As the 1940s approached, Seattle began to modernize its transportation system, replacing its aging trolleys and streetcars with motorized buses and “trackless trolleys” (electric buses powered via overhead lines). In 1941, the last Seattle streetcar made its final run. Streets were repaved as the streetcar tracks throughout the city were torn up and sold as scrap.
This image, likely taken in the early 1940s, shows one of Seattle’s new trackless trolleys covered with ads for Ivar’s Acres of Clams restaurant at Pier 54.
Caption information source: HistoryLink essay 4005
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 9.5 x 6.75 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
