Trolley Poetry

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Wed Mar 12, 2014 2:27 pm

Here is another item I am throwing out. Contact me if you want it. You send a self addressed and posted envelope.

Twenty years ago I lived in a house on Vernon Street in Hartford, across the street from the Connecticut Co. Broad Street car barn. The elderly lady two houses over had purchased her house from the original builder, "Judge Henney". These houses were built in 1885. Apparently Judge Henney fancied himself a budding poet, and paid to have a book of his poetry published. There was a box full of these in this lady's attic.

I don't think it is very good, but it does give a first hand commentary on the operations of the streetcar in Hartford. This poem is ten pages long.

wilkinsd · **Posted:** Wed Mar 12, 2014 2:31 pm

Carl Sandburg penned "Halsted Street Car" about the Chicago Surface Lines route of the same name. When I read it, I imagine a full Old Pullman-type car with these characters inside:

Quote:

COME you, cartoonists,
Hang on a strap with me here
At seven o'clock in the morning
On a Halsted street car.

Take your pencils
And draw these faces.

Try with your pencils for these crooked faces,
That pig-sticker in one corner--his mouth--
That overall factory girl--her loose cheeks.

Find for your pencils
A way to mark your memory
Of tired empty faces.

After their night's sleep,
In the moist dawn
And cool daybreak,
Faces
Tired of wishes,
Empty of dreams.

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

Whenever I see trolley poetry of this ilk, I think of Isaac Brompey and his '"rooks, it's poetry! By George, it's poetry!" So cunningly re-interpeted by Robert Mc Closkey, and, before him, a certain other well-known American author.

S Bartlett · **Joined:** Tue Apr 05, 2011 9:26 pm **Posts:** 51

This was written about the Shelburne Falls and Colrain Street Railway (1896-1927)

THE TROLLEY
Author Unknown

The Colrain City Railroad was a marvel near and far.
Everybody, young or old, rode the trolley car.
Jangling through the villages, off to catch a train.
Nowhere in the country will we travel so again.

Errands were commissioned, infants tagged to ride.
When the windows frosted a stove was set inside.
In the sunny summertime open cars pertained.
Even in a thunderstorm nobody complained.

Folks with picnic baskets gaily climbed aboard.
Carfare was a nickel, which pleasure could afford;
Nothing for the young-ones, half for those half-grown;
Fastest ride and breeziest a child had ever known.

Various the commerce that shuttled up and down.
Yeast-cakes were delivered, freight-cars hauled to town,
Messages entrusted. Nobody can know
What was lost to Colrain when the trolley had to go.

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:07 am

I scanned the whole thing into a pdf. It is too big to post here, but I posted it to a web address I control. You can download it here:

http://www.a2analytics.com/henneymotormanpoetry.pdf

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

For heaven's sake don't just throw these out. Surely there are rare-book dealers who'd have some interest in them!

softwerkslex · **Posted:** Thu Mar 13, 2014 5:46 pm

Send me a self addressed envelope with postage and you can have it.