengers in Cincinnati since 1951 and long ago the city had a streetcar system that ran over 200 miles and carried 100 million passengers a year at its peak.  The under powered streetcar system was supported by the Inclines which had enough power to get up (and then down) the hills that surround Cincinnati.  Sadly the only remnants of the Incline are some stone piers and steps.

Interested in Cincinnati Streetcar history – more neat pictures and information:  Cincinnati Traction History