I have a token from Tuscon Rapid Transit Co which probably came from my grandfather's can of change. He passed in 1978.

The token is about the size of a US nickel, One side has Tuscon Rapid Transit Co around the perimeter. The other side has "Good for One Fare on the other. There is a T punched through the center.

All I can find on this system is that the trolley cars were replaced with buses in 1930 and it was acquired by the City of Tuscon and in 1969 became part of Sun Tran.

Does anyone have any information on the operation? Are any cars preserved?

There have been two publications on the Tucson system. Contact Dick Guthrie at RGGuthrie@coxnet. Dick is the one that can get you lined up with publications.
Harry

None of the cars that originally operated on the Tucson Rapid Transit line survive. Today's Old Pueblo Trolley operates vintage streetcars are from all over the world-the two operable cars being from Japan and Belgium. The Belgian car is out of service, pending a post accident inspection at present.

As for the future, there is a lot going on at the moment-some of which cannot be discussed yet. Keep an ear to the news tomorrow.

One bit of history about the horsecar line that preceded electric streetcars in Tucson was that at least one of the cars was built at a carriage works owned by an ancestor of singer Linda Ronstadt (I'm a music fan as well as a railfan). For many years the Ronstadt family owned a hardware store which advertised the fact that "we've been here since before Arizona was a state." The local railway preservation group was quite sad when the store closed, because it was the kind of hardware store that had merchandise that Home Depot never even heard of.

A fairly complete history of the Tucson street railways by Eugene Caywood & Kieth Glaab can be found here:
http://parentseyes.arizona.edu/hooves/index.html
An early equipment list is included...it says that four of the horse cars were built by F. Ronstadt Co.