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Trolley Talk Magazine

While Trolley Talk Magazine may be a relatively obscure publication, for those who subscribe to it or are interested in trolley and interurban operations it is an excellent resource! Similar to Railroad Heritage, in that it deals specifically with a particular aspect of railroading, Trolley Talk highlights and discusses trolley and interurban operations from the past and present to models and the real thing.

Trolley Talk Magazine is quite different from the other industry magazines out there like Trains, Railfan & Railroad, or Railpace, which deal not only with the history but also the present day. For instance Trains is published by Kalmbach Publishing Company, has been covering the US rail industry since the 1940s when Al C. Kalmbach originally started the magazine in 1940. Over the last sixty years Trains has always been based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has seen the industry go through quite a bit (especially in the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, during the industry’s darkest days) of change and over that time it has become the largest railroad magazine in the country.

For instance, if you are one of those folks who enjoy reading about our country’s railroading history, try and find older volumes on the magazine which predate, say the 1980s (they can usually be found at antique stores, or the easiest method, eBay). The stuff included in them is quite interesting!

Trolleys and interurbans were once common throughout the country and could be found in cities both large and small. An interesting and unique part of railroading history, interurbans (also known as the classic trolley) were fondly remembered, particularly by those lines which served local towns and communities.

Unfortunately for the trolley, while it offered flexibility and affordable fares it was mostly a money-losing operation as it was slower than traditional railroads, usually only served a local area, could never make a profit hauling passengers like traditional railroads and lost out to more efficient modes of transportation as they became available. Today, though, interurbans are making a comeback (known as light rail transit or LRT) as folks look for alternatives to increasingly crowded highways.

While the classic trolleys and interurbans are mostly a thing of the past they are not entirely gone. SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) operates a section of original interurban lines in Philadelphia and the Chicago South Shore's operations remain in use, operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD). And that is not all, as highways become more cramped and overcrowded small, true trolley lines are beginning to pop up in cities across the country, even small ones!

All in all, if you have any interest in trolley and interurban operations, from modeling to the real thing, Trolley Talk Magazine truly is the only magazine out there that deals specifically with this unique aspect of railroading. If you are interested in purchasing a subscription to the magazine please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store". This will take you to ordering information (through Amazon.com) where you can also learn more about the magazine (as always, if you need any help or have any questions about the ordering process please feel free to get in touch at any time).

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