Artifact Showcase: 1882 Washington and Georgetown Postal Cover

 

Postal cover / envelope from the Washington and Georgetown Railroad - notice the 1882 cancellation.

Private collection.

The Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company was one of the first street car companies in Washington, DC, with service beginning in the mid 1800s with horse drawn trailers known as "horse cars."

The Washington and Georgetown Railroad was also the first company to operate cable cars in Washington - yes, for a brief period Washington DC had cable cars. The W&G's Pennsylvania Avenue Line began cable car service on August 6, 1892; the cars were powered by one continuous cable which moved at roughly 9.9 miles per hour, with three minute headways between cars.

Washington and Georgetown Railroad cable cars (operating as a train - one car which was physically connected to the underground cable accompanied by a non-powered trailer) on the 7th street line; cable car operation on this line began in the early 1890s. Collection of LeRoy King Jr.

Cable car street car systems are, by nature, difficult to maintain. Furthermore, the tight turns on Washington streets created operational headaches for those maintaining the cable and operating cable car "trains." Thus the cable cars eventually gave way to the electric street cars Washington is so famous for, with underground electrical conduit replacing the cable. The Washington and Georgetown Railroad itself eventually became history after being purchased by the Rock Creek Railway in the mid 1890s.

References: 100 Years of Capital Traction: The Story of Streetcars in the Nation's Capital by LeRoy O. King. Original publication 1972.