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streetcar

 
Dictionary: street·car   (strēt'kär') pronunciation
 
n.

A public vehicle operated on rails along a regular route, usually through the streets of a city.


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Passenger-carrying vehicle that runs on rails laid in city streets. Streetcars in the 1830s were pulled by horses. Electric motors later supplied the power, with electricity transmitted by a trolley from overhead electric lines. From the 1890s to the 1940s, streetcars were widely used in cities around the world; they were gradually replaced by the automobile, the bus, and the subway, and by the 1950s few remained. A variant, the cable car, invented in 1873 for use on San Francisco's steep hills, is drawn by a continuous cable set in a slot between the tracks.

For more information on streetcar, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: streetcar
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streetcar, small, self-propelled railroad car, similar to the type used in rapid-transit systems, that operates on tracks running through city streets and is used to carry passengers. Most often cars of this type are powered by electricity supplied through an underground third rail or an overhead wire. A device called a trolley that is connected to the streetcar's electrical system makes rolling or sliding contact with the rail or wire; hence the name trolley car often is applied to such vehicles. Streetcars are sometimes powered by diesel or other internal-combustion engines, generally in suburban or rural areas, where the distances to be covered make the cost of electrification prohibitive. The first streetcars, which were drawn by horses, were introduced in New York City during the 1830s. The first electric streetcar system for urban passenger service in the United States was introduced in Cleveland during the 1880s. The use of streetcars expanded in the United States until World War I. Since then most have been replaced by buses, although many still remain in use, and a new system of streetcars has been built in San Diego.


 
Wikipedia: Streetcar (disambiguation)
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The term streetcar or street car has several meanings:

Contents

Transport

  • A streetcar or tram is a vehicle that travels on rails, typically in a street. It can also refer to a light rail vehicle.
  • Heritage streetcar lines are contemporary streetcar lines that use old-fashioned streetcars.
  • The Wright StreetCar is a bus designed to have a tram-like appearance.

Automobile

In music

In theatre


 
Translations: Streetcar
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - sporvogn

Nederlands (Dutch)
tram

Français (French)
n. - (US) tramway

Deutsch (German)
n. - Straßenbahn

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ΗΠΑ) τροχιόδρομος, τραμ

Italiano (Italian)
tram

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bonde (m)

Русский (Russian)
трамвай

Español (Spanish)
n. - tranvía

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - spårvagn

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
路面电车

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 路面電車

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 시내전차

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 路面電車, 市街電車

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حافله ركاب, الترام‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חשמלית‬


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Streetcar (disambiguation)" Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

 

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