When you think of a trolley your mind might immediately go to the streetcars of San Francisco. But did you know that 100 years ago, there was an extensive network of inter-urban trolleys across New York State to transport people between cities?

From 1899 to 1929, the Albany-Hudson Electric Trolley transported millions of people between its two namesake cities. historic-trolley.jpegThe trolley used a third rail line, powered by electricity supplied by the Stuyvesant Falls hydro-electric power plant. Thirty years after its maiden voyage, however, the Trolley saw a decline in ridership due to the growing popularity of personal automobile travel. This, coupled with the Great Depression, led to the Trolley’s last trip in 1929.