Access Atlanta > The Newcomer > Archives > 2008 > May > 23 > Entry
Newcomer Q&A, v. 4
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Friday Q&A, where The Newcomer blog researches answers and asks all the questions that emerged during the week
If you’ve got a question, send it to me at jgumbrecht@ajc.com or leave it in the comments section by the end of the day Wednesday to be answered in that Friday’s section.
We had a lot of good questions this week, but I didn’t have time to get to all of them. Keep an eye out next Friday.
Today’s answers: crafts and trolleys.
QUESTIONS UPDATED
From Jamie G.: I asked last week about where the crafters hang out, and heard a number of great responses about knitting shops like Knitch and art supply stores like Sam Flax.
Off the blog, I heard about the Atlanta Craft Mafia, a group of crafty types. They’ve got a Craft Happy Hour planned for May 28 at Park Grounds in Reynoldstown. It’s open to members and non-members.
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
From Reader ABC: “I have always heard that the marta rail system was built on top of the Old Trolly system lines. Is this true?”
A bit. Maps that show the old streetcar system show plenty of overlap between the trolleys and the current buslines, or train lines. You can still spot trolley tracks in the road in some parts of the city. Moreso, it seems MARTA an evolution of what was started with the trolley system. It’s particularly interesting now, while talk about a new streetcar up Peachtree lingers.
This is a 1940s photo showing Atlanta’s trolley system. That’s the Olympia Building in the left corner; Underground Atlanta begins at the top of the photo.
Read on below…
From the AJC archives: “As early as 1894, Atlanta was served by 44 miles of electric trolley rail, just two fewer miles than MARTA rail runs today. At the system’s peak, there were 220 miles of trolley car track in or near the city, according to ‘The Trolley Titans,’ a 1981 book by O.E. Carson.
In addition, the region was served by two inter-urban trolley car lines —- one linking the city to Marietta, the other to Stone Mountain.
Atlanta’s last real trolley car ran on April 11, 1949. Buses powered by electric lines —- trackless trolleys —- ran until 1963. After several years of legislative and electoral activity, MARTA was created in February 1972. The new entity bought the old Atlanta Transit System for $12.9 million and took control of the area’s primary bus transportation system, according to a MARTA history posted on its Web site.”
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