The Saint Charles Ave street railway is the oldest operating streetcar line in the world, carrying passengers through the streets of New Orleans since 1835.

Started as the New Orleans & Carrollton railroad after the New Orleans City Council resolved that the company not leave obstructions of any kind to traffic, and that the trains were restricted to four miles an hour, it began service in 1835. 

When the town of Carrollton was incorporated in 1845, the track was lengthen to serve the town in 1850, and constructing another barn in 1852.  

The New Orleans & Carrollton railroad operated  the only street railway until June 15th, 1860, when the N.O. City R.R. was incorporated to build six street railway lines. The first route to operate was the Rampart & Esplanade, on June 1, 1861. The Canal Street route began a month later. That route's horsecar barn had wrought iron trusses and a corrugated iron roof. It remained in service for 131 years, and was placed on the national historical registry in 1992. It was then disassembled and reused at another location.

Sometime between 1861 and 1863 the railway converted to steam and frighten many a horse, during it's service life. Indeed, the paper pf the time, the "Carrollton Times" of 1864, reported many a dissatisfaction of the speed and noise in which the locomotive was putting out.

On April 11, 1866, the N.O.& C.R.R. was leased to general Beauregard and "others". Then a month later, on May 10th, 1866, the Council passed an ordinance #45 authorizing the first double track on Baronne St. but returning the company to horse drawn carriages. 

There were a variety of ideas bounced about on how to replace the horse power as the thoroughbreds were eating the company out of house and profits. Some of those ideas were the first cable car, though never built, as well as chemical power utilizing chorine and calcium. It wasn't until April 4th, 1885 that New Orleans saw it's first electric street car with service running only 1900 ft.

Regular service still didn't began on the electrical system until around 1892, when the city council finally authorized the N.O & C. R.R. to began electrification with ordinance # 5847. The ordinance set up specifications of an overhead line with the rails acting as the return to avoid electrocution of anyone. The initial work was started with a silver spike ceremony at Howard and Baronne streets on July 13th, 1892. The tracks were outfitted, and a new barn was built by the Berlin Iron works of Connecticut. Other buildings were built and some are still in use today as wood working, paint shops, electric machinery rooms and retool barns. On December 28th, 1892, the company took possession of 20 electric cars, 10 red cars for Jackson Street, and 10 yellow cars for the Napoleon Line.

The first trials were held at mid-night on January 25th,1893, from Napoleon Ave to Canal Street, and "caused quite a great deal of excitement, even at such a late hour". ( The Times-Democrat, dated Jan. 28th, 1893.

On February 1, 1893, the "Official inauguration of electric powered Streetcars were held. 

After this the streetcars were noted for their reliable service. But the streetcars were not only used for just basic transportation. The fun loving New Orleanians rented the cars out for private parties and still do to this day. 

Of particular interest to Mardi Gras enthusiasts are the January 6th, ride every year for the last few years since 1981, of the Phorty Phunny Phellows. It is this Krewe which every year usher in the Carnival Season with a streetcar ride around the Lee monument and to the river and back to the barn.

But the PPP weren't the first or even the brightest Krewe. During the year of 1900, the first and only ride, no, not ride, parade, of any Krewe since, or ever, using the streetcars as Floats were put on by the Krewe of Nereus. 

Exerted from "The Streetcar Journal", of that year. " The object of the designer was, so far as possible was to conceal the motorman and the conductor and the trolley pole. The platforms upon which the floats rested were made to fit the car trucks and at the same time provide a foundation on which the floats of sufficient size could be carried to portray the various themes. Each car was equipped with a switch to control the current for the lights as well as the current for motive power. It was an ingenious piece of work, and as each Tableau was of different character, each called for a new method when it came to the question of concealing the operators.......the disposition of lights was so arranged that the brilliant flood of light, source of which was not apparent, this being effected by the adoption of the footlight system of illumination."  The Times-Democrat stated, "The parade of Nereus was the occasion of one of the most impressive and extraordinary street scenes that has (not) been witnessed for many years in New Orleans. The Floats, twenty in number, including the four carrying musicians, were were all mounted on regulation trolley trucks and traversed their line of march over the streetcar tracks.....Everything was on a colossal scale, and while the floats were necessarily restricted to the width of the tracks the design were so well balanced and nicely proportioned that there was no appearance of undue narrowness. Even when seen head-on the parade was impressive to the last degree.

 There are those who say that because of the uproar caused by that parade, the feat was never repeated. It was and to this day is still the stuff of Mardi Gras legend.

On August 22, 1922, the Streetcar line was sold to the city of New Orleans, and the N.O. & C. R.R. ceased operations. Several changes took place over the years but basically the lines ran until 1964, when the city city took up the Canal Street line. Then after 90 years of operation the Jackson street line was also removed.

Finally on August 4th, 1973, after an 84 day shutdown of the old N.O.P.S.I. system, it was placed on the national Register of Historic places and given protection from further disassembly under the National Parks Historic Preservation act. 

In 1983, it was formally turned over to it's present operator, Regional Transit Authority, and in the year 1985, the RTA received $ 2.4 million dollars to preserve and keep the system operating into the next century.

Rebirth of the Canal Run  

Recently, the city and Regional Transit Authority, finished relaying track on the Canal street run and begun running light rail cars from the riverfront to the end of Canal. The new system had to be rebuilt and as the RTA moved down Canal street the destruction reaked havoc with traffic patterns downtown. They also reaked havoc with parade routes for a couple of years as well  As the track is laid, the trolley will extend it's run.