Tucson's Old Pueblo Trolley

Old Pueblo Trolley is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to preserving Arizona's mass transit history, with roots in Tucson's original street railway: electric streetcars first ran in the city on June 1, 1906, replacing horse- and mule-drawn cars, and made their final trips on December 31, 1930, when buses took over. Revival began with Ruth Cross, director of the University of Arizona's 1983 centennial celebration, who dreamed of returning historic streetcars to the Old Pueblo; a 501(c)(3) was formed to raise funds and coordinate with the city, and volunteers inaugurated a heritage streetcar line on April 17, 1993. The route used original paved-over trackage along University Avenue that was uncovered and rehabilitated, plus new rail on 8th and 4th avenues, running just over a mile from 5th Avenue and Broadway to the University of Arizona Main Gate. Service was suspended on October 31, 2011 for construction of the Sun Link modern streetcar, which opened in July 2014 along the old alignment; by 2019 the group had given up on resuming service over its former line and instead plans a loop of track at a new South Tucson site at South 4th and East 36th Street, home of its shop and museum facility dedicated in 2016. The organization continues through three divisions — Street Railway, Motor Bus, and the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum.